Heart of Albany Fest will celebrate Albany Museum of Art's 60th anniversary

ALBANY ─ Arts enthusiasts — as well as those who are always looking for a good time — are encouraged to mark their calendar for Nov. 16, when the seventh annual Heart of Albany Festival brings art, music, vendors, food trucks, and more to the grounds of the Albany Museum of Art, which is celebrating its 60th year of bringing the art of the world to the South and the art of the South to the world.

“This will be the second year that we have conducted our signature fall art and music festival at our 311 Meadowlark Drive location,” AMA Executive Director Andrew J. Wulf said. “We are commemorating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Albany Museum of Art this year, and I cannot think of a better way of celebrating it than by inviting everyone out to the museum for a crisp, fall day packed with exciting art demonstrations to see, wonderful music to listen to, and the special flavors of autumn from food trucks and vendors. Our galleries with fantastic exhibitions will be open all day, and it’s free for everyone. The Heart of Albany Festival is our gift to the community.”

The Heart of Albany Festival began in 2018 as AMA ChalkFest and was rechristened in 2023. During the 10 a.m.-5 p.m. event, professional chalk artists from Georgia and neighboring states create artwork on the pavement while festivalgoers watch. Each festival has a theme that the chalk artists are challenged to capture in their work, with the winning piece awarded Best of Show. The theme for this year has not been announced but will incorporate the 60th anniversary of the AMA.

“Chalk artists are a focal point of the event, but we have expanded into other areas as well,” AMA Director of Development Chloe Hinton said. “We have added demonstrations like artist Chris Johnson’s printmaking with a steamroller, drawings by Meghan Lisenby, and glassblowing art by students from Georgia Southwestern State University. We are working now on lining up the fabulous artistic talent that will be on display in November.”

In addition to the professional chalk artists, school and amateur chalk artists are encouraged to show their talent during the festival.

“We have so many creative students in the Albany area, and they always produce outstanding work at the festival,” Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Vanoteghem said. “It’s amazing to watch them express themselves through art.”

The Heart of Albany Festival includes a games and activities area for kids, and its Vendor Grove attracts a wide variety of small businesses, in addition to food trucks.

“We got a great deal of positive feedback from our 2023 festival, and we plan to make this one an even more enjoyable experience for everyone,” Wulf said.

Sponsorship opportunities and 2024 applications for professional chalk artists, vendors, food trucks, amateur artists, and volunteers will be posted by May 10 on the AMA website, www.albanymuseum.com/events/heartfest. There are “who to contact” email links on the webpage for those who may have immediate questions.