The Art Effect

Data Jamming with Beacon FRAME

From having their first go at camera operation to getting settled in pre-production, 17 young producers in Beacon are off to a great start creating an exemplar video for The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies’ “Data Jam Competition”. This is an exciting collaboration, where students learn to interpret and create stories using scientific data sets, and then illustrate those stories through filmmaking and art (learn more here). This group of creative middle-school students completed the first week of our Beacon FRAME after school program, held at the Howland Public Library. This free program provides young people the opportunity to learn all stages of the media production process while working on a project for a community client, The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. A visit from Michelle Forster, Education Program Leader at the Cary Institute, helped set students up to analyze environmental data sets and make graphs and scatter plots to identify a common trend they could use to build a story. Rosellen Hardt, a seventh science grade teacher from the Wappingers School District, helped students with interpreting these documents and finding the story to tell. At the end of the week, students were asked to present a possible story created by interpreting the data sets. These young creatives recorded their presentation, allowing them to practice camera operation and public speaking. And some students got quite innovative! This upcoming week, students will watch these videos and make a decision about a trend to move forward with. That decision will inform the story the class will tell and lead them closer to the completion of their final project. Beacon FRAME runs through March 8. Stay tuned to hear more about this program!

Students Receive More Than 100 Awards

Students From The Art Effect’s Art Institute Receive More Than 100 Awards at Scholastic Competition Top winners will proceed to a national competition, others showcase work at SUNY New Paltz The Art Effect is proud to announce that students of the Art Institute received more than 100 awards at the recent 2018 Hudson Valley Scholastic Art Awards, a competition produced by the Hudson Valley Scholastic Art Awards Consortium.   Students received 115 Gold and Silver Key awards (including 3 gold key portfolios and 3 silver key portfolios), 4 out of 5 American Visions Awards, and 50 honorable mention awards. Art Institute students received awards in the following categories: Sculpture, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Portfolio, Photography, Digital Art, Film & Animation, Painting, Editorial Cartoon, and Drawing & Illustration. Gold Key and American Visions winners will go on to a national competition where they will compete with winners from more than 100 affiliates nationwide. A Winner’s Exhibition will be on display at the Rotunda Gallery at SUNY New Paltz from February 3-22, 2018. Winners from the Art Institute include:

• Emily Canning (John Jay H.S.)
• Anthony DiBattista (John Jay H.S.)
• Tariq Gordon (Poughkeepsie H.S.)
• Maya Henderson (Warwick Valley H.S.)
• Yanlam Ko (Spackenkill H.S.)
• Chloe Mosbacher  (New Paltz H.S.)
• Audrey Poteet (Home Schooled)
• Leyla Shapiro (Spakenkill H.S.)
• Benjamin Solliday (LaGrange M.S.)
• Maxwell Von der Horst (Warwick H.S.)
• Olivia Weinstein (Roundout Valley H.S.)
• Claire Wu (John Jay H.S.)
• Morgan Zolko (Rhinebeck H.S.)

“The arts are truly alive and thriving in the Hudson Valley,” says Todd Poteet Director of Visual Arts at The Art Effect. “Every year the Hudson Valley Scholastic Arts Award Consortium does an incredible job reviewing and judging thousands of entries. With such great teachers and young artists in the competition, we are thrilled to have so many of The Art Effect’s students and pieces awarded this year. With the recent merger of Mill Street Loft and Spark Media Project into The Art Effect, we had our first film entries and were able to expand the media work of our students. We look forward to attending the awards and recognizing all the fabulous work from students throughout the Hudson Valley.” The Hudson Valley Scholastic Art Awards Consortium includes Orange-Ulster BOCES, Orange County Arts Council, Ulster BOCES, Dutchess BOCES, Sullivan County BOCES, and the Enlarged City School District of Middletown. The awards are presented by The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a nonprofit whose mission is to identify students with exceptional artistic and literary talent, and present their remarkable work to the world through recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarship. Past award winners have included esteemed artists Andy Warhol, Philip Pearlstein, Cy Twombly, Robert Indiana, Kay WalkingStick, and John Baldessari; author Richard Avedon; actors Frances Farmer, Robert Redford, Alan Arkin, and John Lithgow; and filmmakers Stan Brakhage, Ken Burns, and Richard Linklater. About Scholastic: Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth, and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated. Each year, increasing numbers of teens participate in the program, and become a part of our community–-young artists and writers, filmmakers and photographers, poets, and sculptors, along with countless educators who support and encourage the creative process.

Reel Expressions

Celebrating its fifth year, the Reel Expressions International Teen Film Festival features youth-produced films – narrative, animation, experimental and documentary – from the Hudson Valley and around the world. Reel Expressions takes place on Friday, November 10 from 5:00 – 7:30 pm at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, 35 Market St, Poughkeepsie, NY. This teen showcase encourages youth creativity, invigorates our local community through the arts, and showcases the incredible work done by the next generation of media-makers. The film festival will showcase finalists who are selected by a panel of professional judges. The festival is created for teens and adults; families are welcome; however, some themes are quite mature for younger audiences. The Reel Expressions International Film Festival finalists are:

• After Freddie Gay: What Now?, Wide Angle Youth Media
• Daddy Why?, Williemae Fiddemon
• Hygge, Rachel Mcgill
• Atlas World, Morgana McKenzie
• Tailor, Suma Filmes
• iRony, Radheya Jegatheva
• Any Given Day, Azure Allen
• Heid, Tessa Hill
• Cycle, Caleb Wild
• Damsels in Distress, Raine Bracken
• The Portrait of Fear, Akvile Gelazuite
• Santa Woman, Spark Media Project Youth

Youth under 21 are FREE; tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for seniors/students. For more information visit Reel Expressions.

New Merit-Based Scholarships

The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft + Spark Media Project is partnering with prestigious arts colleges to provide merit scholarships to local students. The Poughkeepsie organization, which provides advanced arts and media education to youth ages 14-19, is announcing two new scholarships which will offer graduates merit-based awards to attend Moore College of Art & Design and Montserrat College of Art. Art Institute staff will choose deserving high school seniors to receive scholarships to the two colleges. Moore College of Art & Design, a woman’s school in Philadelphia, has created a scholarship fund specifically for Art Institute students. The scholarship is designed to honor the role that art teachers play as mentors to aspiring artists. Beginning in the fall of 2018, one student will receive an award, renewable over four years, for a total of $20,000 towards attending Moore. In a similar initiative, Massachusetts school Montserrat College of Art, will award up to five Art Institute graduates with scholarships of $16,000 per academic year, to reach a total of $64,000 over the course of 4 years of study. These two new scholarship opportunities, and the unique role of hand-picking students to receive them, are a result of long-standing relationships between the Art Institute and the colleges. According to Todd Poteet, the founding director of the Art Institute, “It has always been the goal of the Art Institute to provide access to higher education for our students, especially those students in financial need. For more than 20 years, 99% of our graduates have received merit-based awards to college. I believe that these new initiatives honor that tradition and the quality of the work of our students.” The Art Institute is not a newcomer to helping students achieve enrollment in college arts programs, and scholarships to support youth in attending the school of their choice. The Art Institute is a pre-college portfolio development program for students interested in a career in the arts, and aims to place every student in college on merit scholarship. Graduates of the Art Institute have been offered more than $42,000,000 in merit scholarships since 1996. The Art Institute offers a variety of courses, including filmmaking, painting, sculpture, animation, photography, and drawing, where students prepare competitive portfolios to gain college admission and work towards careers in the arts. In addition to helping students cultivate foundational skills in a variety of mediums, the Art Institute offers portfolio development and scholarship preparation courses to help local youth appeal to the nation’s top art schools. Students will have the opportunity to impress colleges at Portfolio Day from 4-8pm on November 3rd at the Henry A. Wallace Center. Representatives from over 39 colleges will critique student work, interview potential applicants, and provide information on the programs offered at their schools. College representatives from across the country will be in attendance, including Maryland Institute College of Art, Pratt Institute, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbus College of Art & Design, Rhode Island School of Design, Montserrat College of Art and Moore College of Art. Portfolio Day is a free event open to teachers, parents, and high school and college students interested in attending a college art program. For more information, visit https://thearteffect.org/events/portfolio-day/.

Media Magic: The Art of YouTube

Media Magic is our after-school workforce development program where students earn a stipend, while learning about the process of making media in various mediums and collaborate on their very own short films! Media Magic offers youth a unique opportunity to develop advanced media skills and improve media literacy, all while earning a stipend and priceless work experience.  Not only do students have fun and learn about making media, but they also earn other valuable job-related skills, including teamwork, communication, and cultural sensitivity. Students who meet the program requirements receive a stipend for their participation at the end of program. 8 weeks, 4 days a week Mon/Tues/Weds/Thurs • 3:00–5:30 pm each day • 9.25.17–11.16.17 @ PUF (students responsible for their own transportation) PAID Workforce development program! Master the art of YouTube! You’ll learn cinematography and editing techniques, production tips, defining and writing for your audience, generating subscriptions, and using YouTube analytics to grow your channel! APPLY TODAY!

Trent Taft

Currently located in New York, Trent Taft is a sculptor in the special effects industry. Inspired by films with credible imaginary characters and nature itself, He brings his creations to life in a public space through artistry. trenttaft.com

Portfolio Development

Each year our students produce thousands of works. Here are just a few from our Portfolio Development program for high school students.

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Recent Forge Projects

The Forge Media Production House Apprenticeship Program employs advanced youth apprentices to work alongside experienced producers in creating high quality, unique media products for businesses and organizations.

Videos:

HV Parent: Separation Preparation	What Will Your Response Be? #StartByBelieving
Nightlife Makeup Tutorial PSA	United Way: The Important Things
Welcome To The Party: A Choose Your Own Adventure Experience

Senior Project

The most rigorous course currently offered at the Art Institute is Senior Project, the capstone of The Art Effect’s portfolio development programming. Modeled after a senior thesis college course, students work on a theme for 12 weeks with an artist/mentor. Students present a new work each week along with touch-ups made to the work from the previous week, generally completing the program with a body of work comprised of 12 pieces.

Spark Studios

Spark Studios Media Producers will learn the ropes of a fully functioning film set while learning workplace skills, receiving training in camera operation and filmmaking techniques, and gaining experience with production software, technology, and the Adobe Creative Suite. Below are videos created during Spark Studios and The Art Effect’s Filmmaking Intensives: Nirvana Poughkeepsie, Connected Santa Woman