The Friends of American Art was founded in 2007 and actively supports the Museum by developing and expanding its American art collection. The group provides educational programs and travel opportunities to its members. Events include lectures by leading authorities and visits to auctions, galleries, and noted public and private collections. At the Friends’ annual dinner, members vote on a major acquisition for the Museum’s collection of American art.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP:
$500 per member
$250 per junior member (under 40)

For more information or to join, please contact Graham Boettcher, PhD, William Cary Hulsey Curator of American Art, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 205.254.2565 x4201.

Trip to Crystal Bridges // September 21 – 23, 2012

Join the Friends of American Art and the Collectors Circle for Contemporary Art for a visit to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.  Founded by Alice Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune, and designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the museum--which opened to the public last fall--features an outstanding collection of American masterpieces, including Asher B. Durand's Kindred Spirts and Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter.  Crystal Bridges' collection of contemporary art includes major works by such notables as  Jenny Holzer, Claes Oldenberg, Andy Warhol, Kerry James Marshall, among numerous other important American artists.  Participation is strictly limited to 15 members from each support group.  A second Friends of American Art trip to Crystal Bridges is anticipated due to popular demand.  For more information, contact Susan Powers at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 205.254.2567.

Friends of American Art in Atlanta
Friday, October 28 – Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Friends enjoyed a weekend of private collection visits and fine dining in the Big Peach.

Friends of American Art in New York
November 29-December 3, 2010

The Friends took in the excitement of American Auction Week, including preview receptions and sales at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, tours of private collections, and visits to prominent New York galleries.

Reception and Preview of Murals, Murals on the Wall, 1929-1939: Our Story Through Art in Public Places
November 6, 2010 

The Friends enjoyed a members-only sneak preview and reception marking the opening of this important community exhibition at the Birmingham Public Library, featuring significant murals in the Birmingham area. Exhibition sponsored by the Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Public Library and Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Overnight Trip to Cartersville, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee
October 30-31, 2010
The Friends saw two superb museums: The Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville and the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga. They also enjoyed visits to private collections, fine dining, and accommodations in an historic hotel. 

Third Annual Dinner
October 7, 2010

The Friends of American Art Third Annual Dinner celebrated the recent restoration of Frederic Remington’s The Wounded Bunkie, the most important sculpture in the Museum’s American collection. Prof. Jennifer Greenhill, Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Illinois, presented the keynote talk, entitled, “Laughing (with a Straight Face) on the Frontier.” We also voted on the acquisition of a work for the permanent collection.

Chicago: American Art in the Windy City
May 19 – 22, 2010

The Friends of American Art traveled to the Windy City and enjoyed a curator-led tour of the Art Institute of Chicago, the nation’s second largest art museum and home to masterpieces such as Grant Wood’s American Gothic and Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks.

The group also toured Robie House, Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, and enjoyed unique access to some of Chicago’s best private art collections.

Nashville:  American Art in the Music City
January 15 - 17, 2010

The Friends of American Art traveled to Nashville, once hailed as the Athens of the South, now known as Music City, USA. Included in the itinerary were visits to two major special exhibitions at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Georgia O’Keeffe and Her Times and Thomas Hart Benton in Story and Song, a visit to The Parthenon to view the Cowan Collection of American Art, and a visit to Belmont Mansion, a 19th century house museum. The group spent two nights at the Hermitage Hotel, a stunning five-star historic hotel in the heart of downtown Nashville. On the way back to Birmingham, the group stopped for a guided tour of Rattle and Snap Plantation in Columbia, Tennessee.  Built in 1845, Rattle and Snap is generally regarded as one of the best examples of Greek Revival architecture in the country.