Family Free Day

Join us as we look at the jewelry created and worn in Ancient Egypt.  What were the colors used?  What gemstones were worn?  Did the colors and symbols have meaning?  How was the jewelry made?  We will answer these questions and many more during this FREE 30-minute art class where participants will create their own broad collar inspired by the jewelry on view in the Albany Institute of History & Art’s Ancient Egypt Exhibition.    

Recommended participate ages 8–16
All supplies will be provided by the Albany Institute of History & Art thanks to the generous funding by M&T Bank, CDPHP, and the J.M. McDonald Foundation
The program is free, advanced registration is required. Space is limited to 15 participants.

Register here for the 10–10:30AM session.

Register here for the 10:45–11:15AM session.

Register here for the 11:30AM–12PM session.

Contact Janine Moon, Education Manager, with any questions: moonj@albanyinstitute.org

Explore the magic, mystery, and history of ancient Egypt with storyteller and dancer Bonnie Mion. Stories that bring to life the lure of the pyramids, pharaohs, and culture of Egypt from the distant past will entrance and delight all ages.

Bonnie Mion is a storyteller, dancer and lover of history. Bonnie often blends her passions for storytelling, dance, and history in a unique experience that is both educational and entertaining. She also performs and teaches belly dancing and hula. Bonnie is a CSW with a Masters in Social Work from Yeshiva University. She was trained at the Raphael Kelly Shakespeare Studio and the Stellar Adler Studio in New York, NY. Bonnie has had lifelong training in dance. She has been a member of the Storytelling Guild in the Capital District since 2011.

Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and roots singer Deb Cavanaugh plays many genres, including rock and roll, jazz, blues, children's songs, folk and more. She incorporates traditional American culture into her events with the mountain dulcimer and limberjack as well as making crankie rolls, another American tradition. Deb also teaches Music Together®, an early-education research-based program for families with young children.

Deb Cavanaugh lives in the foothills of the Taconic Mountains in upstate New York. She started making music as a toddler singing before she spoke and singing harmony and rounds by age 3. Her dad exposed her to Classical, Big Band and Jazz. As a teenager, while studying classical voice, she became enamored with blues, rock and Motown. While studying classical music, she was given the opportunity to sing Duke Ellington’s sacred music in a church choir directed by him. During the mid-70s, Deb met her future husband and hitchhiked with him across the country to San Francisco, jumping into the world of rock and roll. They formed the band General Eclectic. After moving back and forth from coast to coast, sometimes in a VW bus, they eventually found their way to upstate New York. After spending her next twenty years immersed in the folk music community, she now combines all of her musical influences writing and performing songs in a variety of styles.

Some of the oldest recorded stories in the world come from Egypt. Join storytellers Nancy Payne and Mary Murphy as take you on a time travelling adventure to the ancient land of tombs, pharaohs, and desert sands.

Storyteller Nancy Marie Payne puts her love of history and cultural lore together to create and recreate stories from around the world. For the past 30 years, she has performed locally in schools, churches, museums, and public venues for audiences of all ages. She has taught the art and craft of storytelling and conducted workshops. Nancy loves to learn new material and welcomes story challenges.

Mary Murphy is a writer and storyteller. She has performed at the National Storytelling Festivals and other state and regional festivals. Mary's stories have been published in anthologies and magazines. She recently edited I Remember: Stories from an Easton Library Memoir Project. Mary was a featured teller in an episode of the PBS television show "Stories from the Stage". Visit her website at murphywong.net.