When planning for the holidays, parents are faced with the challenge of finding ways for their children to engage in creative, constructive activities while school is out. The Albany Museum of Art is offering a pair of affordable, quality art camps designed to keep children busy and entertained as they tap their creativity.
 
The 6th annual Libby Womack Holiday Workshop is set for Thursday and Friday, Dec. 19-20, 2019—just before Christmas arrives. The AMA’s 2nd annual Parents Holiday Recovery Camp follows immediately after New Year’s Day—Thursday and Friday, Jan 2-3, 2019. Full-day and half-day options are available for each two-day camp.
 
The Libby Womack Holiday Workshop is designed for children in K4-5th grade and offers hands-on art experiences, crafts and games. The young participants are placed in work groups according to age and grade level.
 
“This workshop has become a holiday tradition for many families,” Annie Vanoteghem, director of education and public programming for the AMA, said. “It’s a great transition from school to the holidays. The kids get to create their own art and they have a terrific time leading into Christmas and New Year’s.”
 
The workshop honors the memory of the late Libby Womack, a long-time friend, educator and trustee at the Albany Museum of Art. Her husband of 39 years, Jim, a trustee for the museum, continues to honor her life and the significant contributions she made in the community.
 
Womack has said his wife saw art as something that “helps make people better” and that she believed it should be “woven into the lives of youth early on.”
 
“She saw art as a means of goodness and cultural respect,” he said.
 
The AMA’s second Parents Holiday Recovery Camp on Jan 2-3 bridges the period between New Year’s Day and the return to the daily routine of school. Parents can drop campers off and rest up after the holidays with the knowledge that their kids will be engaging in creative, entertaining art fun before area schools reopen. It also is designed for children ages K4-5th grade.
 
“This camp is almost as much for the parents as it is the campers,” Vanoteghem said. “It’s the last couple of days of fun and creativity before the kids go back to their schoolwork.”
               
Both camps are 9 am-4 pm with early drop-off every day at 8 am and late pick-up at 5 pm. Half-day camps are available 9 am-noon and 1-4 pm.
 
Daily prices are the same for both the workshop and camp. A full day is $30 per day for AMA members and $40 for future members. A half-day is $20 for members and $30 for future members.
 
There is a 10% discount for any additional campers from the same family.
 
To register your child, contact Annie Vanoteghem at 229.439.8400 or email [email protected].