Albany Museum of Art will cap year of 60th anniversary celebrations with exhibition opening Aug. 29

ALBANY – The Albany Museum of Art had a ball to launch the celebration of its 60th anniversary, hosting an event at its future downtown home that not only remembered the past but looked toward the future, raising $65,000 to fund educational programs.

The 2024 version of the museum’s annual Art Ball was held on March 23 to coincide with the incorporation of the AMA’s parent organization. With a goal of raising $1,000 for each year of its existence, the AMA exceeded the goal by $5,000, money that will be used for free field trips, art camp scholarships and other educational uses.

The AMA traces its lineage back to the Southwest Georgia Art Association Inc., which was incorporated on March 23, 1964, obtaining not-for-profit status and moving into a former hosiery mill staffed by volunteers. The pioneering gang got the ball rolling by establishing exhibitions, lectures and art instruction.

To cap off 2024, the museum will dig into the vaults, so to speak, to bring out pieces for the Sixty Years of Masterpieces and Memories.

There will be no overall artistic theme, just a walk down memory lane featuring favorites and some works that have not been on display in recent years. It will include artists from close to home like David Lanier and from around the world, including African, American and European pieces.

“We truly live for our mission of showing the art of the South to the world and showing the art of the world to the South,” AMA Executive Director Andrew J. Wulf said. “This is kind of our swan song, a special thank you to our donors as we wrap up the 60th anniversary.

“It’s always fun to trot out pieces that have not been seen in years.”

Some of the works are among those that were damaged when straight-line winds peeled the roof off the building in 2017. About half of the collection was sent to the High Museum of Atlanta for safekeeping and the remainder was sent to Chicago for restoration.

Over the years, those donors have made possible the journey from the old hosiery factory to the current location at 311 Meadowlark Lane. In between those two homes, a small gallery was constructed on Slappey Boulevard in 1969 through the generosity of W. Banks Haley Jr.

The art association hired its first paid staff in 1975 and during the time at that location, instructors with professional standing provided instruction for children and adults. Programs included film and lecture series, chamber music and dinner theater.

The move to the current building on Meadowlark Lane came in the 1980s, starting with a capital campaign in 1980. That year also brought the name change to the Albany Museum of Art.

With the 1983 opening of the new facility came the inaugural exhibition of American Impressionism from the Phillips Collection as well as the permanent installation of the AMA’s collection of African art.

Also opening on Aug. 19 are the exhibitions “Beauty in the Humble Places,” a retrospective of the work of Albany artist David Lanier, and “Rootwork,” featuring recent works of Ocala, Fla., artist Jillian Marie Browning.

“He (Lanier) really captures the subtleties, just the pure beauty of southwest Georgia landscapes,” Wulf said. “We’re really excited to sponsor him. Her work looks at Southern black culture.”

For the future, the AMA is planning an ambitious project to move into the former Belk building on West Broad Avenue in downtown Albany. The renovation project has an estimated cost of $27 million or more, and currently the organization is seeking $12 million in historic tax credits to further the project.

The 58,000-square-foot facility will expand the AMA’s footprint and make it part of a renaissance of sorts going on in Albany’s downtown district. Plans for the area include apartments in the former Davis Exchange building across the street and two hotels, including renovations at the historic St. Nicholas Hotel building on Washington Street.

“I love it, saving history downtown, like the St. Nicholas and other places that are coming back to life,” Wulf said. “Every time I drive downtown, I am amazed by all the potential. I think there are good people doing really good plans. I think it’s important to Albany, to our city and county.”

The museum project includes a cafe and an outdoor sculpture garden.

Sharing its history in the 60th year is a thank-you to those who have made those 60 years possible.

“It’s a testament to those who came before us that we are healthy and happy today,” Wulf said. “It just gives us a humble reminder we are stewards, just a reminder we need to do right by our forebears and our visitors today. I know this museum will be going strong at the 120th anniversary.”

The anniversary exhibition will feature some of the favorite works of donors, said Katie Dillard, the AMA’s director of curatorial affairs.

“We wanted to shine a spotlight on some of those donors who helped us get to the 60th,” she said. “Each piece represents donors, (either) an individual or family. It’s going to be a mixed bag: surrealists, American, contemporary African American, photography. It’s just a blend of all the years. It’s kind of a thank-you to people who supported us.”

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]