  We explore the sensitivity of photon-beam experiments to axion-like particles
(ALPs) with QCD-scale masses whose dominant coupling to the Standard Model is
either to photons or gluons. We introduce a novel data-driven method that
eliminates the need for knowledge of nuclear form factors or the photon-beam
flux when considering coherent Primakoff production off a nuclear target, and
show that data collected by the PrimEx experiment could substantially improve
the sensitivity to ALPs with $0.03 \lesssim m_a \lesssim 0.3$ GeV. Furthermore,
we explore the potential sensitivity of running the GlueX experiment with a
nuclear target and its planned PrimEx-like calorimeter. For the case where the
dominant coupling is to gluons, we study photoproduction for the first time,
and predict the future sensitivity of the GlueX experiment using its nominal
proton target. Finally, we set world-leading limits for both the ALP-gluon
coupling and the ALP-photon coupling based on public mass plots.
