The Alabama Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the opening of the annual juried Festival of the Cranes Art Exhibit in the Center’s Walking Gallery on Friday, January 9, 2026. The show will be held in conjunction with the Friends of Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Association’s annual Festival of the Cranes, which will take place January 9-11 in Decatur, Alabama. The exhibit will be free and open to the public.
To celebrate, the Alabama Center for the Arts will be open with special weekend hours:
- Saturday, January 10: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
- Sunday, January 11: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
All students, faculty, staff, adjuncts, and alumni of Athens State University, Calhoun Community College, and the Alabama Center for the Arts were eligible to enter the juried show. This year, 34 pieces of artwork by 21 artists will be featured in the show. All pieces of artwork featured in the exhibit were inspired by nature, whooping cranes, sandhill cranes, and other nature-related subjects. The exhibit will remain open until Monday, February 23.
In addition to the art exhibit, the ACA will be hosting other Festival of the Cranes activities from January 10-11. Events include:
Saturday, January 10
Performing Arts Building
- 9:00 am – 4:30pm in Main Lobby: Exhibitors
- ICF, ACES, Wild Alabama, Alabama River Alliance, DMCT, Alabama State Parks, Quail Forever
- 10:00 am – 11:00 am in the Recital Hall: Christopher Joe (Black Belt Birding/ecotourism)
- 11:30 am – 12:30 pm in the Recital Hall: “A Year in the Lives of North American Woodpeckers”, Paul Bannick (woodpeckers), award winning nature photographer
- 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm in the Recital Hall: Lee Hedgepeth (climate/environmental issues)
- 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm in the Recital Hall: Southern Film Festival (environmental issues)
Visual Arts Building
- 9:00 am – 4:30pm – Galleries Open
- Festival of the Cranes Art Exhibit in Walking Gallery
- Artist Gary Chapman’s Salamandrina in Main Gallery
- 10:00 am – 11:00 am in Room #118 (3M Room): Amber Coger and “Cranes Can Dance?” (family)
- 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in Rooms #113 and #116: “Make & Take Art Activity” by ACA art faculty – Paper Plate Birds and Thumbprint Cranes
- Come and make some colorful feathered friends with the ACA Art Instructors. Let your imaginations take flight with paper plates and colors! Ages 5+ (FREE). This is a come & go activity.
- 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm in Room #118 (3M Room): International Crane Foundation (ICF) Crane Behaviors (family activity)
- 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm in Room #113: Timothy Joe (Art Demonstration)
Sunday, January 11
Performing Arts Building
- 9:00 am – 4:30 pm in Main Lobby: Exhibitors
- ICF, ACES, Wild Alabama, Alabama River Alliance, DMCT, Alabama State Parks, Quail Forever
- 10:00 am – 11:00 am in Recital Hall: Amber Coger (cranes)
- 11:30 am – 12:30 pm in Recital Hall: Jimmy Stiles (reptiles)
- 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm in Recital Hall: Jimmy Stiles (reptiles)
- 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm in Recital Hall: Dr. Andy Caven (Int’l Crane Foundation)
Visual Arts Building
- 9:00 am – 4:30 pm: Galleries Open
- Festival of the Cranes Art Exhibit in Walking Gallery
- Artist Gary Chapman’s Salamandrina in Main Gallery
- 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in Room #118 (3M Room): International Crane Foundation (ICF) Crane Behaviors (family activity, 2 hours)
- 10:30 am – 11:30 am in Room #113: Jessie Taylor (crane habitat)
- 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm in Room #118 (3M Room): Forsberg Photography Workshop, “Writing with Light”
- 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm in Room #113: Crane Painting Workshop with Tracy Roberts McCann
- Pre-registration required – $60 per person. All supplies provided. Please visit the Alabama Center for the Arts’ website for information on how to register: www.alabamacenterforthearts.org/calendar
Events are free and open to the public with the exception of Tracy Roberts McCann’s painting class. A full schedule of events can be found at https://www.friendsofwheelernwr.org/events.
For more information about the 2026 Festival of the Cranes, please visit https://www.friendsofwheelernwr.org/foc-2026 or the Festival of the Cranes Facebook page, Festival of the Cranes at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.
During normal hours, the Alabama Center for the Arts is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm and on Friday from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm.