03.09.21 – COLEMAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS AiR
![Alfonso Lee, a Marine combat veteran and self-taught artist, Sumter Co.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2f78cb1945081f68c71aaf558e2dfbafde13f452d4a0ca39a83ba624484f5a98/_DSF1324w.jpg)
![The Whitfield Canal, Demopolis, Marengo Co. Approximately 1 mile long and in some places more than 30 feet deep, the Whitfield Canal was constructed between 1845 and 1863 by enslaved people to prevent water from overflowing and flooding General Nathan Bryan Whitfield’s Gaineswood plantation.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4a5c3dd797f392e32efbb43d12ddd9ebafbcbfd88f00672bf406eaa07d10fd89/_DSF1382w.jpg)
![Animal tracks, Sumter Co.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/91a587a4b12e8f77e163b1970998ce331684462273ea109f466198b267323e37/_DSF0805w.jpg)
![A portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is illuminated by flashlight in the abandoned East Choctaw School in Choctaw Co.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a722c2549697ec24110e806cacb2766ac6243cadb913b3ddc7efa0f9c9f3ddb3/_DSF0877w.jpg)
![Demopolis, Marengo Co.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/adde571d69d89bee0b662727e16ebbd127e760f88a48257f28b6b4f0959450e8/_DSF1490w.jpg)
![Demopolis, Marengo Co.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/aecbaa6f89b92af8208c88693d9dd20f5394a7336b1f13d5057837fa3008b9db/_DSF1503w.jpg)
![Demopolis, Marengo Co.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/df77d37a8ffc1105cf8ff83282010ba6ef5bb8f018b325ec4e894dc376ec2df1/_DSF1543w.jpg)
![Clearcut land near Emelle, Ala. The timber industry is one of the largest economic drivers in Sumter Co., the poorest county in the state.](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/09225395dc75696fcb82fb6f1b709b9306ade2c1a611b7d664ba1000234cf55c/_DSF0740w.jpg)
After a brief hiatus to weather the winter, I am back on the road. Through March I am focusing on west Alabama and the Black Belt region with the generous support of an artist residency at the Coleman Center for the Arts in York, Ala.
Founded in 1985 through the grassroots efforts of local citizens, CCA nurtures and facilitates partnerships between artists and community, integrating contemporary art into education, civic life, and community development throughout the region. The residency is made possible by a grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
+++++