Two free community events for art and music lovers, and the start of 11 weeklong art camps have June busting out all over with art-inspired fun this week at the AMA.

“Summer is bursting at the seams with art this week,” AMA Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Vanoteghem said. “Our first art camp, Art Out of This World, blasted off Monday with a full crew of campers. On Thursday evening, our Teen Art Board will host its first Night at the Museum: Student Spotlight Show & Auction, and the Artifactual String Unit will perform a free concert Saturday afternoon at our future home in downtown Albany.”

A Night at the Museum: Student Spotlight is 6-7:30 pm Thursday and will feature more than 60 works of art created by middle and high school students and college students from the community and region. The event is open to the public and admission is free.

“We have a lot of talented young artists in Albany and Southwest Georgia,” Vanoteghem said. “Some of these students could very well become tomorrow’s famous artists, so this is a wonderful opportunity to encourage them to continue creating art.”

Many of the artworks will be in the auction. Half of the purchase price goes to the student and the other half to the Teen Art Board, which set up the event as a fundraiser. “The funds received by the Teen Art Board will be used to help fund their mission to reach teens in our community through art,” Vanoteghem said. “For instance, the Teen Art Board was the driving force behind Student Art Studio Saturdays, where teens can come one Saturday a month to the AMA and create art with free supplies provided by the museum.”

In addition, all AMA galleries will be open for viewing during the event, and parents can let their young children enjoy time in the AMAzing Space activity center while they view the artwork and attend the auction. There also will be a dessert bar and light refreshments.
Registration is free, and an online registration link can be found at:

www.albanymuseum.com/ama_programs/student-show-auction

At 4 pm on Saturday, the Artifactual String Unit comprising three classically trained, talented musicians who infuse their work with improvisation and a garage band feel will perform a free concert at the former Belk building, 140 W. Broad Ave. in downtown Albany. The location is the future home of the Albany Museum of Art.

“The concert ties in with our current exhibition, Steve Hinton & Friends … From the Beginning,’” Vanoteghem said. “Chip Epsten of Atlanta, the violinist in the group, was a longtime friend of Steve. In fact, they became friends when they were in kindergarten together. Chip will be joined by Benjamin Shirley on cello and Gabriel Monticello on bass. Local music lovers may remember them from their performances with the Albany Symphony Orchestra.”

The musicians bring their expertise from years of performing in concert halls, theaters, clubs, and galleries to bear with their love for improvisation, expanding the possibilities for string music. Epsten said the trio is planning to include a visual component with the performance.
There is no cost to attend, but the AMA is asking those who plan to attend to register for free to ensure adequate seating for everyone. An online registration link can be found at:

www.albanymuseum.com/ama_programs/artifactual-string-unit-in-concert