Thirty Southwest Georgia high school students will discuss issues of race and racism on Friday, Oct 4, at the 2024 edition of Courageous Conversations About Race at the Albany Museum of Art.

2“At the Albany Museum of Art, we truly believe that art is something everyone should have access to and that museums should be warm, welcoming places where everyone feels at home and valued,” Executive Director Andrew J. Wulf, Ph.D., said. “We are deeply passionate about hosting this special program that challenges our thinking and inspires us to take meaningful action on important issues of race. The presence and participation of the general public help make this vision a reality, and together, we can make a difference.”

The program is 9 am-3 pm, and lunch and snacks will be provided. There is no cost, but the session is limited to 30 high school students.

“This program utilizes art to facilitate discussions that are difficult to navigate,” AMA Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Vanoteghem said. “During the series, we have focused on various groups, including college students, educators, local leaders, and community members. We have had programs for high school students, and this one will again focus on that group.”

Facilitators will be Ohio State University Associate Professor of Arts Administration, Education and Policy Gloria J. Wilson, Ph.D., and Florida State University Associate Professor of Art Education Sara Scott Shields, Ph.D. Wilson, a founder of Racial Justice Studio, and Shields, department chair at FSU, have led all of the previous sessions of the program at the AMA. The first Courageous Conversations About Race at the museum was conducted in 2018.

“Drs. Wilson and Shields will provide activities that foster conversations about race-related topics,” Vanoteghem said. “Contemporary works of art become catalysts toward a deeper understanding of racial identity, politics, and social outcomes. The participants who attend these sessions emerge with better understandings of how others might view the same event or object through different lenses.”

Vanoteghem said the session is open to high school students who attend public, private, and home schools. “Those registering will be asked to complete a short online questionnaire to secure space at the session,” she said. “Once the 30 available seats are filled, we will start a waiting list. Any openings will be filled in the order in which the wait-list registrations were received.”

To register, the student should email Vanoteghem at [email protected]. She will send the student the questionnaire and facilitate registration.

“These are needed conversations that are especially important for teens who will one day lead our city, state, and nation,” Vanoteghem said. “The AMA provides a safe space where students can learn, grow, and find ways to unite our community through empathy and better understanding.”