OJAC to celebrate ‘Hearts for Art’
By Melinda L. Lucas
Despite last Saturday’s weather-triggered cancellation of a family festival, the Old Jail Art Center has a lot going on this month and on into March.
The museum is in the midst of February’s member appreciation month, and Hearts for Arts Week will get underway next Tuesday, with preparations underway for an exhibition opening and the Old Jail’s Ruby Jubilee at the end of the month.
In the works is another family festival March 12 – Helidonismata, a Greek celebration of spring.
Also being celebrated is news that the museum was awarded a second grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.
Showing Love
February is member appreciation month at the Old Jail Art Center, and OJAC members will receive free giveaways during visits to the museum, and they will receive a 20 percent discount off of one item in the OJAC store.
“Our members play an integral role in allowing the OJAC to provide art for all that is free for all,” said education director Erin Whitmore. “Their support is very important to us, and they have been the backbone of our success for 40 years.”
Another way of showing love at the museum this month is the annual “Hearts for Art!” week observation.
“During the week of Valentines, museums all over the country are celebrating Hearts for Art!” said Whitmore. “Swing by the museum Feb. 15-19 with friends or family and show your love to the collection.”
All visitors will receive a gift box full of hearts to place in the galleries, a frame to tag the Old Jail in their favorite photo, and a small gift of appreciation “from our heart to yours,” according to Whitmore.
NEA Grant
OJAC was recently approved for a $10,000 Challenge America award to support the museum’s Cell Series of exhibitions, according to the museum’s executive director, Patrick Kelly.
The Old Jail’s project is among 168 across the nation totaling $1.68 million that were selected to receive fiscal year 2022 funding in the Challenge America grant category.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from the Old Jail Art Center that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “Old Jail Art Center in Albany is among the organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”
Kelly noted that this is the second such grant received from the NEA in the last couple of years for the exhibition program.
The NEA grants allow us to offer free exhibits and also serve as recognition of excellence in what we provide to our audiences,” said Kelly.
Upcoming Gala
After having its 40th anniversary party fall victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, the OJAC is going to try again.
The rescheduled “Ruby Jubilee” to celebrate the museum’s 40th year of operation, originally planned in 2020, is set for Saturday, Feb. 26, corresponding with an exhibition opening.
More details will be printed in upcoming editions.
