The PKX Festival was a great success this year! From music performances to inspiring showcases, the energy was vibrant throughout the event. We are happy to relive these moments of creativity and community with these stunning photos from the event!
Thank you to all who made the PKX Festival unforgettable!
On Friday, April 19 at 6:30 PM the film festival kicks off with incredible short films produced by youth from around the country, as well as from the City of Poughkeepsie. Following the showcase, Poughkeepsie youth who participated in The Art Effect’s winter break workforce training intensive with featured artist Hezues R., filmmaker and media entrepreneur and Poughkeepsie High School alumnus, will debut their collaborative film, The Last String. The evening will culminate with an awards presentation and Q&A with the youth filmmakers.
2024 Film Festival Lineup:
Heart of Pearls (Hati Manek)
Runtime: 4:05
Alessandra Low & Margaret Feliciano
Singapore
A young Peranakan girl rejects the traditional art of Kasut Manek for modern trends, machinery, and industrialization. She only learns the importance of her culture after a fight between her and her mother and takes the first steps to embrace her tradition after apologizing.
Anna McGee’s Wild Ride
Runtime: 1:36
Ava Bounds, Age 18
Leeds, UK
A teenager on the cusp of adulthood flies through her entire future while stuck in a traffic jam.
For All That Was Lost
Runtime: 4:46
Will Hemphill & Nolan Crane, Age 16
Newport Beach, CA
For All That Was Lost follows two brothers and their wives separated by war; examining the power of human connection, love and healing.
The Last Wipe
Runtime: 5:10
Yaseen AlAradi, Age 20
The Last Wipe is a student short film about a struggling university student trying to go through life and washing cars for a living.
The Gouda News
Runtime: 5:14
Chatham Rigsby
Savannah, GA
A little girl in an effort to sell cheese for a school fundraiser stumbles upon an ingenious marketing approach.
DoMi
Runtime: 8:02
Johan Hernandez, Age 18
Poughkeepsie, NY
In a modern-dystopian short film, a new social media app creates a descent into madness for kids, teenagers, and adolescents. This app attracts Friend, an aspiring influencer hoping to reach the top as soon as possible, and the protagonist is brought along for the ride.
Reflection
Runtime: 2:19
Jay Lau
Hong Kong, China
Excoriation
Runtime: 3:22
Eva Iglesias Lorenzo
Vigo, Spain
A series of events envelop Theresa in an emotional journey of descent through the consequences of the OCD she suffers: Excoriation Disorder, leading her to harm her own skin. In this process, Theresa battles her own monsters to regain self-control and return to the world.
Wake Up Call!
Runtime: 3:42
Sarah Gleixner, Age 20
Marysville, PA
A college student gets an unwanted visitor in her dorm.
Dunkin’
Runtime: 8:32
Soly Gutierrez
San Antonio, TX
Determined to match up to his idol, Tim Duncan, an underachieving teen with a Napoleon complex organizes a slam dunk contest.
Chrysalis
Runtime: 5:47
Cherilyn Audelia, Age 20
Tangerang, Indonesia
Being colorblind, a man is now trapped in an unfulfilling job after he failed to become a pilot, searching desperately for unattainable happiness that makes him dependent on psychosis that erases the line between reality and his imagination.
The Man
Runtime: 3:54
Maria Dmitrieva, Age 17
Russian Federation
A fantasy about a cycle where a hunter tracks down a wolf and, after eating it, becomes one himself.
Last month, youth from The Art Effect’s Spark Studios workforce program collaborated with award-winning filmmaker, Hezues R. on a short film titled, The Last String. The film will debut at this year’s 3rd annual PKX Festival Arts and Film Festival.
Featured artist, Hezues R., from Poughkeepsie, New York, stands out as a prominent figure in the world of media entrepreneurship and creativity. His collaboration with the youth takes on a special significance as their project discusses prevalent issues taking place in Poughkeepsie. He also showcased his expertise as a panelist last year at the PKX Reel Exposure Film and Photography Festival, further contributing to the discussion on media and creativity.
Hezues R. is an award-winning creative, recognized by the White House in 2014 as a Champion of Change for his work. His creative abilities extend to crafting globally acclaimed brands such as Boadicea the Victorious. Additionally, Hezues R. founded S.I.C. Film School, an education platform focused on social impact. Through this initiative, he works directly with youth affected by social issues, empowering them to create content that addresses those concerns.
The PKX Festival is brought to life by young individuals participating in The Art Effect’s Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) Liaison Program, the Trolley Barn Gallery Curatorial Team, Media, Arts, and Design Lab, and Spark Studios. These programs work to oversee the range of festival elements, ranging from reviewing art submissions and the conceptualization of themes, to the curation of the exhibition, crafting of promotional content, selection of performers, coordination of community activities, and the creation of public artworks.
In a weeklong winter intensive, eight youth participants address critical social issues affecting them or their community today. The concept of the video revolves around hidden messages designed to bring attention to homelessness and pollution. Together, they worked on a video to shed light on these societal concerns.
The youth participants’ film, The Last String, will be unveiled at the PKX Festival on Friday, April 19 at 7:00 pm at the Trolley Barn Gallery. Join us to view this compelling film and hear from Hezues R. and selected youth to discuss the project and their work.
Click here to learn more about the 2024 PKX Festival.
Youth Artists
Rochael Douglas
Sagiv Baker
Tyrone Swain
Demitri Volmar
Roderick Porter
Malika Oszip
Gary Burgess
Yusef Baker
Guest Artist
Hezues R.
Last week, youth from The Art Effect’s Spark Studios workforce program collaborated on a public art video projection with William Koenig-Vinicombe, for the PKX Reel Exposure International Teen Film & Photography Festival. Featured artist Koenig-Vinicombe is a Hudson-Valley-based photographer and video editor who recontextualizes cultural iconography through a combination of digital and analog image-making.
In a weeklong spring break intensive, nine youth discussed mass-media messages that they felt had influenced their perception of self, then brainstormed ways to subvert these harmful stereotypes and misrepresentations. Topics included teen mental health, masculinity, and women’s representation in sports. Koenig-Vinicombe led the group to edit videos from contemporary sources of mass media, distort old video tapes, and create layers of physical collages. Through greenscreen and digital editing techniques, the youth combined these three mediums and created new and empowering short videos about their chosen topics.
In an era of constant media inundation, this intensive was a great opportunity for youth to practice cultural literacy, learn new artmaking skills, and express their own unique points of view. “I believe it will be powerful for the public to see the kind of media that has impacted the youth, and hopefully inspire new media with these new perspectives in mind,” Koenig-Vinicombe stated.
The youth participants’ completed videos will be unveiled at the PKX Reel Exposure Festival on Friday, May 5 at 7:30 pm at the Trolley Barn Gallery. Join us to view this thought-provoking projection and hear Koenig-Vinicombe discuss the project and his work.
About the final art: Media Metamorphosis is a video art installation created by eight youth at The Art Effect in collaboration with artist William Koenig-Vinicombe. The two-channel video was produced for this year’s PKX Festival, which took place over three days in May. Using found footage to analyze misrepresentations in popular media, the project recontextualizes imagery through collage and various video art processes to explore the transformative potential of video art. Media Metamorphosis invites viewers to see the world around them through a new lens and to critically engage with the media they consume.
The PKX Festival is conceived and produced by youth in The Art Effect’s YAEZ Liaisons workforce program, which is working to establish the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone in the immediate blocks surrounding the Trolley Barn Gallery. This long-term collaborative effort between The Art Effect, the City of Poughkeepsie, and other community partners seeks to engage locals and visitors through youth-led art projects that celebrate Poughkeepsie’s creative vitality.
Media Metamorphosis Youth Artists
Lauren Baer
Jaylamarie Belton
Aiden Colby
Melonnie Fullwood
Richard Graham
Yazmin Rivera
Nyhkaii Tissiera
Shandrela Williams
Guest Artist
William Koenig-Vinicombe
Visit the PKX Reel Exposure Festival website for the full festival lineup and to RSVP for select events. Limited space; reserve your place now!
Reel Exposure International Teen Film & Photography: A PKX Festival
Submission Deadline: December 30, 2022
Email destiny@thearteffect.org for submission and/or questions
The Art Effect is looking for an artist to create a projection-based work of art that allows for youth participation in the process of its creation. The artist would create the media work prior to the Reel Exposure Film & Photo Festival in collaboration with students of The Art Effect. The selected artist would be required to be in attendance on Saturday, May 6th to unveil and speak about the project, and Sunday, May 7th to speak on a panel alongside other film, photo, and media related professionals. Click HERE for more information.
Please submit the items listed below to be considered to Destiny@thearteffect.org:
“Being a part of The Art Effect has made me a more dynamic thinker. I feel so much more confident in my idea processing. Also, seeing the [Wonderland] exhibition come together makes me proud because we put so much effort and heart into this festival. I’m excited for the community to experience it.”
— Jadeen Sampson, Student at The Art Effect
This #GivingTuesday, The Art Effect is launching an annual campaign. Help us reach our goal of $30,000! We need your support to continue to empower young artists like Jadeen to find their voices and lead community transformation! Text ARTEFFECT to 44-321 or donate online right now!
Jadeen began his artistic journey with The Art Effect in 2016. At first, he was a shy high school student, quietly drawing in the corner of our Pershing St. studio. When we first met him he was anxious at the thought of showing anyone his art or speaking in front of his class. At The Art Effect, Jadeen found his voice.
It was during his Media, Art, Design Lab (MADLab) program, when Jadeen was just 17 years old, that his voice began to grow. Working with educators at The Art Effect, he showed not only talent but also leadership skills completing public art installations, business logos, and refining his drawing skills. The following year, shortly after Jadeen’s senior year in high school, he worked as a youth employee of The Art Effect to film and interview the 2019 candidates running for Poughkeepsie Mayor with hopes of encouraging more votes. Through hosting these interviews, he showed his growing self-confidence as he asked both candidates tough questions on police relations in Poughkeepsie and the revitalization of Poughkeepsie’s Main Street.
In 2020, Jadeen worked on The TAG At Dutchess, a county-funded website that allowed him to create content and graphics to connect youth with resources and remote job opportunities during the pandemic. He then worked with Forge Media as a youth filmmaker apprentice, and finally as a key member of the Youth Curatorial Team at Trolley Barn Gallery.
He has participated in almost every program The Art Effect has to offer and was given an Outstanding Youth Employee Award by the Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board for his passion and dedication to his work. Over the past year, Jadeen has planned, curated, and even painted the pavement for our first annual PKX Arts Festival. Jadeen is an instrumental youth employee in our youth workforce training programs including MADLab, the Youth Curatorial Team, and the PKX Festival Committee! Jadeen, like so many others at The Art Effect, has big dreams of changing the world through his many artistic endeavors — from drawing to music to public speaking. Jadeen has developed the skills that now match his drive and confidence and he continues to support the mission of The Art Effect as a key advocate and leader in community transformation.
“I feel like art is really important, especially in this community. When we get to make art here like we did this summer it reminds us that this is home. It’s our home, Poughkeepsie, New York. Art helps us realize that.”
— Jadeen Sampson, Student at The Art Effect
The PKX Festival is the cornerstone of the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone where youth like Jadeen engage the community in high quality visual and performing arts experiences that they curate. Within the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone youth are the leaders that showcase the impact that arts and arts education can have on both an individual and on our community.
From youth-designed public art and gallery curation to arts education, The Art Effect connects young people like Jadeen with opportunities to develop new skills and engage in civic life. Through the emerging Youth Arts Empowerment Zone — including the annual PKX festival and public art installations, young people are transforming the visual landscape of Poughkeepsie and beyond. Help spark a youth-led renaissance throughout the Hudson Valley. Support the creative voices of youth in our community by donating today. To make a donation or learn more about the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone, donate today!
“Jadeen is living proof that the arts empower! He first joined our programs unsure of what he wanted out of life, and over the years has developed into a successful freelance artist and designer who is constantly giving back to the community. I was always impressed with him as a student, now I’m beyond proud to work with him as a young adult at the start of his arts career, and I’m so excited to see what the next generation of youth like Jadeen are capable of!”
— Mary Ellen Iatropoulos, Director of Programs
The exciting beginnings of the new Youth Arts Empowerment Zone spearheaded by The Art Effect can be seen on the streets of Middle Main Poughkeepsie this month thanks in part to the paint the pavement artists from the PKX Festival that took place on September 15-17, 2022. PKX festival featured a gorgeous sidewalk painting designed by students, Jadeen Sampson and Keli Faircloth, and created by local artist Nestor Madalengoitia and students from The Art Effect, a gallery exhibition, teen dance party, musical performances, food vendors, entertainment, and a wide variety of art-making activities from community partners including Hudson River Housing, Poughkeepsie Public Library District, Thinkubator Nutrition, Arts Mid-Hudson, Celebrating the African Spirit, FallKill Creative Works, The YOU (Youth Opportunity Union), Poughkeepsie High School, Boys and Girls Club of Newburgh/PPAA, Marist Liberty Partnership Program, PK Open Studios, Poughkeepsie Farm Project, HUDSY, Nuvance Health, The Dutchess County Chamber of Commerce, SNUG, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Planned Parenthood, MASS Design Group, and Vassar College.
The festival that brought in more than 700 people over the course of three days was a “Huge Success” says Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, Executive Director of The Art Effect who also runs the Trolley Barn Gallery in Poughkeepsie, NY. “We are so proud of what the students in our community have helped create. Not only are their futures looking bright, but we got a glimpse into how bright the future of public art throughout Poughkeepsie is and what it can mean for this community,” says Nicole.
The PKX Festival serves as a building block to the development of Youth Arts Empowerment Zone, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant, establishing a youth-led arts district in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery, the only youth-led gallery in the state! “The Youth Arts Empowerment Zone is an integral part of our community. The festival is another great example of how the arts in Poughkeepsie are providing an avenue for people to come together and be proud of where they live,” says Poughkeepsie Mayor, Rob Rolison. The mayor declared September 17, 2022 as PKX Day in the City of Poughkeepsie which will reoccur for each year’s festival.
Over the last eighteen months, PKX Festival Youth Committee consisting of Poughkeepsie High School students and alumni worked alongside artist duo BoogieREZ and Curator Alison M. Glenn to create and curate various art experiences throughout the festival including a public art installation and an artfully curated exhibition. The PKX Committee is one of The Art Effect’s newest youth training programs at the Trolley Barn Gallery where students learn and practice public speaking skills, conduct presentations to government officials and learn about place making – a people-centered approach to planning, designing and managing public spaces.
“Being a part of the Youth Curatorial Team has made me a more dynamic thinker. I feel so much more confident in my idea processing. Also, seeing the [Wonderland] exhibition come together makes me proud of myself and my colleagues, because we put so much effort and heart into this festival and I’m so excited for the community to experience it.” says Jadeen Sampson, Curatorial Team and PKX Festival Youth Member
The Art Effect is interviewing and hiring the next group of PKX Committee youth to help plan the 2023 PKX Festival, “Droppin’ Jewels” next fall and promises to be even bigger and better with more than 1,000 people in attendance. “Seeing the exhibition come together makes me proud of myself and my colleagues because we put so much effort and heart into this festival,” comments Jadeen,. “The main goal is to do it again, we want it to be a success.” he said.
To get involved with The Art Effect in the development of the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone, or the PKX Festival, reach out to PKXFestival@TheArtEffect.org or to see a gallery of photos from this year’s festival and stay up to date on the plans for next year, visit PKXFestival.org
Wonderland welcomes an array of media, including digital media, painting, collage, textiles, and installations. Wonderland reimagines the Trolley Barn 3,000 square foot gallery as an transcendental empire of cosmic expansion and ephemeral fascination. We find excitement in the curious. We invite work that disrupts standard notions of reality by exploring the Wonderland we create for ourselves. We ask – we recklessly ponder – how can your art help us reimagine our reality and create positive change in our community?
The Trolley Barn Gallery brings together an international roster of vital voices; presenting thought-provoking artwork and ideas in a renovated industrial space that is the hub for the area’s thriving arts scene. The Wonderland International Juried Exhibition is the point of entry to the PKX Wonderland Festival, September 15-17, 2022. The PKX Wonderland Festival will attract hundreds of visitors and feature the unveiling of original public art commissions, performances, and creative activities in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery.
The public is invited to the opening reception at the Trolley Barn on Friday, September 15, from 5 pm to 9 pm
Juror: Allison M. Glenn in collaboration with youth from The Art Effect’s Curatorial Program
Exhibition Dates: Sept 15 – Oct 20, 2022
Opening: September 15, 5-9pm
The Wonderland International Juried Exhibition is the point of entry to the PKX Wonderland Festival,Wonderland reimagines the Trolley Barn 3,000 square foot gallery as an otherworldly empire of wonder, illusion and surprise. We invite work that disrupts standard notions of reality through sensory excess (texture, color, light, sound) and/or unexpected visual mischief. We ask, and wonder, how can your art help us reimagine our reality and create positive change in our community? Allison Glenn works collaboratively with The Art Effect’s Youth Curatorial Team to curate the Wonderland exhibition, selecting artworks from submissions from around the globe. Glenn received substantial critical and community praise for her curatorial work in the groundbreaking exhibition at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky titled, Promise, Witness, Remembrance, an exhibition that reflected on the life of Breonna Taylor, centered on her portrait painted by Amy Sherald. The New York Times selected the exhibition as one of the Best Art Exhibitions of 2021.
The Art Effects Youth Workforce Programs had the opportunity to work alongside PKX Featured Artist, BoogieRez, a duo artist team inspired by the Hip Hop culture that incorporates a creative blend of music, photography, illustration, painting, graphic design, dance, fashion design and sculpture into their work.
As a part of the annual PKX Festivals, youth work closely with a selected artist that they feel fits the theme, mission, and goals of the chosen PKX Festival theme each year as part of the the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone. After selecting a theme, students research artists, send out RFP’s and undergo the artist selection process.
For the 2022 PKX: Wonderland Festival, The Art Effect’s youth and BoogieRez began working on a unique public art piece we are thrilled to unveil at this year’s PKX Festival. From a whirlwind trip to BoogieRez’s studio in New York City in the spring to spend weeks in the summer constructing an interactive public sculpture, The youth had insightful conversations about the influence of public art in the city of Poughkeepsie and spent a lot of time creating, laughing, and planning this year’s PKX Festival!
Visit The PKX Festival on September 17, 2022 for the official unveiling and to hear from all the artists involved
“Honestly my creative adventure really started in Poughkeepsie once I met Rez. It’s a magical place, Poughkeepsie, it really is. It is amazing that there is just so much different culture in Poughkeepsie. There is a lot of hidden and not-so-hidden talent in the city” – Riiisa Boogie of BoogieRez.
“Hopefully we are beacons to help you get wherever you want to get to creatively” – Rez Ones of BoogieRez.
You can invest in your community and the youth by purchasing event sponsorships or journal ads for the first annual PKX Arts Festival, Wonderland. Sponsorships are a unique way you can support The Art Effect’s mission to make a positive change in the lives of those we serve. The PKX: Wonderland Festival, taking place on September 15-17th, 2022, is the physical manifestation of local youth’s vision for an idyllic Poughkeepsie, and an opportunity for art to not only reflect lived experiences, but also shape a new reality. This youth arts festival is incredibly important for the City of Poughkeepsie and the arts community. This event will not only attract large crowds to downtown Poughkeepsie, but it will provide an opportunity to showcase local agencies and performing artists.
Event sponsorships are a unique way to support The Art Effect and The PKX Festival. As a sponsor, your company will enjoy a host of exceptional perks and will receive high profile recognition across multiple marketing channels.
Download Sponsorship Forms
