Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL, Nov 10

I've been to quite a number of art museums in the various towns I've visited, and I have to say... the one in Dothan was right up there with the worst!! It was very small, but that wasn't what made it so bad. It was the items they had displayed that they were calling art. I know art is in the eye of the beholder, and I'm not trying to say I have any expertise whatsoever, but this looked like childhood things that should have been thrown away long ago, or photographs that should never have been printed, or sculptures that were mistakes. 

I always try to select my favorites and then do a little research on the artist to educate myself. Even that was difficult. Many of the pieces were from local artists and the plaques say they were donated by the artist, which leads me to believe they had an art class (like one of those "paint and sips") and they just left their work behind. That's how bad it was!!

None the less, I found one that I liked and another one that caught my eye (not that I actually liked it). Here they are.

This one was by Mary Soyla, The Horses of St. Mark's, 2020. Oil pastel and it was courtesy of the artist. I thought this was actually good, but that was all the information given so obviously it was done by a local who just didn't want to take it home. I don't think there is any real value in it. Nothing came up in a google search.

This one was by Frank Fleming, American, 1940-2018. The Appleman, ca 1985. Ceramic. Gift of Tonye Frith. I googled this artist, and he was from Birmingham, AL (fairly local) and there are a number of his sculptures around. I have no idea of this one's value. A similar one was sold at auction for $700. Like I said, I didn't actually like it, but I thought it was interesting so I should get a picture.




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