Auburn University is an R1 university in east-central Alabama, a region rich in all forms of creative expression, visual arts, music, food, literature, and fashion. Established in 2024 by The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, The Auburn Forum for Southern Art and Culture is dedicated to institutionalizing object-based research and museum-enhanced pedagogy through investigations of the American South.

Additionally, Auburn University's growing art collection, including the Imprinting the South Collection, features numerous artists from and influenced by the South, providing ample opportunities for The Jule to collaborate with faculty, artists, other museum professionals and peer institutions.

The focus of the 2026 iteration centers around the exhibition "Sew Their Names: Quilting, Creativity, and Activism", on view at The Jule Museum from Tuesday, January 20, 2026, to Thursday, July 2, 2026.

The Forum begins with a quilting workshop between 9 am and 11 am. Sessions begin at 2 pm.