Upcoming Events

Artful Mornings

Calling all young artists ages six through twelve! Join us at the Albany Institute for fun, hands-on activities led by our museum educators. Prepare to learn new things, experiment with new ideas and connect with new people. Throughout summer breaks, we will explore the galleries at the Albany Institute and create our own works of art inspired by the exhibitions and collection. Artful Mornings are designed for children ages 9–12 and 6–8.

3:00pm–5:00pm Free with admission.* Young Artists Lab is a weekly drop-in program for children and teenagers to express their creativity through inquiry and artmaking. Each week, participants will be given a critical thinking prompt and a variety of materials and tools to create artwork based upon the exhibitions on view. This program is led by local teens and emphasizes open-ended creativity. *Young Artists Lab is an initiative of the Albany Institute of History & Art's Free Summer Admission Program: children 12 and under plus one accompanying adult caretaker received free museum admission from July 1 to August 31, 2026. Generously supported by the Carl E. Touhey Foundation and Opalka Family Philanthropies, with additional support from Wallace Altes, Eileen Howe Bird, Mary Ellen and Anders Tomson, and Capital Bank.

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. Inspired by Your Friend, Frederic E. Church, participants will create their own cartes-de-visite. In the 1860s and 1870s, small photograph cards were commonly traded among friends and visitors. Albums filled with cartes-de-visite were commonly displayed in Victorian parlors. Participants will draw self-portraits on cardstock, then decorate a custom felt album for their cartes-de-visite.   Image: Erastus Dow Palmer (1817–1904), Thompson Gallery, Albany, New York, 1868, carte-de-visite. Albany Institute of History & Art, Mary Palmer Calverley Byrne-Ivy Papers, C500, B2, F41  

1:00pm–3:00pm Please note: this event takes place offsite at Albany Rural Cemetery. This program is organized in conjunction with the exhibition You Friend, Frederic E. Church, on view June 6 – October 12, 2026. Register online via Albany Rural Cemetery$16 AIHA Members* / Friends of Albany Rural Cemetery$20 non-members*Email Megan Brown to receive the AIHA member discount code. Step into Albany Rural Cemetery, an open-air museum of Victorian funerary art including twelve works by the internationally celebrated nineteenth-century sculptor Erastus Dow Palmer. Among these is one of his most renowned masterpieces, Angel of the Sepulchre, a full-sized plaster cast of which is prominently displayed in the rotunda of the Albany Institute of History & Art. The tour highlights memorials for a range of individuals—infants, a young daughter, and a young mother, as well as a politicians, businessmen, and other professionals. Dr. Lynn Radlick will also guide you to Palmer’s final resting place, marked by a monument designed by Marcus T. Reynolds with input from Palmer’s son and Impressionist painter, Walter Launt Palmer. The monument is adorned with reproductions of two of Palmer’s most popular works from the 1850s. Experience history, artistry, and memory intertwined in this serene and beautiful historic cemetery A Combination Walking/Driving Tour of Albany Rural Cemetery This walking/driving tour will involve carpooling between sites and walking to Palmer’s monuments. The program will last approximately two hours and includes multiple stops, with a total walking distance of about one mile. Most travel will be along relatively flat roadways and grassy areas; however, please note that the ground off roadways and around the monuments may be uneven. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring insect repellant and sunscreen. Please also note that there are no bathroom facilities in the cemetery. The tour group will begin at Cypress Pond. There will be signs to help direct you. Check the cemetery website to access a map of the cemetery: www.albanyruralcemetery.org. There are two entrances to the cemetery: the main gate off Broadway in Menands and the south gate entrance off Rte. 378 (Menand Rd. at Van Rensselaer Blvd (Rte. 377). The easiest and more direct route to Cypress Pond is from this south gate entrance. Related Programs This is one of two tours Dr. Lynn Radlick will lead in Albany Rural Cemetery: Sunday, August 16 | 1–3PMSaturday, September 19 | 1–3PM  

2:00pm–3:00pm 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.

Artful Mornings

Calling all young artists ages six through twelve! Join us at the Albany Institute for fun, hands-on activities led by our museum educators. Prepare to learn new things, experiment with new ideas and connect with new people. Throughout summer breaks, we will explore the galleries at the Albany Institute and create our own works of art inspired by the exhibitions and collection. Artful Mornings are designed for children ages 9–12 and 6–8.

Artful Mornings

Calling all young artists ages six through twelve! Join us at the Albany Institute for fun, hands-on activities led by our museum educators. Prepare to learn new things, experiment with new ideas and connect with new people. Throughout summer breaks, we will explore the galleries at the Albany Institute and create our own works of art inspired by the exhibitions and collection. Artful Mornings are designed for children ages 9–12 and 6–8.

12:00pm–3:00pm Free with museum admission.* 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. *Art Cart is an initiative of the Albany Institute of History & Art's Free Summer Admission Program: children 12 and under plus one accompanying adult caretaker received free museum admission from July 1 to August 31, 2026. Generously supported by the Carl E. Touhey Foundation and Opalka Family Philanthropies, with additional support from Wallace Altes, Eileen Howe Bird, Mary Ellen and Anders Tomson, and Capital Bank.

5:00pm–7:00pm Join us for Music on the Lawn, the Albany Institute's lively outdoor concert series! Enjoy great local music, free gallery admission, and a relaxed evening on the museum’s lawn. The concert series is free and open to the public, and held on the following dates: August 19, September 16, and October 21, all from 5–7PM. Music on the Lawn is cosponsored by the Music Performance Trust Fund and arranged by the Albany Musicians Association. Music on the Lawn is supported by M&T Bank.  

Artful Mornings

Calling all young artists ages six through twelve! Join us at the Albany Institute for fun, hands-on activities led by our museum educators. Prepare to learn new things, experiment with new ideas and connect with new people. Throughout summer breaks, we will explore the galleries at the Albany Institute and create our own works of art inspired by the exhibitions and collection. Artful Mornings are designed for children ages 9–12 and 6–8.

Artful Mornings

Calling all young artists ages six through twelve! Join us at the Albany Institute for fun, hands-on activities led by our museum educators. Prepare to learn new things, experiment with new ideas and connect with new people. Throughout summer breaks, we will explore the galleries at the Albany Institute and create our own works of art inspired by the exhibitions and collection. Artful Mornings are designed for children ages 9–12 and 6–8.