The Albany Museum of Art is rescheduling January and February events and programs because of the increase in COVID cases in the Albany area.

“Our first concern must be the health of our visitors and staff,” AMA Executive Director Andrew J. Wulf, Ph.D., said. “The number of COVID cases has been rising for several weeks now, and we have decided the responsible action is to reschedule everything to a time when we hope the trend will be much better. It is the right thing to do.”

Museum visitation hours will remain unchanged—10 am-5 pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 10 am-7 pm on Thursdays. AMA members also may schedule private museum visits 10 am-4:30 pm on Mondays.

“We will continue to ask our guests to wear masks, maintain social distancing and use sanitizer,” Wulf said. “At current visitation levels, we feel our guests will continue to be safe as they visit our exhibitions. We will, of course, continue to watch the situation closely and follow the guidance of our health officials. We will make any changes that are needed to ensure the safety of guests and staff.”

Events scheduled for the remainder of January and for February have been rescheduled for mid-March or later. Rentals of museum facilities also have been paused and will resume in March.

Three ongoing events—Toddler Takeover on first Tuesday, Homeschool Day on second Thursday and Yoga in the Gallery on first Thursday—will be paused in February and March. They will resume on their normal days and times in April.

Rescheduled events and programs include:

n  The 2^nd annual American Girl Winter Tea Party, which had been scheduled for Saturday, Jan 16, will become the first American Girl Spring Tea Party from 2-4 pm on Saturday, March 27.

n  The AMA Art Lovers Book Club Jan 19 meeting topic of GRAVEN IMAGES: The Tumultuous Life and Times of Augusta Savage, Harlem Renaissance Sculptor, a biography by Gail Tanzer, will move to the club’s next scheduled meeting at 6 pm on Tuesday, March 16.

n  The Visual Verbal Journaling Workshops with art teacher Noelle Petersen, originally announced for Saturday afternoons on Jan 23 and 30, will become Friday evening workshops from 5:30-7:30 pm on April 16 and 23.

n   Valentine Makers Night, which had been set for Feb 11, will take on a Spring theme. It has been rescheduled for 5:30 pm on Thursday, April 8.

“We never want to reschedule, but I am happy that we will not have to cancel anything,” AMA Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Vanoteghem said. “At the heart of art is creativity, and we will continue to find creative ways to bring art to the community.”

Information on events will be updated on the AMA website (albanymuseum.com) and on the museum's social media pages.

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.