Friday afternoon, The Art Effect received a $1,000 grant from The Poughkeepsie Awesome Foundation at our studios in The Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory. These generous funds will support increased participation by Poughkeepsie youth in the annual Exposure national high school photography competition. The Exposure exhibition is a unique opportunity to showcase the talented photography of local and national high school students, nurturing and giving attention to young people’s creative voice. Emerging photographers have the chance to share their unique perspective on the world through incredible images, from classic black-and-white darkroom photography to digitally manipulated images. The exhibition is one of very few juried student photography exhibitions in the Hudson Valley. Professional photographers judge over 750 entries from across the USA and choose approximately 70 pieces for the Poughkeepsie-based exhibition and select winners of several prizes, including a full scholarship to the Summer Art Intensive at The Art Effect, one full-tuition scholarship to Maryland Institute College of Art’s Summer 2019 pre-college program, and cash awards. The Poughkeepsie Awesome Foundation support will enable Poughkeepsie high school students to enter the competition for free and encourage their participation through event attendance. Poughkeepsie youth in The Art Effect’s after school arts and workforce development programs, Spark Studios and Media, Art, and Design Lab (MADLab), will be encouraged to use The Art Effect’s studio equipment and mentors to create photography to be considered for the Exposure exhibition. This funding has provided these students with an opportunity to compete in this national photography competition. “On behalf of The Art Effect and our students, we would like to thank the Poughkeepsie Awesome Foundation for this generous grant,” states Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, Executive Director of The Art Effect. “These funds will make the Exposure exhibition more accessible and encourage larger participation and voice from young artists in the City of Poughkeepsie.”The deadline for submissions to Exposure is Friday, April 5, 2019 at 5pm. Entries can be submitted via our website, and Poughkeepsie students can enter for free with the code PKawesome. The Exposure exhibition will held in Poughkeepsie and open to the public in May 2019.
