As part of The Art Effect’s curatorial workforce development program, youth curators attend gallery shows in the Hudson Valley and New York City and write reviews of what they’ve seen.
Located on West 22nd St, Chelsea 512 currently houses the “And the Moon Be Still as Bright” group exhibition, displayed among several other historical and influential art galleries. Founded in 1997, the Harpers Gallery embedded themselves within the heart of New York City’s art district, flourishing within the complex minds of the world’s creatives.
“And the Moon Be Still Bright,” an initially niche but progressively enticing phrase, originates from American writer, Ray Bradbury, author of science fiction novel the Martian Chronicles. The story highlights the preservation of land, describing a familiar tale involving exploration and settlement on newly colonized regions in Mars. The specific title “And the Moon Be Still Bright” references a chapter within the novel describing desperate attempts to save and prevent the internal pollution of Mars at the hands of the new inhabitants from earth. The pieces within this exhibition mimic that sort of natural space both graciously untouched and riddled with destruction. Each artist takes on this theme in a unique way exploring the different “found” mediums equally mimicking the exploration of new areas in the Martian Chronicles.
What initially drew me to this exhibition was my natural love for maximalism and the implication of organized clutter in a lot of art. In regards to the appreciation of nature, the art ranges thematically from the beauty of the past, to the uncertainty of the future. All the while it maintains love for natural imperfection contrasted for man-made “perfect” beauty.
A specific arrangement of pieces that spoke to me was a bright colored orange flowing tapestry by Mimi Jung, titled “Our Inclinations” and an equally sized seemingly overgrown tapestry laced with jewels and valuables in gold titled “Rags to Riches” by Suchitra Mattai. The fabrics of “Rags to Riches” in particular blend with all of the other external elements elevating the entire piece, while also coming across a bit abrasive and harder to look at. The beautiful color contrasts with the rough texture.
Within all the art is a common approach regarding the perspective of immigration and settlement; whether or not human presence in natural spaces results in good or bad, and the internal conflict of that guilt as human civilization is the reason for the pain of others.
As part of The Art Effect’s curatorial workforce development program, youth curators attend gallery shows in the Hudson Valley and New York City and write reviews of what they’ve seen. One of the newest members of the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team, Crystal Serino, shares her thoughts on a recent show at Miles McCentry Gallery.
Linnenbrink’s gleeful use of unexpected colors and vibrance embraces a childlike joy in art. He developed unique processes he refers to as “Cut”,”Drill”,”Drip”, and “Reverse” painting. Linnenbrink stated: “All interaction with color happens in and through the eye of the viewer. The same visual information then lands in receptors that are all molded by the whole life story of the individual that receives what is to be seen.” His other works in the space include spheres, chairs, and linear sculptures.
My favorite piece in the gallery was the resin sphere “COLDWORLDGOODMANBITEBACK”. This work has objects infused inside such as a Roblox character, a medical ID, a Seinfeld photo, and even a tooth. Mixed in with the vibrant colors are small skulls in the layers.
Of all the galleries we toured in Chelsea, this one was my favorite exhibition. You can play around with a childhood wonder. In my artistic journey, resin art has always fascinated me. Seeing it represented in this light brings my soul joy.
As part of The Art Effect’s curatorial workforce development program, youth curators attend gallery shows in the Hudson Valley and New York City and write reviews of what they’ve seen. Senior member of the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team, Chanel Reed, shares her thoughts on a recent show at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.
The Tanya Bonakdar Gallery is at 521 West 21st Street, New York, NY. This gallery developed a contemporary program that includes painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, video, and photography, representing thirty unique artists worldwide. The gallery continues to support the works and careers of artists internationally. The Tanya Bonakdar Gallery featured a past exhibition, “Night Tripper” (June 22 – July 28, 2023), exhibiting Dana Powell’s newest pieces that have an ominous and unsettling effect. She composed small-scale oil paintings that depicted moments like the moonlit sky and dark backroads.
Powell’s small-scale pieces aren’t as provocative as others but burden the viewer with many questions. Dana Powell’s “Closed Road” is a 12 x 14-inch piece that drew my attention. It produces an unnerving atmosphere with bright orange cones and green leaves scattered along a dark road. The piece is painted with fine details that layer paint with textured strokes but also renders form with smooth discipline – similar to impressionism, but with more detail. Powell lets light and color prevail in her work, letting the mood settle into the audience.
This hyperrealism series presents a pleasingly cinematic story full of crime and sinister acts. Within the gallery, the images are spacious along its large white walls. The viewer closes in toward one painting and takes a few steps to another with a whole new scenario. It has the same effect as the pacing of an indie movie. They are capturing the rare moments people miss. This exhibition was purely interesting. It inspired me to continue a path in my illustrative career, creating work that minds the little things in life people look twice at and letting the brain flow.
Join The Art Effect at the Trolley Barn Gallery (489 Main Street) or virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, August 29, for a day of professional development in preparation for the Poughkeepsie Public Library District’s 2023 Big Read. We will discuss how to center human stories in the study of history, how educators can use historical creative non-fiction to engage present-day students, and how to connect historical texts to students’ lives in relevant, meaningful ways.
In this hybrid day of professional development, educators will gain background knowledge and culturally-informed context for teaching this year’s Big Read: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. Educators will learn concrete curricular resources and strategies for student engagement, as well as practice facilitating generative writing and multimedia assessment projects to help students identify central themes in the text and draw parallels between historical stories and the present day.
By the end of the professional development session, all participants will be able to:
Understand and teach historical narratives as constructs embedding a specific point of view
Lead students to apply critical thinking skills to ethical dilemmas, using The Boys in the Boat and US participation in the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany as an example
Understand the political experiences of people with marginalized identities negotiating life outside of dominant social groups
Understand background knowledge about the Poughkeepsie Championship Regatta’s importance to the cultural and economic development of the Hudson River Valley
Provide generative writing prompts around The Boys in the Boat
Identify ekphrasis as a literary device, and generate original ekphrastic poems
Assign filmmaking as a multimodal assessment enabling diverse learners to demonstrate learning and perform understanding
Location: Hybrid event; in-person at the Trolley Barn Gallery, Main Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 or virtual via Zoom
Provider: Poughkeepsie Public Library District Big Read
All participants will receive a copy of The Boys in the Boat free of charge. There is no fee to attend this workshop. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
*Documentation verifying teacher attendance will be provided to registrants who have prior in-service approval from their home districts.*
AGENDA
8:00 – 8:30am: Coffee & Breakfast 8:30 – 8:45am: Welcome & Opening Remarks 8:45- 9:45am: Keynote: Whose History? Whose Story? Shaping the ‘Historical’ Record and Listening to Black Voices of the Hudson River by Bill Jeffway, Celebrating the African Spirit/Dutchess County Historical Society 9:45 – 10:00am: Q&A for Keynote 10:00 – 10:15am: Coffee/Bathroom Break 10:15 – 10:50am:Teaching Holocaust-Related Literature: An Introduction and Resources for Teachers by Jeffrey Urbin, Education Specialist at the Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum of Dutchess County 10:50 – 11:30am: Rowing On The River: A Brief History of the Poughkeepsie Regatta by Elizabeth Clarke and Ann Sandri, authors of The Poughkeepsie Regatta 11:30 – 12:30pm: LUNCH 12:30 – 2:30pm: Concurrent breakout sessions:
Session 1 (in-person): “Multimedia Storytelling as Assessment” Workshop by The Art Effect
Session 2 (virtual): Engaging Learners Through Modes of Imagery and Writing From The Senses, with The Ekphrastic Writer
2:30 – 3:00pm: Closing Remarks and Feedback Survey
The Big Read is an annual ‘community read program’ coordinated by the Poughkeepsie Library District. It will run across the fall months of 2023, and is designed to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.
Thank you for opting-in to the midweek update for Dutchess Arts Camp: Poughkeepsie!
The theme of the final week of camp is Uniquely YOU and students are exploring different methods of self-expression through a variety of mediums. Projects include watercolor silhouette paintings, dolls, peekaboo mugs, music and interviews, digital animation with Rotoscope and Pixilation, dance, and more! Check out the photos:
Join us on Friday, 8/4 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll view students’ projects. Doors will open at 2:30pm for our gallery walk and media screening. A dance performance will take place at 3:00pm, followed by dismissal and collection of your children’s art at 4:00pm.
Thank you for opting-in to mid-week updates for Ulster Arts Camp: Week 2!
This week, campers have been discovering different methods of self-expression through the theme of Welcome to the YOU-niverse! In 2D art class, students used new painting techniques to create original games and playing cards decorated with custom characters. In 3D art class, students made creatures out of air-dry clay, and planets with unique habitats where these creatures live. In animation class, students learned looping, walk cycles, and line boils techniques to create imaginary villages. Other activities also included music, dance, tie-dye, and a visit to the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, led by museum educator Zachary Bowman.
Check out the photos!
Join us on Friday, 8/4 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll experience the YOU-niverse for yourself through students’ immersive projects. Doors will open at 2:30pm for our gallery walk and media screening. A dance performance will take place at 3:00pm, followed by dismissal and collection of your children’s art at 4:00pm.
This week, the theme is Monsters and Fairytales, Fantasy and Fun, and through fun art projects, students have been transported to a magical realm of adventure. A variety of imaginative activities in different mediums have explored this theme. In 2-D art class, students have created mushroom houses and fantasy creatures made with collage techniques. In 3D art class, students are designing supernatural board games. In digital music class, students are composing original fantasy soundtracks. Lastly, students are also exploring dance, ceramics, and animation with software like Stop-Motion Studio and Flip-a-Clip. Check out the photo gallery below:
Join us on Friday, 7/28 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll experience the Forces of Nature yourself through students’ projects. Doors will open at 2:30pm for our gallery walk and media screening. A dance performance will take place at 3:00pm, followed by dismissal and collection of your children’s art at 4:00pm.
Thank you for opting-in to mid-week updates for Ulster Arts Camp: Week 1!
This week, the theme is Forces of Nature, and campers have been finding inspiration in the natural world as they complete projects in different mediums. Activities have included pendulum paintings, realistic observational drawings, watercolors with different textures, animation, and dance. Students have also visited the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, where they were led around the different exhibitions by museum educator Zach Bowman. This was a great opportunity for young artists ages 5 – 10 to gain exposure to contemporary art! Check out the photos below:
Join us on Friday, 7/28 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll experience the Forces of Nature yourself through students’ projects. Doors will open at 2:30pm for our gallery walk and media screening. A dance performance will take place at 3:00pm, followed by dismissal and collection of your children’s art at 4:00pm.
This week, the theme is Kids Around the World, and young artists are taking inspiration from all seven continents as they complete fun projects in different mediums. So far, activities have included paper dolls with unique outfits from around the world, Vejigante masks, clay pots influenced by international styles of sculpture, animation, dance, music, and more! Check out our photo gallery below.
Join us on Friday, 7/21 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll experience creativity from around the world! Doors will open at 2:30pm for our gallery walk and media screening; the dance performance will take place at 3:00pm, followed by dismissal and collection of your children’s art at 4:00pm.
Thank you for opting-in to the Dutchess Arts Camp: Red Hook update!
The theme of Dutchess Arts Camp: Red Hook, Week 2, is Music Mayhem. So far, campers have having a blast merging audio and visual mediums through innovative art projects. Students have been experimenting with animation, acrylic painting, dance, sculpture, composition of original songs with digital software and traditional percussion instruments, and more. Check out the photos below.
On Friday 7/21, doors will open for our end-of-week showcase at 2:30pm. Join us for a gallery walk, media screening, and a dance performance at 3:00pm, followed by dismissal and collection of your children’s art at 4:00pm. We can’t wait for you to see these amazing projects and to “feel the groove” of Music Mayhem in-person!
