As the holiday season looms, the Albany Museum of Art has a busy schedule for November that includes the AMA’s annual fall art festival, a race discussion session for college students, a three-part art lecture series, and programming for children, students, and adults.

“It always feels like a big rush when the winter holidays get closer, but we have a calendar loaded with fun, thought-inspiring, and interesting events that reach all age groups,” AMA Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Vanoteghem said. “Some are festive, some are designed to give you a new perspective, and some just let you escape the hubbub that can wear us down this time of year.”

The AMA’s biggest event in November will be in downtown Albany at a new location. AMA ChalkFest, presented by Publix, will be conducted for the first time at the 200 block of South Front Street next to the Albany Civic Center, and include Veterans Park Amphitheatre. The art-and-more festival is 10 am-5 pm on Saturday, Nov 19, and admission is free for everyone.

“Our world-class professional chalk artists are back, but we have even more art for festival-goers to enjoy,” AMA Executive Director Andrew J. Wulf, Ph.D., said. “Andrew College Art Professor Chris Johnson will make prints on the street using a steamroller, and we have talented art students from Georgia Southwestern State University who will demonstrate glassblowing throughout the day.”

In addition, children and families can enjoy free activities from the bouncy house to face painting at the Vine Vision Kids Zone, while live music will be performed during the day on the amphitheater stage sponsored by the James M. Barnett, Jr. Foundation. Amateur artists can take their hand creating chalk masterpieces, and visitors watch the pro chalk artists create bigger-than-life images on the Front Street pavement.

Adults can enjoy tastings at the craft beer and wine tents, and there will be food trucks and art and other vendors with items to browse and buy just in time for the holiday shopping season. Information on the festival and applications for vendors can be found at www.amachalkfest.com.

Unless otherwise noted. AMA November events will be conducted at the museum, located at 311 Meadowlark Drive off Gillionville Road, and adjacent to Albany State University’s west campus. Events and programs are:


TUESDAY, NOV 1

Toddler Takeover
10:30-11 am
Toddler Takeover is for children 18 months to 5 years old and their caregivers and siblings. The 30-minute program includes a gallery visit, storytime, and a hands-on art project.
Cost: Free for AMA members; $5 for future members.
Info and registration link: www.albanymuseum.com/toddler-takeover


THURSDAY, NOV 3

Corks & Canvas: O’Keeffe
5:30-7:30 pm
Adults can enjoy wine and friendship while they get step-by-step instructions on creating a painting in the style of a well-known artist. The artist for Nov 3 is Georgia O’Keeffe.
Cost: This class has sold out
Info: www.albanymuseum.com/corks-and-canvas-georgia-okeeffe


THURSDAY NOV 10

Homeschool Day
11 am-12:30 pm
Homeschool Day is aimed at homeschooled students in K-5th grade, though the programming can be adjusted for older students. Each STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) program is tied in with a current exhibition and includes a gallery visit and a hands-on art project.
Cost: $5 for AMA members; $10 for future members.
Info and registration link: www.albanymuseum.com/homeschool-day


FRIDAY, NOV 11

Courageous Conversations About Race: College
9 am-3 pm

College students will get together to discuss race and race relations, using art as a catalyst for the conversation. Exhibitions at the AMA will be utilized in the program, including Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice, Wayna: Her Dreams of Ethiopia, Works by Tracy Murrell, and Forsaking all Comfort and Prosperity, Works by Maryam Safajoo. This is a free event thanks to a sponsorship from United Way of Southwest Georgia through its Reimagine Albany initiative, but participants are asked to register because of space limitations.
Cost: Free
Info and registration link: www.albanymuseum.com/courageous-conversations


SATURDAY NOV 12

Student Art Studio Saturday (SASS)
10 am-2 pm

High school teens can gather in the AMA classroom and create art with their peers. Created for teens by teens with the AMA Teen Art Board, art materials, snacks, and background music are provided at no cost to participants. There is no registration required.
Cost: Free for teens
Info: www.albanymuseum.com/student-art-studio


TUESDAY, NOV 15

AMA Art Lovers Book Club
6 pm
Have a glass of wine and join in the discussion! There's no cost to participate, and you can attend as many or as few meetings as you want. The book for Nov 15 is Hidden in the Shadow of the Master: The Model-Wives of Cézanne, Monet, and Rodin, by Ruth Butler. This is a free event, but participants are asked to register so adequate seating can be set up.

Cost: Free
Info and registration link: www.albanymuseum.com/book-club


THURSDAY, NOV 17

Awaken at the AMA
3:30-5 pm

A free program for individuals with memory problems and their families or professional-care partners in a protected environment at the Albany Museum of Art, Awaken at the AMA includes an interactive gallery discussion and an artmaking component that builds community and offers an escape for those most vulnerable to illness. This is a free event, but participants are asked to register because of space limitations.
Cost: Free for participants and their caregivers
Info and registration link: www.albanymuseum.com/awaken-at-the-ama


THURSDAY, NOV 17

William H. Johnson Lecture Series:
Who Were the Freedom Fighters?
6-7:30 pm

The first of three fall lectures centering on the work of 20th-century American artist William H. Johnson. Rebecca Bush, the curator of history and exhibitions manager for the Columbus Museum, discusses the historical figures in Johnson’s fascinating Fighters for Freedom series and how his work offers a new perspective on 1940s America. Exhibiting artist Tracy Murrell and her cousin Wayna, a Grammy-nominated performer who inspired Murrell's exhibition Wayna: Her Dreams of Ethiopia will share their experiences as Black female artists.
Cost: Free event
Info: www.albanymuseum.com


SATURDAY, NOV 19

AMA ChalkFest
10 am-5 pm
South Front Street and Veterans Park Amphitheatre

Professional chalk artists, steamroller printing, and glassblowing demonstrations combine with live music, a kids and family activities area, tastings of craft beer and wine for adults, food trucks, and vendors to create a memorable Saturday.
Cost: Admission is free; wristbands for tastings and VIP tables available for purchase
Info: www.amachalkfest.com


THURSDAY, NOV 24 & FRIDAY, NOV 25

The Albany Museum of Art is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.


FRIDAY, NOV 25

Yoga in the Gallery: Special Black Friday Session
5:30-7 pm

The AMA will open Friday evening for a special Black Friday session of Yoga in the Gallery with our partner, 229 Yoga. The event will provide a way to relieve stress and re-energize, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Dress comfortably and bring your mat for a unique experience that combines art and yoga. Sessions are appropriate for all levels of yoga skills, from beginner to advanced.
Cost: Free for AMA members; $10 for future members.
Info and registration link: www.albanymuseum.com/yoga-in-the-gallery


MONDAY, NOV 28

After School Art Club: Middle & High School
4-6 pm

Usually on the last Monday of the month, After School Art Club is early in October. For middle and high school students, the instructed course begins with basic techniques and advances in subsequent sessions.
Cost: $12 for AMA members; $15 for future members.
Info and registration link: www.albanymuseum.com/art-club


TUESDAY, NOV 29

After School Art Club: Elementary School
3:30-5 pm

Usually on the last Tuesday of the month, After School Art Club is early in October. For elementary school students, the instructed course begins with basic techniques and advances in subsequent sessions.
Cost: $12 for AMA members; $15 for future members.
Info and registration link: www.albanymuseum.com/art-club


TUESDAY, NOV 29

William H. Johnson Lecture Series:
Harriet Tubman’s (Afro)Future
6-7 pm
Online event

In a Zoom meeting that will be broadcast on Facebook Live on the Albany Museum of Art Facebook page, Elizabeth Hamilton, Ph.D., assistant professor at Fort Valley State University and art historian, will examine the Afrofuturistic visual legacy of Harriet Tubman, one of the heroes whom William H. Johnson depicted in his Fighters for Freedom series.


THURSDAY, DEC 1

William H. Johnson Lecture Series:
William H. Johnson and the Double Victory of WWII Civil Rights Politics
6-7:30 pm

In the series finale, Susan Bragg, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Georgia Southwestern State University, will discuss William H. Johnson's World War II civil rights struggle, and how his works represent an effort to “visualize” a new kind of civil rights legacy for a postwar world. Artist Eric Mack, whose work was on exhibition at the AMA in 2021, will lend his perspective as a male Black artist today.
Cost: Free
Info: www.albanymuseum.com