The signature summer cocktail title for Albany will be on the line again at the Albany Museum of Art Contemporaries’ Bar Fight II: Masterfully Mixed Cocktails Inspired by Famous Works of Art. The event will be 7-9 pm on Thursday, Aug 1, 2019.

The opening event of the second season of the young professionals group will feature Joel White of Manor House Pub defending his judges’ and People’s Choice titles from the inaugural 2018 contest. White will face challengers from Icons Bar & Grill and 809 Bar & Grill.

The contestants’ cocktail recipes will be inspired by works of art on display at the AMA. “That’s part of the surprise,” Chloe Hinton, director of development and membership for the museum, said. “The artist will pick a work from one of our current exhibitions.”

Exhibitions at the AMA include Figure Forward, works by Jill Franklin, William Downs and Jaime Bell, in the Haley Gallery; Educators as Artists: A Juried College Faculty Exhibition in the East Gallery, and Fragments of a Violent World, nano photography by Michael Oliveri, in the West Gallery.

Those attending will be able to sample the specialty cocktails, visit the AMA galleries that inspired them, and listen to live music from the popular band GrandVille. Food and a cash bar also will be available. Opening in the Hodges Regional Sales Gallery will be works by Edward Newcomb and Camille Fox.

The AMA Contemporaries, area professionals ages 21-45, are young art enthusiasts who represent the next generation of leadership for the Albany Museum of Museum. They inspire their friends and colleagues to engage with the arts and champion the AMA as a space for courageous conversations to shape a more aware and connected world. This is about connecting a young audience with each other – and having fun.

Adding to the art and good-natured competition at Bar Fight II will be the evening’s soundtrack provided by the up-and-coming GrandVille, which performs original music as well as covers from the 1970s through today. The group includes Jackson Tennyson, lead vocals and guitar; James Tennyson, drums, and backing and lead vocals; Sam Yarborough, keys, and Bo Edwards, bass. The band performed last September at the inaugural AMA ChalkFest, which returns Oct 5, 2019 to downtown Albany.

The event is sponsored by Bandit and the Babe and Albany CEO.

With food and live entertainment included in the admission price, AMA Contemporaries events are affordable fun. You must be 21 years old or older to attend. Current and new Albany Museum of Art members 21 or older can add $15 per adult (up to two per membership) to their membership for free admission to any Contemporaries event.

A non-member can purchase an individual ticket for Bar Fight II for $30 in advance. The cost is $35 at the door.

Tickets can be purchased at AlbanyMuseum.com/Contemporaries. AMA memberships can be purchased at AlbanyMuseum.com/Join. You also can contact the AMA at 229.439.8400 in regard to memberships and tickets.