Despite storm, Albany Museum of Art continues reaching out to children

ALBANY — While their building may be an empty shell from the Jan. 2 storm that blew the roof off, that hasn’t stopped the Albany Museum of Art from reaching out to the community.

This past week, the Georgia Council for the Arts, through an appropriation from the Georgia General Assembly, awarded the AMA a $4,000 grant. That amount will be matched by Albany resident Jim Womack and will fund after-school arts programs for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany and Girls Inc.

“We’ve already had three artists visit with the students. They’ve learned about decorative arts, the art of music and designing instruments, and art history,” AMA Director of Education and Program Planning Chloe Hinton said. “Girls Inc. will be designing a mural for their building with local artist Josh Omalley. He will be helping them design and install it. We meet with Lipsey Pate of the Boys and Girls Clubs every Wednesday, and the Girls Inc. groups the second and third Friday of every month.

Hinton added that interaction with the artists and art helps create a well-rounded education for students in the region. Art Education for students in the Dougherty County School System has suffered due to time restraints, budgets and other classroom requirements. Not one of 23 Dougherty County schools planned a field trip to the Albany Museum of Art at the time this grant was written.

“By creating programming that exposes children to more than they receive at school or at home, we might help one child find their niche or what makes them happy and successful,” Hinton said. “It is the goal of the museum to broaden the horizons of all the children who participate in our program, and to let them know that the museum is a fun and safe place to be. Hopefully, the majority of the participants will walk away with an appreciation and respect for art and artists and the museum.

“It’s important to understand why arts education is so important, specifically to children in our region.”

Hinton said the numbers tell the story.

Median household income for Dougherty County is $30,526. According to 2015 U.S. census data, the population of the county is 91,000. Approximately 68.7 percent of Dougherty County is African American, 28.7 percent is White and 2.7 percent is Hispanic American.

According to the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, approximately 31.7 percent of these residents live below the national poverty level. Additionally, while 79.8 percent of Dougherty County’s population graduated from high school, only 17.8 percent hold college degrees. Over the past several years, Dougherty and surrounding counties have been dealt a number of economic blows with job losses and the closing of major manufacturing plants, most notably the Cooper Tire and Rubber Plant in 2008.

“Recently, Albany was placed on a Top 10 list of the nation’s poorest cities, underscoring the region’s need,” Hinton said. “Specifically, we are trying to reach out to the children in the Dougherty County School System, which are 87 percent African-American; 9 percent Caucasian, and 4 percent of other races. Eighty-one percent of these students are economically disadvantaged.”