The Art Effect

Congratulations To Our 2020 Congressional Art Award Winners

Two students at The Art Effect, Anneke Chan and Alyssa Palermo, received competitive grand prizes from their Congressional district at this year’s Congressional Art Competition. The Congressional Art Competition, sponsored by the Congressional Institute, invites high school students to submit their work for recognition and encouragement of artistic talent in our nation. Winners are selected and recognized in their district as well as at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C where their works will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year. Since 1982, more than 650,000 students have participated in this prestigious award competition.  The Art Effect is proud to have two of this year’s young artist winners studying under the instruction of our talented teaching artist staff. Good artists are often mentored by great art teachers, and The Art Effect is proud to work with many of them to help students reach their creative potential. Anneke Chan is the salutatorian at Haldane High School in Cold Spring, NY, who plans to pursue a dual degree in studio art and anthropology at Tufts University in the fall. Her winning piece, “Pool Party,” can be seen below. Anneke often draws influence from the art of Edward Hopper and Jenny Saville, the writings of Sylvia Plath, and her own family’s history. Anneke joined The Art Effect last summer at the Summer Art Institute Program after hearing about the school at the Scholastic Art Award show at SUNY New Paltz in January 2019. Anneke recently exhibited her artwork at The Trolley Barn Gallery as part of her Senior Project Course with The Art Effect.

Alyssa Palermo is a student at F.D. Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park, NY. Her piece, “Adolescent Sunsets,” is a “beautiful tribute to childhood and shows an advanced understanding of painting at a young age,” says Rep. Delgado in his announcement on June 9th. Alyssa began her journey with The Art Effect back in 2009, attending Dutchess Arts Camp for 8 years before moving into the Junior Art Institute and finally the advanced-level Art Institute. She has grown up with Mill Street Loft and The Art Effect, developing her artistic ability every step of the way.  Please join us in celebrating these two exemplary young artists from the Hudson Valley and the national recognition they have been awarded. The Art Effect is so proud of Anneke and AIyssa’s accomplishments. We look forward to seeing what they to create going forward.

D-Lit 2020: Digital Literacy and Leadership Intensive

Get creatively charged this summer with D-Lit – a digital literacy, leadership and technology intensive academy. Open to students ages 11-14 from the City of Poughkeepsie. At The Art Effect, teens will learn to use digital technology for media literacy, internet safety, artistic creation, music production, and more! This virtual program will be held via Zoom, Monday – Friday from August 10th – August 21st from 2pm – 4pm. All supplies, including snacks and iPad loan will be delivered to each resident’s home prior to August 10th. This program is in partnership with Marist College. Students must be enrolled in the Marist Liberty Partnership Program to participate. Applications can be filled out online. Any questions, please e-mail Crystal.Purfield@Marist.edu [pdf-embedder url=”https://thearteffect.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/D-Lit-2020.pdf” title=”D-Lit 2020″] Related: Summer Youth Employment Program seeks applications for Dutchess County Youth ages 14 – 18 this summer

Apply Now For The Summer Youth Employment Program

The Art Effect is now accepting applications for Spark Studios and MADLab summer youth employment programs. The two programs will be held for six weeks this summer and youth will be paid minimum wage for their participation. 

Dutchess County youth interested in filmmaking, media production, visual arts, landscape design, public art, and design careers are encouraged to apply today!

Youth must be between 14-18 years old, live in Dutchess County, and TANF-eligible in order to participate. Click here for the full application, which must be submitted to Dutchess One Stop. Be sure to click “Visual Arts” or “Film/Media Production” to be considered for The Art Effect’s programs.

Got questions about how to get involved or where to submit your application? Contact us at info@thearteffect.org

Dutchess Arts Camps Nurture Creativity and Friendship

Nine years ago, two six year old best friends attended Dutchess Arts Camp, run by The Art Effect for the very first time. Sadly, on January 11, 2017 one of the friends passed away from brain cancer at the age of 11. Owen Stier and Theo Alves truly embody the spirit and joy that Dutchess Arts Camp strives to provide children throughout the Hudson Valley for almost 40 years .

Owen and Theo had been best friends and inseparable since they were babies. Together the boys attended camp every summer for five years, enjoying each other’s company and creating fantastical flights of artistic fancy. 

Fundraising

The summer after Theo’s passing, Owen could not bear to attend camp without his good friend, but in 2018 he returned with a plan to honor his friend and raise money for brain cancer research in Theo’s name. While living without Theo continued to be difficult for Owen, he wanted to create ways to celebrate Theo’s memory and their friendship. In addition to raising funds for cancer research, he began raising funds for a scholarship to give other children the opportunity to experience the place he and Theo both loved: Dutchess Arts Camp.

Owen raised $570 dollars that summer and continued to raise money for the scholarship fund for the rest of the year, raising a total of $2,000. Each day of camp Owen collected money at the front door and at the final showcase where families are invited to come see all of the camper’s work. The Art Effect’s Theo Alves Scholarship Fund was established in celebration of a friendship between two boys and their love for art camp.

The Importance of Summer Camp

“Camp is an important part of a child’s social development. Dutchess Arts Camp not only fosters a child’s creativity but helps improve their social skills, and increases their sense of belonging as well as independance and values such as empathy”. Says Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, Executive Director.

For decades, The Art Effect’s Dutchess Arts Camps have enriched and empowered local youth through art and exploration. With locations in Poughkeepsie, Millbrook, Red Hook, and New Paltz, The Art Effect provides high quality arts education to young people throughout the Hudson Valley, even through the COVID crisis. While only the Poughkeepsie camp will be running this summer, The Art Effect hopes to return to all its campuses next year. For more information on The Art Effect’s 2020 Dutchess Art Camp summer program options for children ages 4-10, visit thearteffect.org/summer

Arte para sanar, arte para la justicia

Observaciones desde el campo por Sharon Alexander

Traducción por Roger Acevedo

The Art Effect involucra a los jóvenes a través de las artes en una variedad de programas. El año pasado tuve la oportunidad de formar parte de un equipo docente que trabajaba con adolescentes en una instalación local de jóvenes delincuentes en el programa Arts for Healing, Arts for Justice, con el apoyo del Consejo de las Artes del Estado de Nueva York y CreativityWorksNYS del Carnegie Hall.

En el proceso de creación de arte hay libertad para tomar decisiones, jugar y una oportunidad para dejarse llevar; Proporciona una sensación de control, algo que rara vez sienten los individuos encarcelados. Aquellos que inicialmente no muestran una pasión audaz pueden llegar a ser los más interesados en hacerlo bien y explorar las artes. Vimos jóvenes  inicialmente reacios a pintar  y después de un tiempo sosteniendo un pincel y absolutamente fascinados al mezclar y controlar los trazos de color.

Este programa Arts for Justice convocó a la autorreflexión junto con la educación artística y permitió a los adolescentes encarcelados la capacidad de hacer que sus propias voces se escuchen a través de su arte. Los adolescentes hicieron máscaras de arcilla, escudos de arcilla, diseños de tenis deportivos, ilustraciones dibujadas y colaboraciones. Ellos lograron representar sus experiencias, pensamientos, miedos, esperanzas, sueños y más, a través de lecciones cuidadosamente planificadas.

El proyecto de diseños de tenis  deportivos “A Walk in My Shoes” fue un punto culminante para muchos de los jóvenes. Se les pidió que ilustraran en una zapatilla blanca con marcadores y pintura acrílica cómo su viaje es diferente al de cualquier otra persona en el mundo, sus historias e imágenes fueron escritas en un papel trazado desde la suela del zapato diseñado. Un adolescente tituló su proyecto como “Dos caras: un sospechoso, una víctima” y escribió lo siguiente: Soy como el Joker, el solía ser una buena persona que quería hacer sonreír a los demás y ser feliz, pero la gente se reía de él, así que estaba enojado y comenzó a hacer cosas malas. La gente solía dudar de mí, en mi vida pasaban muchas cosas, como pérdidas de amigos, arrestos y dudas de que iba a ser de mi. Empecé a hacer cosas malas como usar drogas, pelear, no volver a casa por días y faltar a la escuela, entonces mi  ira creció porque la gente no sabía o entendía por qué estaba enojado y cuando intentaba  explicar, me enfurecía más ”.
Este joven decidió regresar a la escuela y seguir  con una carrera en diseño gráfico cuando salgan en libertad en octubre.

Esta primavera la exhibición de arte final del proyecto fue una oportunidad para que las organizaciones visitantes, los empleados de las instalaciones y todos los jóvenes vieran lo que se había creado. Alentamos a nuestros artistas juveniles a respaldar su trabajo y discutir su proceso creativo, para la mayoría de los adolescentes esta experiencia fue nueva y claramente transformadora, un momento en el que pueden presentarse como un adulto joven consciente, en lugar de ser visto siempre como un “delincuente adolescente”. El deleite en la sala era palpable mientras los adolescentes hablaban con orgullo de sus logros y escuchaban sus voces. Los jóvenes incluso recibieron una ovación de pie desde una habitación llena de adultos solidarios.

Nos conmovió profundamente la valentía de estos estudiantes durante estas sesiones de creación artística, tanto por los proyectos que completaron como por su crecimiento interno, y espero ayudar a que más jóvenes artistas se expresen a medida que continuamos esta asociación en el futuro.

Por Sharon Alexander, terapeuta de artes creativas en The Art Effect

Arts For Healing, Arts For Justice

(Haz clic aquí para leer en español) Observations from the Field by Sharon Alexander The Art Effect engages youth through the arts in a variety of programs. This past year, I had the opportunity to be a part of a teaching team working with teens in a local adolescent offender facility in the Arts for Healing, Arts for Justice Program, supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and Carnegie Hall’s CreativityWorksNYS. In the artmaking process there’s freedom to make choices, play, and an opportunity to let go; it provides a sense of control, something seldom felt by incarcerated individuals. Those who may not initially show bold passion can turn out to be the most invested in doing well and exploring the arts. We saw youth reluctant to paint finally bring themselves to hold a brush and become absolutely entranced by color mixing and controlling the strokes. This Arts for Justice program summoned self-reflection in conjunction with art education and allowed incarcerated teens the ability to have their own voices be heard through their art. Teens made clay masks, clay shields, designed sneakers, drawn illustrations, and collaborations. They have been able to represent their experiences, thoughts, fears, hopes, dreams, and more, through carefully planned lessons. The “A Walk in My Shoes” sneaker design project was a highlight for many of the youth.They were prompted to illustrate how their journey is different from anyone else’s in the world on a white canvas sneaker, using markers and acrylic paint. Their stories and imagery were then written on a paper traced from the sole of the designed shoe. One teen titled their project as “Two Sided – A Suspect. A Victim” and wrote the following: “I’m like the Joker. Joker used to be a nice person who wanted to make people smile and be happy. But people laughed at him so he was mad and started doing bad things. People used to doubt me. A lot of things were going on in my life like losses, suspension and doubting I’m going to make it in life. I started doing bad things like using drugs, fighting, not coming home for days and skipping school. My anger grew because people wouldn’t know or understand why I was angry. And when I explained, it would just make me angrier.” This young adult decided to return to school and pursue a career in graphic design when they are released in October. The culminating art showcase at the end of this spring’s project session was an opportunity for visiting organizations, facility employees, and all youth in the facility to see what has been created. We encouraged our youth artists to stand behind their work and discuss their creative process. For most teens, this experience was new and clearly transformative. A moment where they can present themselves as a mindful young adult, rather than always being seen as an “Adolescent Offender.” The delight in the room was palpable as the teens proudly talked about their accomplishments and had their voices heard. The teens even received a standing ovation from a room full of supportive adults. We were all deeply moved at how bravely these students put themselves out there during these artmaking sessions, for both the projects they completed and their internal growth, and I’m looking forward to helping more young artists express themselves as we continue this partnership in the future. By Sharon Alexander, Creative Arts Therapist at The Art Effect Images: Art Project, Two Sided – A Suspect. A Victim Arts for Healing, Arts For Justice teaching team, Sharon and Adam standing beside Wings of Freedom sculpture created by the youth

Qué llevar con nosotros de ARTS for Justice – Por Azia Zhane’ Brown

Traducción por Roger Acevedo

El sábado 6 de junio de 2020 no es como muchos otros días en este año para mí; es un día para recordar. The Art Effect organizó un evento titulado “Arts For Justice” y me pidieron que dirigiera un taller en el que inicialmente fue difícil aceptar porque tuve emociones encontradas. En el estado actual de nuestro mundo, me siento abiertamente exhausta por la pesadez de otro asesinato injusto debido a la brutalidad policial. Como mujer afroamericana y educadora, esta noticia me duele profundamente y me paraliza con sentimientos de dolor, ira y miedo por mis hijos, esposo, padre, estudiantes afroamericanos, sin embargo, me convertí en artista para poder expresarme en estos momentos de dolor, para dar sentido a mis pensamientos en ausencia de palabras … entonces dije “SÍ” para dirigir el taller.

Dirigí el taller “Memorial de los Caídos” con el objetivo de que los visitantes se unieran en una pieza de colaboración comunitaria, utilizando fuentes artísticas para escribir mensajes inspiradores para que se escuchen sus voces y motivar aquellas personas que hemos perdido a un ser querido por la brutalidad policial. Mi taller se llevó a cabo junto con otras seis actividades que permitieron a las personas compartir sus voces a través de carteles y pinturas de máscaras, murales de tiza y documentales digitales. Vi en los jóvenes compromiso positivo y participación para ayudar a que el evento fuera un éxito general.

Sin embargo, mi conclusión personal es esta …

• #AmplifyBlackVoices de CUALQUIER manera, forma o moda!
• Por favor Tómate un momento para enseñarle a tus hijos y a los niños de tu alrededor a través de otros medios de expresión. ¡Muchas veces los medios de comunicación se centran en el miedo!
• Demostrarle a los niños de todos los generos en #blacklives para que puedan ser educados sobre lo increíble que somos las personas. Permitirles aprender de nosotros los adultos, hacernos amigos y respetar nuestra humanidad es la clave del cambio.
• #ARTE siempre ha sido un puente de pie en los espacios donde las palabras y las acciones se cruzan.
• La protesta viene en muchas formas, ¡elige la que funcione para ti y HAZLO!

  # ARTHeals yo animo a todos a usarlo, sentirlo y apoyarlo.


Escrito por Azia Zhane ’Brown

Propietario y artista del estudio de paleta de Zhane
www.zhanespalettestudio.com
IG: @zhanespalette

---

Imágenes del evento Arts for Justice

no images were found

What to take with us from ARTS for Justice – An Op-Ed from Azia Zhane’ Brown

(Haz clic aquí para leer en español) Saturday, June 6, 2020 is now like many other days in this year for me; it’s a day to be remembered. The Art Effect hosted an event titled “Arts For Justice” and I was asked to lead a workshop which I had mixed emotions about accepting initially. You see, in this current state of our world, I’m feeling openly exhausted by the heaviness of yet another unjust killing due to police brutality. As a black woman and educator, this news pains me deeply and paralyzes me with feelings of hurt, anger and fear for my black sons, husband, father, students-and the list goes on. However, I became an artist to be able to express myself in these very moments of pain. To give meaning to my thoughts in the absence of words…so I said “YES” to leading the workshop. I led the workshop “Memorial of the Fallen” with the objective to have visitors join in a community collaboration piece, using artistic fonts to write inspirational messages to those we have lost to police brutality and have their voice be heard. My workshop took place alongside six other activities that allowed people to amplify their voices via poster and mask painting, chalk murals and digital documentary. I saw positive engagement and young people turning out to help make the event an overall success. My personal takeaway however is this…

• #AmplifyBlackVoices in ANY way, shape, form or fashion!
• Please take a moment to teach your children and the children around you, through other means of expression. Many times the media focuses on fear!
• Expose them to #blacklives in every genre so they may be educated on how amazing a people we are. Allowing them to learn from us, befriend us and respect our humanity is the key to change.
• #ART has always been a bridge standing in the gaps of where words and actions cross paths.
• Protest comes in many forms, choose the one that works for you and DO THAT!

#ARTHeals I encourage you all to use it, feel it and support it. Written by Azia Zhane’ Brown Owner & Artist of Zhane’s Palette Studio www.zhanespalettestudio.com IG: @zhanespalette

---

Images from the Arts for Justice Event

no images were found

Reel Exposure 2020: A Digital Spectacle

“Art is a way to make things feel real. Artists infuse their own personal views and experiences within what they make and it’s only through their experience that you can understand other perspectives. And a lot of times if you’re removed from that situation or that perspective, art is the only way that you can come to fully understand that situation, that perspective, and I think it’s for that reason that diversity in all manners of art is important for perspective. All the way through the line. So, it makes social change more real and physical and tangible.” – Chris St. Lawrence, director of “Words Apart,” during the 2020 Reel Exposure Winners Q&A

The Art Effect wrapped up last month with our annual Reel Exposure International Teen Film and Photography Festival, but this year things were a little different. Due to COVID-19 precautions our festival was initially pushed back from our first festival date and grew into a three day weekend event with different short film screenings each night online, a virtual gallery experience, and an awards ceremony and Q & A with the festival winners on the final night of the festival. This year’s digital Reel Exposure took place May 29-31 and ended up being viewed by nearly 750 people from 10 different countries.

“Last year, which was my freshman year, I started taking a photography class and I really found a passion for photography and found that it can be more than taking pictures and you can actually tell stories through the photos.” -Audrey Basham, photographer of “Our Biggest Ties To The World Before They Snap,” during the 2020 Reel Exposure Winners Q&A

Reel Exposure International Teen Film and Photography Festival showcased work from around the world and some of our winners like Oisín-Tomás Ó Raghallaigh and Julian Schmiederer stayed up until the wee hours of the morning in Northern Ireland and Austria to share their thoughts and processes in the Sunday Q&A session with the available festival winners emceed by The Art Effect’s festival hosts Mary Ellen Iatropoulos and Naajia Villa on Zoom. Two more winners were announced on Monday, June 1, when we tallied up the final votes in our Film & Photo Audience Choice Awards. The film showcases from each night were available for viewing through the end of the festival, but our 3D digital gallery exhibition of photographs, created by The Art Effect alumni Imyra Maxwell, is still open for viewing. Click here to view it on a mobile device or click here if you are browsing through a laptop or personal computer. Reel Exposure 2020’s Film Winners Grounding — by Oisín-Tomás Ó Raghallaigh *First Place Winner – Film* Pressure — by Julian Pixel Schmiederer *Second Place – Film* Worlds Apart — by Chris St. Lawrence *Third Place – Film* Writer’s Block — by Jake Tannenbaum *Audience Choice Award – Film*

---

Reel Exposure 2020’s Photo Winners Monotone City — by Sebastian Hudson *First Place Winner – Photography* Etchings Scrawled Across a Pretty Face — by Julia Rossillon *Second Place – Photography* Our Biggest Ties To The World Before They Snap — by Audrey Basham *Third Place – Photography* Folk Artists of Peru — by Leonardo Rinaldi *Audience Choice Award – Photography* Special thanks to Reel Exposure hosts Naajia Renee Villa & Mary Ellen Iatropoulos, the Hudson Valley Additive Manufacturing Center (HVAMC) at SUNY New Paltz, who printed this year’s 3D Reel Exposure trophies, and to all our dedicated Reel Exposure judges this year: Jesse Brown, Beth Davenport, Stephen Honicki, Thomas Pearson, John Rizzo, Camilo Rojas, Kevin Sheffield, and Shawn Strong.

---

Reel Exposure is made possible, in part, through funding from Dutchess Tourism, administered by Arts Mid-Hudson and support from Dyson Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, Vassar Brothers Institute Donor Advised Fund of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, and FairGame Arts Grant.

Summer is almost here | June 2020 Newsletter

Click here to learn about the the Arts For Justice event taking place this Saturday, get the latest updates on The Art Effect’s plans for the summer, and more…