Old Jail to celebrate delayed Ruby Jubilee

By Melinda L. Lucas

Friends of the Old Jail Art Center will finally get to celebrate the museum’s 40th anniversary this Saturday with a long-awaited party under the big tent.

The OJAC’s Ruby Jubilee was originally scheduled in the spring of 2020 but the pandemic forced a two-year wait for patrons of Albany’s “Jewel of the Prairie.”

Betsy Senter, who is chairing the celebration’s planning committee, promised “fun raffles, a signature drink called a red slipper, and dueling pianos for entertainment.”

In addition, a dinner will feature “award-winning cuisine” by Fort Worth chef Jon Bonnell, and there will be both silent and live auctions during the evening.

Along with marking the Old Jail’s 40 years of providing “Art for All,” Saturday night will also open three new exhibitions for the spring – “Ancient Americas in a New Light” curated from the art center’s pre-Columbian collection, Chris Powell’s Cell Series exhibition entitled “then now,” and Jeffrey Brosk’s “Territory.”

The silent and live auctions feature a wide variety of “adventures and objects” collected by the event’s planning committee. The premier items include an all-inclusive week for 12 at a private villa in Italy, along with commissioned and commemorative pieces of art, a ruby red box full of “jewels,” Neiman-Marcus champaigne lunch, Possum Kingdom fishing trip, and many more collected items.

At press time on Tuesday, there were still some seats available, with more information available by checking the museum’s website at theojac.org or by calling 325-762-2269. Tickets will not be sold at the door.