The state of Alabama offers an array of world-class museums, contemporary art centers, and independent galleries. Though often located in major metropolitan centers, several important organizations serve diffuse rural areas.

A thriving college town with a small but vibrant art community to match, Athens is home to several artist-run galleries and community spaces, the Georgia Museum of Art, and the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia.

Atlanta’s art community is dispersed throughout Georgia's largest city and features a lively mix of traditional and contemporary art galleries, robust studio cooperatives, and DIY spaces, anchored by institutions such as the High Museum of Art and Atlanta Contemporary.

Nestled in the foothills of Appalachia and looking out over the Tennessee River, Chattanooga's art scene features institutions like the ICA at UTC and the Hunter Museum alongside a bustling DIY scene, artist residencies and a renown sculpture garden.

Independent spaces are often on the cutting edge of emerging art communities. As in major art centers such as New York and Los Angeles, the South also hosts a number of alternative spaces for showing and creating artwork. Often artist-run and ephemeral, these spaces provide an essential site for experimentation in their communities.

Though perhaps best known for its annual art fairs, Miami possesses a dynamic community of artists and collectors whose interests reflect the city's connections to the Caribbean and Latin America. In addition to established galleries, several prominent museums including the Pérez Art Museum Miami and ICA Miami focus on contemporary art.

Tennessee's capital boasts a robust artist community and a wide variety of art institutions such as the Frist Art Museum, a number of university galleries, and a spirited DIY scene that includes some of the South's most exciting artist-run spaces.

One of the region's most active hubs for art and culture, New Orleans has dozens of museums, galleries, and independent spaces that highlight its diverse cultural histories. The city also hosts Prospect, a major triennial that brings some of the country's most important artists to the Gulf South.

Home to the famed Black Mountain College, Penland School of Craft, and several prestigious university museums and galleries, North Carolina contains some of the nation’s most important craft communities alongside a growing contemporary art presence.

Richmond's burgeoning art scene is supported by longstanding institutions such as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the more recently opened ICA at VCU, as well as a range of commercial and artist-run galleries.

Georgia's oldest city—awash with Spanish moss—is home to a bustling art scene. At Savannah's apex, The Savannah College of Art and Design draws in international perspectives among a growing contemporary art scene with a thriving grassroots ethos and cultural centers abound.