Artist Ramiro Davaro-Comas and volunteer middle and high school students will paint this mural design on the north exterior wall of The Cookie Shoppe in downtown Albany in late May. Davaro-Comas created the design from drawings by Albany area elementary school students. The mural is the 2023-24 Albany Museum of Art Teen Art Board’s community project, and the teens are planning fundraising events in April and May to help pay for the mural. (Image courtesy of Ramiro Davaro-Comas)

The 2023-24 Albany Museum of Art Teen Art Board will leave a lasting impression on Albany—one that its members hope will be a good impression—when the student leadership group wraps up its term in late May. Years from now, they and others who drive or walk in downtown Albany will see public art they created in collaboration with other area students and professional artist Ramiro Davaro-Comas.
The mural will cover the face of the north exterior wall of the popular downtown lunch spot The Cookie Shoppe on North Jackson Street. The wall faces the alley between The Cookie Shoppe and Dougherty County’s Central Library, visible to traffic and pedestrians traveling on Jackson or Pine Avenue.

“This is a high-traffic spot in downtown that will get attention from local people passing by and from those eating at The Cookie Shoppe, visiting the library, or attending an event at the Municipal Auditorium,” Albany Museum of Art Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Vanoteghem said. “Ramiro Davaro-Comas, a talented artist based in New York, has designed murals like these through collaborations with students in other cities and communities, and they are always colorful, uplifting, and inspiring.”

The members of the AMA’s Teen Art Board (TAB)—all high school students from Dougherty and neighboring counties—wanted to create a public work of art to help energize and destigmatize the downtown Albany area. The Teen Art Board is designed to help high school participants develop leadership skills through art. Each group is asked to work on a project that can be completed by the end of the school year, and the 2023-24 TAB chose the creation of a mural. TAB members say they have found that the endeavor is helping them grow and learn more about their community.

“The Teen Art Board mural project has had a significant impact on my interactions with the youth of Albany,” Marissa Williams, a junior at Westover High School who is the social media officer for the Teen Art Board. “Through the mural project, I’ve been able to express my love of art with many members of my community. Being able to connect with not only the youth with this project but prominent business owners has led me to form relationships with a plethora of citizens in my community.”

“Art has always been something that is all around and inspires me,” TAB member Cora James, a junior at Byne Christian School, said. “I love that I am able to be a small part of putting this mural up. This project is a great opportunity to bring our community together, whether that be businesses that supported it financially or the young children who created drawings for this. I am thankful that the Teen Art Board can leave this positive impact on my hometown of Albany, Ga.!”

Many in Southwest Georgia are familiar with muralist Davaro-Comas’ work. His exhibition Familias was in the East Gallery of the AMA Sept 7, 2023-Jan 6, 2024. The art that he used in the design of the mural, a vibrant quilt of images, symbols, and words, was created by elementary school students from the Albany area, primarily at a free mural drawing workshop that the Teen Art Board hosted at the AMA in January. The artist incorporated as many of those drawings from South Georgia students as possible into the design.

Sponsors for the project are Smile Doctors, First Choice Family Chiropractic, Perfect Strokes, and The Cookie Shoppe.

“We are delighted to have these wonderful sponsors, but the Teen Art Board is working hard to raise all of the money needed to pay for the project,” Vanoteghem said. “They already have hosted a Valentine’s Day Parents’ Night out and a Dine Out for Art fundraiser at La Luna Taco Cantina, and they have more fundraising events leading up to painting week. I hope everyone will come out and help these dedicated students succeed.”

The mural will be painted the week of May 20-24 by Davaro-Comas and volunteer middle and high school students. On Thursday, May 23, the artist will speak about the project at 6:30 pm at the museum, and the 2023-24 Teen Art Board members will be recognized for their work over the school year. That event is free and open to the public. The final touches on the mural will be made on Friday, May 24.

On Friday, April 12, the Teen Art Board will lead a special session of the AMA’s popular Corks & Canvases Painting Party series. At the two-hour workshop, which starts at 5:30 pm, TAB member Cora James will lead participants with step-by-step instructions on re-creating her painting of spring flowers. Wine will be available for adult participants, while those under 21 will be able to enjoy soft drinks. There also will be charcuterie boards and soft background music. All art materials, including a 16x20-inch canvas, are included in the workshop fee, which is $35 for the general public and $30 for AMA donors. A link to register for the event may be found at www.albanymuseum.com/event/corks-canvases-teen-art-board-fundraiser/.

On two Wednesdays—April 24 and May 15—Dine Out for Art events will be held at La Luna Taco Cantina at 1925 Dawson Road in Albany. From 5-10 pm on those dates, a portion of the cost of dine-in and takeout meals at La Luna will benefit the project.

“Those who would like to donate directly to the project may do so by clicking on the link at www.albanymuseum.com/tab-mural-project,” Vanoteghem said. “Every dollar helps!”
There also are plenty of opportunities for students and others to help paint the mural. A link to volunteer during painting week also may be found at www.albanymuseum.com/tab-mural-project.

You can learn more about Ramiro Davaro-Comas at his website www.ramirostudios.com, and more about the murals he and his wife, Grace Lang, have been involved with in other communities through their nonprofit for storytelling through public art at www.super-stories.org.

“There are so many ways that kids can have a hand in this project,” Vanoteghem said. “Years from now when they’re grown and have families of their own, they’ll be able to show it to their kids and say, ‘I helped make that happen!’”

• AMA EXHIBITIONS
• Gold Soundz, works by Rob Matre is Feb 1-April 20, in the Haley Gallery.
• Andy Warhol: Hand-Colored Flowers is Feb 1-April 20, in the East Gallery.
• Educators as Artists, 5th juried exhibition, is Feb 1-April 20 in the McCormack Gallery.
• Old Master Drawings from the Shaffer Collection is Feb 1, 2024-Jan 25, 2025 in the Hodges Gallery.
• Escape Plan, an installation by Elinor Saragoussi, is in the West Gallery.