Children who visit the library at the Albany Museum of Art will have more than 100 new choices thanks to generous gifts this week by the Albany Woman’s Club.

Members of the Woman’s Club visited the AMA on Wednesday and presented Executive Director Andrew J. Wulf, Ph.D., and Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Vanoteghem with 104 books that club members collected for the museum’s library, which is located in the family activity space that was renovated earlier this year.

 “Reading is just fundamental to all education,” club member Hazel Masters said. “We’re so happy to be a part of it.”

Club Treasurer Betty Clark also presented Vanoteghem with a check. “It’s a monetary donation that you can use at your discretion,” she said.

 Wulf and Vanoteghem thanked the club representatives for the gifts.

“All of us at the AMA are thrilled by this gracious donation from the Albany Woman’s Club,” Wulf said. “This generous array of children’s books and the monetary gift will go a long way toward reviving our children’s library in the new family activity space at the museum. Through their actions, the Albany Woman’s Club and its members remind us this is a season of gratitude.”

“We are so thankful and beyond thrilled for this partnership and to receive so many wonderful books for our kiddos,” Vanoteghem said. “The giving spirit is alive and well in Albany this holiday season!

 Masters and Clark were joined by Linda Snider and Ginger Myers, two members of the Woman’s Club’s Arts & Culture Department. “I do want to re-emphasize that while we spearheaded this, it was the contributions of all of our members that helped in this,” Masters said.

Located in the museum’s activities area, the AMA library has numerous art-related and general interest books that are available for museum visitors of all ages. With vibrant colors and comfortable seating areas that were added with the renovation, it has become a popular space for AMA visitors of all ages.

“We emphasize children’s education, but our activities center is enjoyed by older visitors, too,” Vanotgehem noted. “Parents can read to their young children, and older children, teens and adults can find interesting books to read as well. We also have opened the area to college students who need a quiet place to study.”

 The AMA opens to the public at 10 am on Tuesdays through Fridays. It normally closes at 5 pm, but the doors stay open until 7 pm on Thursdays, with the additional visitation hours called Art After 5.

“Adults enjoy our library as well,” Vanoteghem said. “The space is well lighted, as well as inviting. We had one adult visitor who dropped in for Art After 5 and, after touring the exhibitions, she spent the rest of the evening reading.”

 One of the reasons that visitors are able to view Albany Museum of Art exhibitions and visit the family activities area with free admission is the generous support of AMA members. The museum is in the final days of its #FallinLoveWithArt membership drive. Members get great benefits, including discounts on classes and camps, and they can schedule private tours of AMA exhibitions on Mondays. You can get information on how to become a member and help create a stronger community through art at www.albanymuseum.com/join.

 CURRENT AMA EXHIBITIONS

 n  On the Wall: murals by David Hale, Shanequa Gay, Amanda Jane Burk and Chris Johnson, and paintings by Sarah Emerson, is in the Haley Gallery through Feb 20, 2021.

n  Midlands, works by Courtney McClellan, is in the East Gallery through Feb 20, 2021.

n  Escape Plan, works by Elinor Saragoussi, is in the West Gallery  through Feb 20, 2021.

n  Georgia Artists Guild of Albany 27^th Annual Exhibition is in the McCormack Gallery.