The Art Effect

Upcoming Free Art Workshops at Local Libraries

Join us for free art workshops for a variety of age groups, happening at libraries around Dutchess County!

Clay Character Sculptures at Millbrook Library

Saturday June 4th, 1:00pm – 3:00pm

For grades K-5

Participants will develop and build their own unique fantasy character in soft, malleable oven bake Sculpty clay. Dynamic gesturing, costuming, accessories, facial expressions, movement and more will be utilized to breathe life into our creations. 

Registration: Open to the public, call Millbrook Library at 845-677-3611 to register

Aquatic Creature Self-Portraits at Staatsburg Library

Monday July 11th, 7:30pm – 8:30pm

For teens

Ever feel like a mermaid, or maybe a shark? Ever wondered what you would look like underneath the sea? In this workshop, participants will be guided through picturing themselves as ocean creatures, and will learn to use basic shapes, lines, and shading to bring your ocean-creature-self to life! 

Registration: Open to the public, call Staatsburg Library at 845-889-4683 to register

Digital Painting at Clinton Community Library

Saturday July 16th, 10:30am – 11:30am

For grades K-5

Students use iPads and Procreate software to imagine concept art, to create original digital visual art pieces, and to strengthen their skills in visual communication. Students also gain practice with identifying light sources, learning how to properly shade, learning how to compose images, and take elements from source texts to re-imagine them and refashion them through a unified personal aesthetic.

Registration: Open to the public, call Clinton Community Library at 845-266-5530 to register

Patchwork Collage at Staatsburg Library

Thursday July 21st, 12:30pm – 2:00pm

For grades K-2

Visual Storytelling! Patchwork quilts have passed down stories and history for hundreds of years. Following a set theme, participants will have their own unique story come to life through their own hand drawn artwork Themes can include: happy memory, a personal goal, a loved one, a life changing event, specific holiday, etc. Gluing materials such as fabric, paper, magazine clippings, yarn, buttons and more to create individualized squares. The art pieces will be assembled together at the end of the class representing how each individual has their own story, but are still connected as humans on the same Earth. The artists can also take the time to discuss the different pieces and what they represent if they wish.

Registration: Open to the public, call Staatsburg Library at 845-889-4683 to register

Clay Character Sculptures at Clinton Community Library

Saturday July 30th, 10:30am – 11:30am

For grades K-5

Participants will develop and build their own unique fantasy character in soft, malleable oven bake Sculpty clay. Dynamic gesturing, costuming, accessories, facial expressions, movement and more will be utilized to breathe life into our creations.

Registration: Open to the public, call Clinton Community Library at 845-266-5530 to register

Zine-Making at Clinton Community Library

Saturday August 6th, 10:30am – 11:30am

For grades 6-12

Students make and publish their own zines (mini-magazine) while gaining an understanding of zine culture and DIY (Do It Yourself) culture. Students generate content (poetry, fiction and/or nonfiction), use Adobe Photoshop or Canva, and analyze the benefits and drawbacks of print media in the digital age.

Registration: Open to the public, call Clinton Community Library at 845-266-5530 to register

Digital Animation at Tappan Library

Monday August 8th, 6:00pm – 8:00pm

For ages 11 and up

Learn the art of stop-motion animation! Using iPads, handmade scenery and characters, and apps like Stop Motion Studio and Koma Koma, in this workshop you’ll craft photo sequences to create the illusion of movement, and add in voice recordings and sound effects to bring your animations to life.

Registration: Open to the public, call Tappan Free Library at 845-359-3877 to register

Abstract Painting, Drawing, and Mixed Media Arts at Clinton Community Library

Saturday August 13th, 10:30am – 11:30am

For adults

Art is full of emotion! In this workshop, participants will be using ink, acrylic paint, and found objects on canvases to create their own abstract mixed media paintings. They will be shown various abstract artists for inspiration and will also experience how art does not have to look life-like. While experimenting with colors, shapes, lines, and textures, participants will choose the emotion they’d like to represent and will be guided through bringing their vision to life.

Registration: Open to the public, call Clinton Community Library at 845-266-5530 to register

Paper Marbling and Mindfulness at Millbrook Library

Wednesday August 24th, 3:00pm – 5:00pm

For teens

Explore a variety of world-wide paper marbling techniques while enjoying the calming and meditative nature of this artform. We will take paper and dip it in water combined with colorful inks and paints, using layering to create swirling and patterned marbled masterpieces to take home with you. 

Registration: Open to the public, call Millbrook Library at 845-677-3611 to register

Watercolor Painting of Flowers at Clinton Community Library

Saturday September 10th, 10:30am – 11:30am

For adults

Inspired by nature, and using brush techniques of previous weeks together, we will explore colorful flowers from imagination and from photographs and works of art history.

Registration: Open to the public, call Clinton Community Library at 845-266-5530 to register

Drawing Objects at Clinton Community Library

Saturday October 8th, 10:30am – 11:30am

For adults

Drawing 101! Participants will learn how to draw objects in their homes starting with basic shapes and finishing with details and texture. Explore various shading techniques such as blending, smudging, hatching, stippling and more to capture what you see in your homes every day.

Registration: Open to the public, call Clinton Community Library at 845-266-5530 to register

Work With Us! Apply for Summer Arts Camp Staff Positions

The Art Effect is seeking engaging and upbeat Teaching Artists, Counselors, and Counselors-In-Training for our Dutchess and Ulster Arts Camps, located in Poughkeepsie, Red Hook and New Paltz this July-August. Dutchess and Ulster Arts Camps offer a variety of programming that allow children ages 5-10 to imagine, discover, create, and have fun.

Positions Available:

Teaching Artists
Teaching Artists work directly with several groups of around ten children over the course of the day to create visual and media arts projects. Teaching Artists will create lessons plans and supplies lists, coordinate with the Camp Director on implementation and support project management and organization. Half days (4 hours) or full days (8 hours) available. $25/hr.
To Apply: Submit a resume, cover letter and three references to Director of Programs Mary Ellen Iatropoulos at maryellen@thearteffect.org

Counselors
Counselors (age 16 and up) work directly with a single group of around ten children. They are responsible for supervising CITs, supporting Teaching Artists and overseeing morning drop offs and afternoon pickups. Mon-Fri, 8 hours a day, plus about 10 hours for move in and 10 hours for move out. $14/hr.
To Apply: Complete this form here, and submit a resume, cover letter and three references to Director of Programs Mary Ellen Iatropoulos at maryellen@thearteffect.org

Counselors-In-Training (C.I.T)
Counselors-In-Training (age 14 and up) help counselors with supervising a group of around ten campers. They will assist with camp preparation and clean up, and create a supportive camp community. Mon-Fri, 8 hours a day. Weekly $100 stipend.
To Apply: Complete this form here, and submit a resume, cover letter and three references to Director of Programs Mary Ellen Iatropoulos at maryellen@thearteffect.org

Claudine Farley will be returning as Director of DAC Poughkeepsie!

Claudine Farley has been an art teacher for 20 years for Beacon City School District, and has been the District Art Department Coordinator for the last 15 years. She teaches a variety of classes at the high school, including Ceramics, Fashion, Studio Art, Drawing and Painting, and has recently developed a Contemporary Art Class with Dia Beacon. The class is the first of its kind, blending a major museum and high school students, exposing the students to a higher level of thinking about the art process. She has worked for The Art Effect for the last 14 years, where she has taught the Junior Art Institute in the summer and younger age groups during the school year. This is her third year as director, and she looks forward to many more years as director of Dutchess Art Camp!

MVP (Music Video Production) Program at PHS Media Lab

In the MVP (Music Video Production) Program, you’ll learn how to create an original song and produce a music video! You’ll learn lyric writing, song recording, sound mixing, filming, video editing, on-set etiquette and all-around production skills.

This program will take place on Mondays after school in The Art Effect Media Lab at Poughkeepsie High School (through the dance studio, across the hall from the cafeteria)

Program dates:
Monday 3/7 2:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Monday 3/14 2:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Monday 3/21 2:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Monday 3/28 2:45 pm – 4:45 pm
Monday 4/4 2:45 pm – 4:45 pm

Only open to PHS students

This program is FREE!

Application goes live at 5pm on Friday Feb 25th

Watch here for an application link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdR_NXE6qTJOaUo9F7KKuMrFUauGNG5EnnmrMAjCjE3srzPAA/viewform

The Art Effect’s COVID-19 Safety Plan

(last updated 3/1/2022)

To ensure safety for all of our students and their families, The Art Effect has worked hard to create programming environments which are safe, sanitary, and responsive to the shifting needs of these uncertain times. Beginning Wednesday March 2, in accordance with the CDC stating Dutchess/Ulster County as an area of low transmission and the NYS Governor’s office lifting the mask mandate, wearing masks will be optional for all staff, and students will no longer be required to wear masks inside each of our buildings. (except in special cases, please contact us 845.471.7477).

In addition to securing the safety of our employees in accordance with directives issued by the NYS Governor’s Office, The Art Effect is providing the safest in-person programming experiences possible for the students and families we serve with the plan laid out below.

As new requirements and policies are put in place we will update our safety plan accordingly and provide notice to families enrolled in our programming.

For the health and safety of our staff and students, our COVID protocols will continue to include the following:

• Everyone sanitizes or washes hands before and after each class/activity.
• If your child feels sick, please keep them home. Students who report feeling sick during the day will be asked to call a caregiver to pick them up. 
• We will work to maintain a safe social distance when necessary to continue to help stop the spread of germs.
• Where possible, individually packaged supplies will be used. All tools, supplies, surfaces, and seating gets sanitized at the end of the day.
• If a student or students’ immediate family member (with whom they have daily contact) tests positive for COVID-19, we ask that the student stay home. Should a teacher (or student) test positive for COVID-19 while in contact with students, we will notify families immediately.

Help Us Reach $30,000!

Building Stronger Communities

This December, The Art Effect launches an annual campaign to raise $30,000! Every dollar will help prepare young people for academic and career success through workforce training, college visits, mentorship, and hands-on experience in visual/media arts. Building A Stronger Community — Watch the video below to learn more.

“As a representative of Celebrating the African Spirit, a new organization in the area, we knew we would need a logo for people to be able to recognize who we were. Youth in The Art Effect’s MADlab program developed an effective and gorgeous logo for us. Every time its seen in the community, they know that its Celebrating the African Spirit.” Carmen McGill 

We are determined, now more than ever, to empower young people to develop their creative voice to shape their futures and bring about positive social change through the arts.

Help us reach our goal!

Senior Project

Youth curated and created by the talented young artists in Senior Project Class of 2021
Led by instructor, Rick Price

Artists:
Ava Maegrle
Cora Fenichel-Hewitt
Ben Solliday 
Emily Dooley

Show Dates: December 17 – January 7, 2022
Opening Reception – December 17, 5-7pm

Senior Project is the most rigorous course currently offered at the Art Institute, 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.The Senior Project exhibition is a celebration of the accomplishments of these young artists.

Spring Classes

Apply to MADLab

Applications are open for our Spring Workforce programs!

MADLab (Media, Art, & Design Lab) is an artistic creation and arts-career training program for youth interested in building their skills through learning:
•Visual art and graphic design
•Social media marketing
•Public art project management

Earn while you learn – Youth who complete MADLab receive a $150 stipend!

Application Deadline: February 4, 2022

Apply To Be A Lead For Poughkeepsie Fellow