Albany Museum of Art

Formed in the early 1960s, the Southwest Georgia Art Association obtained its not-for-profit status in March 1964. With a volunteer staff and donated space in a defunct hosiery mill, the group established a program of exhibitions, lectures, and art instruction. In 1969, through the generosity of W. Banks Haley, Jr., the association constructed a gallery in a small city park. Its first paid staff members were hired in 1975. Exhibitions were drawn from collections and/or faculty of area universities; SITES (Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service); corporate collections including those of IBM, Coca-Cola, and Gulf States Paper Company. The Gallery hosted the Southeastern Annual exhibitions and Georgia Designer Craftsmen shows. Art instruction for children and adults was provided by instructors with professional standing. In addition, the programs included film and lecture series, chamber music, and dinner theatre. In 1980, at the beginning of a capital funds campaign for a new building, the association's name was officially changed to the Albany Museum of Art.