The Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art is excited to be expanding educational opportunities with the renovation of the original 1930s carriage house on the property into a new education center. Since the museum re-opened after COVID shutdowns in 2020, class attendance has more than doubled. This growth in interest from adults and children has increased the number of teachers and the variety of media taught, but the demand has highlighted the limitations of the current classroom. There had been dreams of utilizing the carriage house for museum programs, and its purpose became clear with this need for more dedicated classroom space. Fundraising kicked off in 2022 with major gifts from area donors excited to support arts education in the community.
Construction began earlier this year and is expected to finish in spring of 2024. The carriage house is a brick garage and apartment constructed alongside the original Albrecht home in the 1930s. Since the opening of the museum, it has been used as living space and museum storage. The updated carriage house will have two large classrooms with an additional area on the upper level for education staff and a public study room. While keeping much of the original structure in place, the renovation is making necessary electrical, HVAC and plumbing updates to fill the needs of a modern classroom and studio. This new education center expands the opportunities for classes by creating space for new equipment like kilns and a printing press.
As the opening of the new building approaches next year, the museum is continuing to accept donations to stock the classrooms for all the future classes that this project makes possible. More information about the educational programs at the AKMA and how you can join or support them can be found at www.albrecht-kemper.org.
