Teen Art Board works to reach teens through art
Albany Museum of Art Teen Art Board (TAB) is a leadership program comprising hardworking, creative teenagers who want to engage with art in their community.
The goal and mission of the Teen Art Board are to inspire creativity while having fun and making a positive impact on the community. TAB members aim to define and validate creative minds in the high schools and colleges of Southwest Georgia.
The 2024-25 Albany Museum of Art Teen Art Board has organized and is preparing for a busy school year. There are 18 teen leaders on the board, representing seven schools in Dougherty and Lee counties.
The teens elected Alyia Nurbhai, a junior at Deerfield-Windsor School, to serve as president. Also elected as officers were Marissa Williams, senior, Westover High School, vice president; Brianna McCoy, senior, Dougherty High School, past president; Cora Pearl James, senior, Byne Christian School, secretary; Kayden Amari Peterson, junior, Lee County High School, finance officer; Kendyl Miranda Dyer, senior, Westover High School, social media officer; Alyssa Michele Allex, senior, Lee County High School, fundraising officer, and Chas Jackson, senior, Georgia Cyber Academy, outreach officer.
At-large members of the board are Sarah Kay Bonner, sophomore, Deerfield-Windsor School; Reaghan Bush, junior, Westover High School; Harper Coleman, senior, Deerfield Windsor School; Sophie Dowdy, senior, Deerfield-Windsor School; Dontrell Martin, junior, Dougherty High School; Makayla “Zero” Oliver, sophomore, Lee County High School; Nidhi Patel, junior, Lee County High School; Kaitlyn Sokolowski, senior, Georgia Connections Academy; Nylia Thompson, senior, Westover High School, Selina Zhuo, junior, Westover High School.
Each member gains a behind-the-scenes understanding of how museums operate. Through workshops, lectures, and discussions with staff and artists, this program enhances TAB members’ foundational knowledge of art history, museum work, creative careers, as well as the inner workings of a board-led nonprofit organization.
TAB members develop creative programming and coordinate community events. They plan, support, and promote teen initiatives at the AMA and within the community. They attend and participate in lectures, group discussions, and artist workshops and serve as volunteers assisting with museum classes, public events, and community programs. Members can gain community service hours by volunteering and engaging with events and programs.
To be eligible to be on the Teen Art Board, a student must:
- Be a high school student during the school year;
- Be highly motivated and passionate about art and developing community projects;
- Commit to attending meetings (now scheduled for the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 pm) during the term;
- Commit to actively engage and assist in conducting events at the museum.
Reach out to AMA Director of Education & Public Programming Annie Vanoteghem HERE for more information.
