Albany Museum of Art plans to make an impression with steamroller printmaking
Mar. 23—ALBANY — After a yearlong hiatus because of the COVID pandemic, Family Day will return to the Albany Museum of Art in a big way. The event will be held April 17.
"Big Print Family Day is going to be exactly that — big," AMA Director of Education and Public Programming Annie Vanoteghem said. "Not many people can say they've seen a print made with a steamroller, but everyone who attends Family Day will be able to."
Muralist and printmaker Chris Johnson will use a steamroller to print large-scale works from carved woodblocks. The artworks will be created and printed by Johnson and his Andrew College art students on-site at the AMA.
Johnson is an associate professor of art at Andrew College in Cuthbert. He has been creating and exhibiting large-scale work such as murals, wood carvings and prints since 2006. Johnson recently exhibited his mural work, a 25-foot-wide Albany "postcard" that highlighted the community's roots in the river system and its history, in the AMA's "On the Wall" exhibition. He also created the large murals at Lincoln Elementary Magnet School in an AMA project that was funded by a grant the AMA received from the Georgia Council for the Arts.
"For obvious safety reasons, only Chris and his students will use the steamroller," Vanoteghem said. "But the kiddos attending Family Day should get a kick out of seeing it in action, and from seeing the prints Chris and his crew create using this unusual art tool."
Many of the activities on Big Print Family Day, which will be 10 am-noon, will be outdoors. In addition to the steamroller printing demonstration, there will be a Q & A session with the artist and plenty of activities to engage the entire family.
"It will be in the parking lot and on the grounds of the AMA," Vanoteghem said. "The kids will have an art project based on printmaking, something hands-on that they can create and take home with them. We also will be inside the museum for scavenger hunts in our galleries."
The Albany Museum of Art Big Print Family Day will be free for AMA members. Non-members may attend for $5 per person. Space will be limited in accordance with health guidance at the date of the event, so interested persons are asked to RSVP by calling (229) 439-8400 or emailing annie.vanoteghem@albanymuseum.com to ensure a spot.
The Albany Museum of Art is located at 311 Meadowlark Drive adjacent to Albany State University's West Campus just off Gillionville Road. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is open to the public 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays. Admission is free.
