Albany Area Arts Council to host annual holiday party

ALBANY — The holiday season and art will mix on Saturday at the annual holiday party presented by the Albany Area Arts Council, Albany Recreation and Parks, and the Albany Symphony Orchestra.

“The Arts Council is always looking for ways to get people through the doors that aren’t necessarily normally coming, and small children aren’t always the kind of crowd you have at an art opening,” Albany Area Arts Council Executive Director Nicole Williams said Monday.

For Saturday’s Arts Council event, kids, small children and families are the ideal crowd. During the holiday party, children and families can make all sorts of holiday-themed arts and crafts for loved ones and spend time creating art.

“Doing something like this gives us an opportunity to do something for the kids and to get them involved here, and it’s a perfect time of year because every year in December the Arts Council hosts the Dougherty County Elementary School art exhibit so all of that art is up,” Williams said. “It’s a lot of fun, partly because those kids can come back and do the arts and crafts event, but also partly because kids can come see work by other children that’s on the walls.

“I think it gives them the opportunity to think of the things they do as being maybe bigger than just something that might be on their parents’ refrigerator or something that their peers created. It’s more relatable, and that’s a great way to help initiate them into the world of art, galleries and the finer arts.”

Albany Recreation and Parks Special Events and Marketing Coordinator Kristin Caso said that this year’s holiday party will be different because they’re including the Albany Symphony Orchestra with its morning performance of Peppermint Pops that will be more oriented toward children and the symphony petting zoo.

“I know that (the Albany Symphony Orchestra) is going to open their doors at 10 a.m. for an instrument petting zoo, which sounds like a lot of fun; and then at 11 a.m., they’ll have their morning Peppermint Pops,” Caso said. “We’re sort of encouraging people if you’re not coming down to Peppermint Pops, show up during the first hours of our holiday party, and as soon as Peppermint Pops lets out, they’ll be able to just walk over inspired by all of that wonderful Christmas music.

“They’ll be able to come right over here and make Christmas ornaments. They can decorate Christmas cards, holiday cards. I know Hanukkah is this week as well. You can make anything you want, and we’ll also have jewelry-making back here so the kids can make a jingle bell necklace.”

Added Williams: “One of the favorite stations that we do is we have a station that’s all construction paper, foamy shapes, glue and glitter sticks, and the kids can make cards for whatever they want and other stuff to take home so it’s a lot of fun for them.”

Kids can make gifts for loved one such as cards for grandparents with their families for no charge or admission fee.

Joy Reeves of Vintage South is behind the decorations and styling for the Arts Council and Peppermint Pops to add that extra sprinkle of holiday cheer.

The Albany Area Arts Council holiday party will also feature a visit from Santa from noon to 1 p.m.

The holiday part will take place at the Albany Area Arts Council, located at 215 N. Jackson St., from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information, call the Arts Council at (229) 439-2787 or Albany Recreation and Parks at (229) 430-5222.