Upcoming Events

5:00pm–7:00pm Albany Institute of History & Art holds extended hours for the city of Albany's popular First Friday program! Enjoy free gallery admission from 5–7PM, a docent-led tour from 6–6:45PM, hands-on activities, and a pop-up bar—plus a free screen printing activity led by The Department of Things and live music by RK Jazz and Blues!  

10:00am–5:00pm This Saturday, Bank of America cardholders receive free museum admission! For the past 25 years, Bank of America has offered cardholders free general admission during the first full weekend of every month to more than 225 cultural institutions in cities across the United States via the Museums on Us initiative. Museums on Us is available to Bank of America, Merrill or Bank of America Private Bank (U.S. Trust) credit or debit cardholders.

11:00am–11:45am Enrich your experience of our current exhibitions through an insightful docent-led tour of the galleries. Docent tours are an excellent way to learn more about the artworks and objects on display, in addition to the stories they tell. Interaction and questions are encouraged and visitors of all ages are welcome. The tour is free with museum admission, no registration required. Please meet in the museum atrium main level near the admission desk before the tour begins.

12:00pm–4:00pm Art for All is free with museum admission every Saturday from 12–4PM. All ages are welcome to participate. Enjoy your visit to the museum and explore your artistic side with a hands-on project inspired by the museum's exhibitions and collections. This month, participants will create colorful, geometric paintings with white lines inspired by Blanche Lazzell and the Provincetown Printers’ white-line woodcuts. Apply painter’s tape to your paper to create an abstract, geometric design. Then, using multiple colors, paint within the lines, creating the appearance of one of Blanche Lazzell’s geometric white-line woodcuts once the tape is removed.   Blanche Lazzell (1878–1956), Planes II, printed 1952, color woodblock print,14 x 12 in. Art Museum of West Virginia University Collection, gift of Harvey D. Peyton.

Albany Institute of History & Art is closed Sunday, April 5, in observance of Easter Sunday. Standard museum hours resume on Wednesday, April 8.

Vacation Art Break

Flowers have been painted for thousands of years. The way Ancient Egyptians painted the lotus on temple walls is different from the flowers created by the Hudson River School artists of the nineteenth century or abstract artist Blanche Lazzell. In this art class, we will recreate a flower display as a painting, a print, and a carving and discuss how the Ancient Egyptians, Julia McEntee Dillon, and Blanche Lazzell used these different mediums to create a still life.   Registration for ages 9–12 here. Advanced registration is required for all participants, spaces are limited. The session will be cancelled if minimum registration is not met one week prior to the session date. Registration for each session will close the day before the program for administrative purposes.

6:30pm–8:00pm Multi-Session WorkshopRegistration is for all four sessions of the workshop: April 7, April 14, April 21, and April 28 | 6–8:30PM Learn the ancient and awesome art of wet felting while creating your own unique woolly flowers during this four-part workshop. Using superfine merino wool roving, hot water, olive oil soap, and your own two hands, you can transform unspun into sculptable fabric. You will learn how to wet felt, how to create a variety of floral forms—from poppies to zinnias, roses, and more—along with how to form leaves and stems with wire armature to create elaborate and lovely floral fiber art! Pre-registration is required via this online form. Series registration fee: $160 AIHA members, $175 non-members. All materials will be provided.  

Vacation Art Break

Flowers have been painted for thousands of years. The way Ancient Egyptians painted the lotus on temple walls is different from the flowers created by the Hudson River School artists of the nineteenth century or abstract artist Blanche Lazzell. In this art class, we will recreate a flower display as a painting, a print, and a carving and discuss how the Ancient Egyptians, Julia McEntee Dillon, and Blanche Lazzell used these different mediums to create a still life.   Registration for ages 9–12 here. Advanced registration is required for all participants, spaces are limited. The session will be cancelled if minimum registration is not met one week prior to the session date. Registration for each session will close the day before the program for administrative purposes.

12:00pm–3:00pm Create your own flower crown inspired by A Life in Bloom: The Floral Paintings of Julia McEntee Dillon. Art Cart offers interactive and up-close experiences with artifacts and hands-on art creation inspired by objects in our collections, all guided by an educator. Free with admission; no registration required.

3:00pm–4:30pm Join us at the Albany Institute for a relaxing evening of observational drawing in the galleries! This week, we will explore the floral paintings of nineteenth-century painter Julia McEntee Dillon. Supplies are provided, but participants are encouraged to bring their own sketchbooks and pencils. All abilities are welcome. Free with admission, no pre-registration required. Sketch in the Galleries is a weekly series held Wednesdays from 3–4:30PM at the Albany Institute from April 1–29, 2026.

Vacation Art Break

Flowers have been painted for thousands of years. The way Ancient Egyptians painted the lotus on temple walls is different from the flowers created by the Hudson River School artists of the nineteenth century or abstract artist Blanche Lazzell. In this art class, we will recreate a flower display as a painting, a print, and a carving and discuss how the Ancient Egyptians, Julia McEntee Dillon, and Blanche Lazzell used these different mediums to create a still life.   Registration for ages 9–12 here. Advanced registration is required for all participants, spaces are limited. The session will be cancelled if minimum registration is not met one week prior to the session date. Registration for each session will close the day before the program for administrative purposes.

12:00pm–3:00pm Create your own flower crown inspired by A Life in Bloom: The Floral Paintings of Julia McEntee Dillon. Art Cart offers interactive and up-close experiences with artifacts and hands-on art creation inspired by objects in our collections, all guided by an educator. Free with admission; no registration required.

Vacation Art Break

Flowers have been painted for thousands of years. The way Ancient Egyptians painted the lotus on temple walls is different from the flowers created by the Hudson River School artists of the nineteenth century or abstract artist Blanche Lazzell. In this art class, we will recreate a flower display as a painting, a print, and a carving and discuss how the Ancient Egyptians, Julia McEntee Dillon, and Blanche Lazzell used these different mediums to create a still life.   Registration for ages 6–8 here. Advanced registration is required for all participants, spaces are limited. The session will be cancelled if minimum registration is not met one week prior to the session date. Registration for each session will close the day before the program for administrative purposes.