Schools Can Schedule Free Field Trips to the Albany Museum of Art
The Albany Museum of Art invites teachers throughout Southwest Georgia to schedule free field trips for the 2026–27 school year. Nearly 2,900 students participated in free AMA field trips during the last school year. Each visit includes an exploration of the galleries, guided discussion, and an art activity that students can take home.
“In the 2025-26 school year, we welcomed 2,887 students on free field trips to the museum,” AMA Executive Director Andrew James Wulf, Ph.D., said. “We hope to host even more student groups this year.”
Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Van Oteghem noted that schools in metro Albany and throughout the Southwest Georgia region take advantage of the free visits, which integrate art with other school subjects, such as history, math, science, geography, English, and foreign language arts.
“Art mixes in well with schools’ curricula,” Van Oteghem said, adding that field trips can be tailored for classes studying various subject matters.
“Demonstrating real-life applications of concepts is something art excels at, and it teaches students how to use critical thinking skills to reason out relationships they might otherwise not have connected,” she said. “English teachers, for instance, can have students write short essays in response to what they see. In science, sculptures can be used to explain physics and photography can show the result of chemical reactions. Many artists use math, such as the Golden Ratio, in their work. Students learn geography when we use maps to talk about where artworks come from.”
All activities and lessons at the Albany Museum of Art meet national and Georgia performance standards, and are appropriate for students in prekindergarten and up. The curriculum will be updated in early September to incorporate the fall art exhibitions that open on Sept 17.
“With tight budgets squeezing the availability of art programs in schools, it’s important that students have opportunities to be exposed to art in places like the Albany Museum of Art,” Van Oteghem said. “There is a reason why parents sing to their babies as they learn speech, encourage them to listen to music and dance joyously when they’re toddlers, and watch as they capture their imaginations on paper with crayons.
“That doesn’t end when they are old enough to take a bus to school. Multiple studies have shown that incorporating art into education greatly benefits students, improving their educational outcomes and making them more active and engaged with others. That’s especially true for at-risk students.”
School field trips are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis from September through May. They are conducted Tuesday through Friday, with start times ranging from 9:45 am to 2 pm. Trips should be scheduled at least one week in advance of the desired date of the visit.
Teachers and other school officials interested in getting more details or scheduling a visit can reach Van Oteghem at [email protected].
The free field trips are made possible by the generous support the Albany Museum of Art receives from individuals and businesses in the community, especially through the Wayne and Alicia Gregory Family Foundation Paddle Raise conducted at Art Ball, the museum’s major annual fundraiser.
“That support does far more than pay for a museum visit,” Wulf said. “It places art, discovery, and possibility within reach of thousands of young people. It is an investment in them—and in the future of our community.”
AMA EXHIBITIONS
Vitus Shell: Power of Sight is May 27-Aug 29, 2026, in the Haley Gallery.
Sense of Place: Green Book Sites in Albany, GA is May 27-Aug 29, 2026, in the East Gallery.
Moments in The Good Life City: An Oral History of Albany, GA is May 27-Aug 29, 2026, in the Hodges Gallery.
The Middle Way, works by Rylan Steele, is May 27-Aug 29, 2026, in the McCormack Gallery.
The Home of Birds, works by Jessica Ambadipudi, is May 27-Aug 29, 2026, in the West Gallery.
ABOUT THE ALBANY MUSEUM OF ART
The Albany Museum of Art is located at 311 Meadowlark Drive in Albany, Ga., adjacent to Albany State University West Campus, just off Gillionville Road. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Albany Museum of Art is open to the public 10 am-5 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free.
For more information about the AMA please visit our website at www.albanymuseum.com or call 229.439.8400. Be sure to follow AlbanyMuseumOfArt on Facebook and AlbanyMuseum on Instagram.
