The Sipsey Arts Alliance is a regional non-profit organization based in Fayette, Alabama. Our Mission is to promote public awareness of artists, crafters, and makers as a valuable asset to our rural communities and provide voice and leadership through our support of working artists with programs, exhibits, classes, workshops, and services that help foster an active environment for creating.
In early 2014 Sipsey Arts Alliance was formed to promote local artists and to provide much needed art instruction for Fayette County schools. It was first housed in the old Delta building but soon had to relocate in order to meet the accommodations necessary for ALDOT. After three additional “homes”, SAA began to grow and to quickly get on its feet through offering art shows, through the generosity of interested patrons, the awarding of grants and scholarships from various entities, and through individuals’ donations to the emerging art alliance. Presently, SAA has its base in a tasteful building located on First Avenue NE in the Fayette Historic Downtown area. It has been a hubbub of activity from its inception.
Local working artists have volunteered their own time, their expertise, and even their personal supplies to provide art instruction and art activities to local students. The SAA art markets at Christmas and in the spring have encouraged city traffic and additional revenue, thus, giving artists the opportunities to display and to sell their handicrafts. Art classes with minimal cost have been offered to the public-both for children and adults- in the SAA building. Classes in glass work, jewelry, ceramics, painting, etc. have been offered to the public. A newly furnished computer lab will allow SAA to offer free and low cost computer training to the public.
Sipsey Arts Alliance provides artwork from members and local artists to hang in the Fayette hospital lobby and in the Garden Room of the Fayette Civic Center. Even the young artists’ artwork has been on display giving them experience and exposure as they develop into artists.
Even during the current pandemic, Sipsey Arts Alliance has remained involved in the sewing and the distributing of over 3,000 protective and creative safety masks for local students, teachers, school personnel, first responders, health care workers, and various other groups. These protective masks were offered to these groups without additional cost to the recipients.
For the present, art classes in the local schools have been suspended until the fall of this year, pending the Covid issue in public education safety guidelines.