Last week, the CONVEY/ER/OR Gallery hosted a successful closing of the Senior Project Exhibition. The local gallery provided the space for these emerging artists to showcase their talents and share their perspectives. This event marked the conclusion of a 12-week program completed by local high school seniors and gap year teens, who dedicated their time and creativity to produce high-quality, portfolio-ready art pieces.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the CONVEY/ER/OR Gallery for hosting this exhibition. Their support and commitment to fostering local talent has provided our young artists with a platform to connect with the community, and their support has contributed to the success of the Senior Project Exhibition.
As the exhibition comes to a close, we’ll continue to encourage and celebrate these emerging artists. CONVEY/ER/OR Gallery remains a space for artistic expression, and we’re excited about future collaborations that spotlight the creativity of our youth!
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.
PK B.A.Y. stands as a platform dedicated to bring youth leaders together to help shape afterschool and summer programs. This initiative is designed to cater to the preferences, interests, and passions of the youth, fostering an environment where their voices are heard and valued.
Participants have the unique opportunity to collaborate with artists in crafting and executing art projects that effectively convey their priorities and goals. Prior art experience is not required; however, individuals are expected to possess qualities such as creativity, leadership, and advocacy. Through PK B.A.Y., young minds are empowered to contribute meaningfully to the development of programs that resonate with their collective vision for a vibrant future!
Job Description:
Select Artist to collaborate with on designing/creating art project
Implement city-wide youth assessment to identify youth priorities and barriers to afterschool/summer programs and opportunities
Think through a public art project and soliciting community participation to work with art project
Identify location of public artwork in Poughkeepsie
Present designs to the City Council, Children’s Cabinet and Public Arts Commission
Posted December 13th, 2023 — Filed under Uncategorized
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January 5 – February 9, 2024
Convey/ER/OR gallery | 299 Main St, Poughkeepsie, NY Gallery hours by appointment only. Contact 845-452-5240 to schedule.
Opening Reception: January 5, 2024 Private Reception open only to Senior Project students and their families: 5 – 6 PM Public Reception: 6 – 8 PM
Hosted at CONVEY/er/or Gallery, the Senior Project exhibition showcases the work of The Art Effect’s most intensive capstone program. High school seniors and gap year teens in Senior Project complete a 12 week program to create a high quality, unique and portfolio ready, series and exhibit those works in a local commercial gallery. The opening reception is open to the public, light refreshments. Senior Projects students will speak about their experience in the Senior Project program, their hopes for the future and answer questions about their inspiration and process.
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.
Posted May 7th, 2023 — Filed under Uncategorized
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The Breaking Into The Business Film and Media Insider Panel will discuss how each of the panelists got their start in their industry. With a diverse level of experts including an entrepreneur, film director, actress, executive producer, and journalist on the panel, we will get a multigenerational understanding of what it means to be in the media industry including an up close and personal look at the various pathways available, opening minds to all possibilities! Hear from the panelists as they share their origin stories, future projects, and what skills may be helpful for youth looking to start out in their world.
Mary Stuart Masterson is a filmmaker, entrepreneur, mother of four, committed locavore and full time resident of the Hudson Valley. Her film, TV and theater career, includes roles in At Close Range, Some Kind of Wonderful, Immediate Family [National Board of Review Award] Fried Green Tomatoes, Benny and Joon, and the Broadway musical, Nine [Tony Award nomination], with recent film roles in Daniel Isn’t Real, Sid is Dead,5 Nights at Freddy’s and The Senior (in post-production). Mary Stuart moved to the Hudson Valley in 2006 when she directed, The Cake Eaters, starring Kristen Stewart and Bruce Dern (released in 2009). In 2016, Masterson founded Hudson Valley-based, Stockade Works, a crew training and mentorship non-profit, followed by Upriver Studios, a sound stage facility in Saugerties, and then her production company, Quality Pictures. With her husband, Jeremy Davidson, she is co-founder of the Storyhorse Documentary Theater project.
Nile Clarke is a long time media content specialist in all things creative with film and television experience from the Hudson Valley REGION in New York. Clarke directed her first film in Poughkeepsie and continues use the Hudson River as her backdrop. She is currently the EIC at TheGoodieDrop.com. The Goodie Drop is a good news and great media services outlet for the local community.
Jasmine Aiyana Garvin is an actress from Poughkeepsie, NY. She graduated from The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in 2021 with a degree in Musical Theatre. Soon after, she received a spot in the 2021 Warner Brothers Television “Top 10 Actors in Training”, a global casting initiative for recent graduates from acting programs. You can find her listed amongst the talented cast of “Poker Face”, a murder mystery-of-the-week series by Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne on Peacock. She strives to push boundaries, create opportunities, and share her knowledge with others as much as possible. She is currently working with the Poughkeepsie City School District, Poughkeepsie Rising, and New York Stage and Film to strengthen the relationship between her community and the performing arts.
Hezues R. is the founder of the S.I.C. (Social Impact Content) Film School, the first film school focused entirely on advocacy for Social Issues. We address Gun Violence, Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and other issues through innovative programs like Glocs4Ocs, the country’s first Gun Exchange / STEM program which allows youth to trade in a gun and receive an Oculus VR Headset. The Founder of S.I.C. (Hezues R) has been Honored by Barack Obama for his work in Gun Violence Prevention. We offer schools Curriculum, Mentors, Teaching Artist (actively working on major productions) and Production Resources like our Ambulances converted as Mobile Classrooms, which operate as Podcast Studio, Editing, Video Village, and Full Production Vehicles. Students can produce content on location or we can pull up to schools that are under-resourced in Production Equipment.
Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson is an award winning journalist Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson became Vice President of News Programming and Executive Producer of NICK NEWS at Nickelodeon in October 2020. Prior to joining Nickelodeon, she worked for 60 MINUTES, America’s most watched news program, for 16 years. She produced stories for Ed Bradley, Lesley Stahl, Steve Kroft and Anderson Cooper. She was a key producer on one of the broadcast’s most memorable and inspiring stories about an orchestra in the heart of Africa. The Bob Simon story about the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra in the Democratic Republic of Congo won Peabody and Emmy accolades. Laguerre-Wilkinson has reported from the far corners of the world and covered domestic stories including Hurricanes Katrina in New Orleans and Sandy in New York. Her Haitian roots have made her an invaluable producer on CBS News coverage of the country, including an Emmy-winning 60 MINUTES report on the deadly earthquake there in 2010. She also served as a correspondent for the “60 Minutes” online franchise, “60 MINUTES Overtime” and for CBS News. In addition, she was a reporter for the CUNY-TV programs, “Arts in the City” and “Science & U” and co-hosted the Carnegie Council’s digital franchise, “Ethics Matter”. Laguerre-Wilkinson also serves as moderator and master of ceremonies for a number of events including The French Institute/Alliance Française 2015 and 2017 galas and The Voices of Faith Women’s Conference at The Vatican (2016, ’17, ’18 and ’19). Before joining 60 MINUTES, she worked as an associate producer and producer for anchorman Tom Brokaw at NBC News. The native New Yorker lives in Manhattan with her husband, Bruce and their daughters, Juliette and Joséphine.
In December, The Art Effect’s MADLab students helped facilitate an incredible Arts for Healing workshop with residents of the Vassar-Warner Home. The workshop involved two sessions: “Abstract Painting” and “Intergenerational Illustration”. In the first session, residents experimented with abstract painting techniques; in the second, The Art Effect’s Media, Art, Design Lab (MADLab) students listened to stories of residents’ favorite holiday memories, then went on to illustrates these memories into a picture book holiday gift for each resident to keep (check out the book below)!
Expressing themselves through the soothing power of painting, the residents translated powerful emotions into a visual medium. Unexpected choices were an integral parts of this process; mistakes were transformed into poignant works of art.
When the workshop finished, 100% of participants reported a“strengthened sense of self” and 75% of participants said their stress level decreased and sense of optimism increased.
MADLab students spoke one on one with residents during the “Intergenerational Illustration” workshop. Each resident shared a favorite holiday memory and the students used the skills they’d cultivated in the MADLab program to bring this memory to life with unique illustrations.
Classic winter experiences like building snowmen or gathereing with family for a special meal were included, as well as distinctive memories like the first snowfall on a farm or a special holiday trip on a train. Each story was rendered in a student’s unique style, then compiled in a book which was gifted to residents. The book can be viewed online.
Whether the Vassar-Warner Home residents created their own paintings or shared their stories with MADLab students to generate collaborative works of art, The Art Effect’s Art for Healing workshop is now yet another holiday memory to be cherished! Learn more about The Art Effect’s Arts for Healing program here.
Posted September 26th, 2022 — Filed under Uncategorized, News
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In partnership with the Poughkeepsie Public Library District’s Big Read, The Art Effect is offering free artmaking workshops at libraries around the county. See all library workshop offerings below with registration information.
Painting Pretty Monsters
In this workshop, participants will learn about illustration and how to translate the written word into visual images, then select passages from Pretty Monsters to create acrylic or watercolor paintings which illustrate the mood and tone of the literary scene. Participants will focus on visual metaphor and abstract representation (using only shapes, symbols and brushstrokes) to learn painting techniques that can even help beginners capture the emotional landscape of the passage.
Friday October 7th, 11am-1pm @ Clinton Community Library
Adults only
Registration Info: free & open to the public, call Clinton Community Library at 845-266-5530 to register
Friday November 4th, 6:30-8:30pm @ Staatsburg Library
Ages 12 – Adult
Registration Info: free & open to the public, call Staatsburg Free Library at 845-889-4683 to register
Animating Monster Metaphors
Wednesday November 9th, 2:30-4:30pm @ Millbrook Library
For Teens
In this workshop, participants read excerpts from Pretty Monsters and discuss how monsters can be metaphors for everyday problems and issues (a schoolyard bully becoming a ghost that haunts you, for example), and then each create art for and animate a short video scene to bring their monster metaphors coming to life!
Registration Info: free & open to the public, call Millbrook Free Library at 845-677-3611 to register
Posted July 6th, 2022 — Filed under Uncategorized, News
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Take a deeper dive into the art you fell in love with this summer in one of our many art classes this fall at The Art Effect. Registration Opens Soon! Sign up here to receive updates!
Explore, experience, and excel in visual arts and media this year. Art classes give students the opportunity to develop real skills in the arts, and guides them towards achieving their academic and career goals. YOU can be the first to sign up for fall courses! Click the interest form link below to sign up for more information about fall classes.
Here’s a sneak peek at what we will be offering beginning this September:
Ages 5 – 11: Explore Classes Adventures in Wearable Art: Young artists transform into an original character through imagination, mixed media art, and play using their wearable art creations. Adventures in Shadow Puppets: Design characters and learn how light interacts in a world of shadows made from mixed media. Art Inspirations – Exploring: Create vibrant works of art in multiple media inspired by the Dorsky Museum at SUNY New Paltz, and beyond! Exploring Puppetry: Design and create original puppet characters, bringing them to life through mixed media art making and performance. Exploring Drawing & Painting: Bring imaginary characters and worlds to life while learning to express yourself through beginner drawing and painting techniques. Exploring Stop Motion Animation: Learn how to create stop motion animation through with clay figures, set design, and digital software.
Ages 11 – 14: Experience Classes Art Inspirations – Foundations: Create vibrant works of art in multiple media inspired by the Dorsky Museum at SUNY New Paltz, and beyond. Foundations in Digital Art & Illustration: Create animated gifs, manipulate digital photos, and unlock the tools you need to make incredible digital artworks. Foundations in Film & Animation: Level up your love of films by broadening your skills in formal cinematic techniques through filmmaking and animation. Foundations in Drawing & Painting: Take your drawing and painting skills to the next level while learning various technical art making methods and mediums. Foundations in Printmaking: TBD
Ages 14 – 19: Excel Classes Art Inspirations – Portfolio: Create vibrant works of art in multiple media inspired by the Dorsky Museum at SUNY New Paltz, and beyond. Portfolio Development Foundations: Gain foundational skills in drawing and painting the basics of human proportions, landscapes, still-life, and more! Portfolio in Human Figure: Render the human figure in a variety of mediums including charcoal, pastels, ink and acrylic while studying from a live model. Portfolio in Comics & Character Design: Learn how to design original characters & tell visual stories using various illustrative mediums & comic techniques. Portfolio in Animation: TBD Portfolio in Film: TBD Portfolio in Digital Illustration: Create art for your digital portfolio including illustrations, photo-manipulations, character art, and animation. Intermediate Portfolio in Drawing & Painting: Refine your observational rendering skills to develop a fine art portfolio through drawing, painting, and mixed media! Advanced Portfolio in Drawing & Painting: Develop a stunning portfolio that stands out to top art schools through the creation of original conceptual artwork. Senior Project: Reach your highest level of achievement at The Art Effect through an advanced mentoring and portfolio development course designed to help earn top scholarship awards by developing a strong body of artwork.
