Engaging Experiences for All Ages

From Family Free Days, to tours designed with families in mind, to drop-in art making for all ages, there is something for everyone at the Albany Institute.

Upcoming Family Events

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. Participants will create a paper lotus flower in honor of a New Year's tradition practiced by the Ancient Egyptians. The Ancient Egyptian New Year occurred in early Summer because their new year aligned with the annual flooding of the Nile and the beginning of the agricultural season. The Egyptians ushered in the new year with the Wepet-Renpet Festival to bring about good harvests that year. One popular symbol of the Wepet-Renpet festival was the lotus flower, representing rebirth and the cyclical nature of life. This was a common offering given to gods during this festival. Using scissors, glue, and paper, participants will create their own paper lotus flower. [Situla (detail), Egyptian, Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664–30 BC, bronze. AIHA, gift of Heinrich Medicus, 2013.1.12]  

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. Participants will create a paper lotus flower in honor of a New Year's tradition practiced by the Ancient Egyptians. The Ancient Egyptian New Year occurred in early Summer because their new year aligned with the annual flooding of the Nile and the beginning of the agricultural season. The Egyptians ushered in the new year with the Wepet-Renpet Festival to bring about good harvests that year. One popular symbol of the Wepet-Renpet festival was the lotus flower, representing rebirth and the cyclical nature of life. This was a common offering given to gods during this festival. Using scissors, glue, and paper, participants will create their own paper lotus flower. [Situla (detail), Egyptian, Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664–30 BC, bronze. AIHA, gift of Heinrich Medicus, 2013.1.12]  

10:00am–5:00pm Albany Institute of History & Art is open this Martin Luther King Jr. Day and visitors of all ages are invited to Family Free Day! Themed around our current exhibition—From the Hudson to the Nile: Dows Dunham and the Archaeology of Egypt and Sudan—join us for activities inspired by what's on view, including hands-on activities, gallery tours, live performances, and more.