AYAM is Worth Another Peek

Participants in the 2017 Running for the Arts 5K

If this year’s Running for the Arts 5K and ArtFest was your first exposure to the Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum (AYAM), you’re in for a treat. You can’t help but smile when you see the Daniel Anguilu mural outside. Inside is just as good. Imagine this experiential art space filled with 90 inquisitive second-graders or a group of art students capturing their version of an African mask or a John Biggers painting.

You and your children can take advantage of all the museum has to offer. And you can help continue its success by being part of its 2020 Campaign.

Running for the Arts 5K and ArtFest auction items on display at AYAM 

AYAM is believed to be the country’s only school district art museum, thanks to Altharetta Yeargin, the district’s first art teacher. As she traveled the world with her photographer husband, she collected art and artifacts from around the world. By donating her vast collection to SBISD, she hoped students and community members would gain a deeper understanding and respect for other cultures.

A generation of students has. They experience first-grade Road Shows, second-grade field trips, hands-on First Saturday art programs for families and Tall Tales summer programs for children. Last year, AYAM was selected by the National Endowment for Humanities to host the traveling exhibit, The Power of Children, which tells the story of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White. Spring Branch’s best-kept secret is getting out, and tour groups are coming from Clear Lake, Spring and further.

SBISD generously provides and maintains the museum’s beautiful facility, but all the programming, supplies and operations are funded through grants, donations and memberships. Members enjoy free admission and receive invitations to exhibits and events. At the PTA Sponsorship level ($150 and above), they may use the museum for a two-hour private event.

In the second year of its 2020 Campaign, AYAM’s goal is to raise $50,000 to support programming and double its membership by 2020. Leann Newton and Kathy Goss, co-curators and community leaders, believe the goal is within reach. “We not only want to increase the community’s awareness of the museum, we want to grow programming and expand our reach throughout the region.”

You can help make that vision a reality. Visit www.springbranchisd.com/ayam to learn more about the museum.

Donate to AYAM 2020 >>