The Art Effect

Congratulations Graduates!

The Art Effect wishes all of our graduating seniors the very best as they spread their wings and become alumni of The Art Effect.

The Art Effect is proud to celebrate the achievements of graduating seniors from its MADLab, Spark Studios, and Art Institute programs. Students who completed the Art Institute’s rigorous Senior Project last fall received over $835,000 in scholarship offers from colleges across the country. They will be attending such noted institutions as Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD), The Savannah College of Art and Design, Mercy College, and more.

We look forward to seeing all of your future accomplishments!

Some of our 2021 Graduates…

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Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt
Executive Director 

We are so proud of the class of 2021! The resilience and creativity you showed through this past year went far beyond what anyone would have expected in previous years. Congratulations and may the lessons you’ve learned continue to serve you throughout your lives. We are honored to be a part of your journey.

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Anna Langdell
Director of Development & Communications 

Way to go, class of 2021! You made it through a difficult year with the best parting gift of all — a high school diploma. We can’t WAIT to see what creative projects you come up with next!

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Lauren Hollick
Director of Explore Programming 

Congrats class of 2021! Your hard work, passion, and dedication paid off and you are on your way to exciting new experiences. I and The Art Effect wish you the best of luck. Keep in touch and keep creating. 

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Paul Thompson
Media Workforce Manager 

Congratulations to the class of 2021! We are so proud of all of your accomplishments.  You’ve made it through such a unique year and now it is time to celebrate!

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Rick Price
Art Institute Teacher

To everyone I have taught, and to those who I have not had the honor to meet, Congratulations, you made it! The results of your hard work have already opened doors for you next year, but that is not where the fruits of your labor will end. The understanding that you have nurtured, that only hard work breeds success, will take you to heights beyond your imagination. I look forward with great anticipation to see what wonderful things you will create in your futures. Please stay in touch with me and the Art Effect, and understand that we are always here when you need us.

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Sarah Taylor
Media/IT Coordinator & Teaching Artist 

While I want to wish you all the best of luck as you head out to take on what’s next for each of you, more I want to to affirm that I know each of you are already capable of doing great things. If you ever need a reminder of that, call The Art Effect and we can remind you of the hard work, creativity, and dedication to doing something amazing that we saw from all of you in our programs.

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Joanna Frang
Trolley Barn Gallery Director

Congratulations! Your dedication and creativity are an inspiration. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you!

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Pamela Perry
Marketing & Communications Manager

It’s been quite a year! A big congratulations to the class of 2021, you did it! Your talent, perseverance, and passions will drive you to accomplish great things and we cannot wait to see where life takes you. Stay in touch!

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About: For decades, The Art Effect’s summer programs, Dutchess Arts Camp, Junior Art Institute (now called Summer Intermediate Arts Program) and Summer Art Institute, have enriched and empowered local youth through art and exploration. The path to achieving scholarship-worthy portfolios starts this summer by honing the skills and interest of students of all ages. It’s never too early to nurture a child’s passion for the arts. Motivated students can learn more about The Art Effect’s video, virtual, and in-person options for youth ages 4-10, 11-13 and 14-19 at https://thearteffect.org/courses/summer-programs/

Apply to be a Lead for Poughkeepsie Fellow!

Are you a recent college graduate or young professional looking for a transformative work opportunity to make a difference in Poughkeepsie? Apply to be a Lead for Poughkeepsie Fellow! Serve on two-year full-time public service placements with social impact organizations, including The Art Effect in the City of Poughkeepsie! Fellows will join a national network of young leaders from across the nation and benefit from professional development programming with leading national organizations and universities. Compensation includes: living, healthcare and housing* stipends (*or in-kind housing). Apply for placement at The Art Effect! How might we empower disadvantaged youth, revitalize downtown Poughkeepsie, and strengthen community assets by establishing a youth arts empowerment zone at the newly renovated Trolley Barn in downtown Poughkeepsie? The Fellow will aid in the development and implementation of The Art Effect’s Trolley Barn Initiative in downtown Poughkeepsie. The Fellow will spearhead multiple projects within the Trolley Barn Initiative, working alongside The Art Effect youth, including mapping community and cultural assets; conducting community outreach and presentations; and developing a cultural district plan and official designation with the City of Poughkeepsie. They will also assist in various capital development, curatorial and programmatic projects with the aim to establish a preeminent youth arts presence in downtown Poughkeepsie at the Trolley Barn, thereby contributing to downtown revitalization, creative placemaking, and community development in Poughkeepsie. Some Key Activities Include: ​

• Map community and cultural assets of the Middle Main downtown district in Poughkeepsie.
• Establish a Cultural District through City processes.
• Serve as community outreach lead to municipal governance groups and creative community leaders.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders, including City, County, public, and private contacts, throughout the Trolley Barn process.
• Contribute to The Art Effect’s Trolley Barn capital campaign through funder research, coordination, and solicitation.
• Develop and present a comprehensive plan for Trolley Barn to key target audiences on a quarterly basis.

Click here to learn more and apply! Application Deadline: Tuesday, June 15

Juneteenth and Memorial Celebration

Join The Art Effect’s National Art Honor Society for an afternoon of art at the R.E.A.L Skills Network’s 1st Annual Memorial Event honoring Theodore “Tree” Arrington and the end of slavery in the United States. Mansion Square Park Saturday, June 19 1-6pm

The Art Effect Receives $100,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

The Art Effect has been approved for a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town Program to support the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone in the City of Poughkeepsie. This is one of 63 grants nationwide that the

NEA has approved in this category to support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into efforts that strengthen communities by advancing local economic, physical, and social outcomes; ultimately laying the groundwork for sustainable systems change. This is the largest grant The Art Effect has received from the NEA in recent history.

“As the country and the arts sector begin to work towards a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce this Our Town funding. These awards will support cross-sector partnerships such as the one lead by The Art Effect that demonstrate the power of the arts to help communities create a better future for themselves,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers.

The Art Effect directly serves over 2,000 young people throughout the Hudson Valley each year through arts education, creative placemaking, and workforce development. In its 30 year history in Poughkeepsie, The Art Effect has integrated arts, culture, and design activities into community development, serving as a key partner in the revitalization of downtown Poughkeepsie. The NEA-supported Youth Arts Empowerment Zone is a logical expansion of The Art Effect’s arts-based, youth-led community development initiatives.

With support of the NEA Our Town grant, The Art Effect at the Trolley Barn will serve as an anchor arts institution in downtown Poughkeepsie. The Youth Arts Empowerment Zone will celebrate core tenets of creative entrepreneurship, youth leadership, and innovative public art in a series of two arts festivals in 2022 and 2023. This unique concept will expand beyond the installation of a mural or public art piece, with festivals that directly engage with the community to benefit youth and the local arts community as well as the cultural and social environments of Middle Main Poughkeepsie.

‘The Art Effect looks forward to collaborating with community and national partners such as the City of Poughkeepsie, Hudson River Housing, MASS Design, and others to execute an inclusive community engagement strategy that will work with local youth to plan, design, and implement art festivals that we know will bring excitement, inspiration, and community cohesion to the area,” says Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, Executive Director at The Art Effect. “This two-year project will initiate an annual series of festivals at the Trolley Barn and serve as the first step in establishing the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone, revitalizing downtown Poughkeepsie through creativity.”

For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

Hudson Valley Gives Day!

Over the past year, we have seen more youth turn to art — for inspiration, relief, and hope. At The Art Effect, every student, from the youngest artists to the flourishing filmmakers, is learning how to cultivate and share their unique voice with the world. We are inspired by their resilience, strength, and creativity. We need your help to empower young artists as they grapple with the uncertainty related to the pandemic, social injustices, and unemployment in their families and communities. On May 19, 2021, The Art Effect will join the #HVGives campaign to raise $12,000 to amplify the creative voices of young people empowering them to share their voice through art. Will you join us? On May 19, 2021, The Art Effect will join the #HVGives campaign to raise $10,000 to amplify the creative voices of young people. Will you join us? You can join the movement by clicking here! You can increase your impact by asking your friends and family to join you in supporting The Art Effect. Click here to sign up.

Meet Rick Price!

Rick Price is the director of the Art Institute including the Summer Art Institute this year! The Summer Art Institute is for artistically motivated teens ages 14-19 to develop their creativity and build skills that prepare them for advanced study and careers in the visual arts. This summer’s focus will be drawing and painting Rick is an Artist from Southern California, living for the last fifteen years in New York’s beautiful and inspiring Hudson Valley. He attended design school at Cal Poly Pomona and received his MFA in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design. He has shown various permutations of his work in small galleries and shows in L.A., San Francisco, New York City and the Hudson Valley. More recently his work has been featured in group shows through PoetsArtists at Abend Gallery in Denver, CO and Zhao B. Art Center in Chicago, IL. He is currently the Chair of The Fine Art Department at the Harvey School in Katonah, NY, and has also teaches at the The Art Effect in Poughkeepsie, NY (formerly The Mills Street Loft) since 2010. He lives in the artistic community of Beacon, NY with his family, dogs, cats, rabbits, and chickens. Register HERE for Summer Art Institute with Rick Price. July 5-23 and July 26-August 13 Learn more about Rick on his website: www.rickprice.net

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Meet Jessica Kara

Jessica is a student at Manhattanville College, studying fine arts and education. She loves painting and is very excited to be a CIT at Dutchess Arts Camp this year! You can find Jessica on Instagram @jarak.art Register HERE for any of our summer camp programs.

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Reel Exposure Photography Exhibit

Opening Reception April 7 5-7pm

RSVP HERE

Reel Exposure focuses on three goals: encourage youth creativity, invigorate our local community through the arts, and showcase the incredible work done by emerging filmmakers and photographers. Reel Exposure is a natural manifestation of The Art Effect’s commitment to empowering youth to harness their creative voices. Thank you for your support! This year’s festival showcases the work of talented young people from nine countries ­— giving our audience a global teen perspective and celebrating some of the world’s strongest youth art and media!

Trolley Barn Gallery | 489 Main St, Poughkeepsie April 7 – May 13 Wednesday – Friday, 2-5pm Saturday, 12-4pm

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION ARTISTS Tanner Ashenfelter, Lawrence, KS Olivia Barker-Duncan, Poughkeepsie, NY Alexis Barr, Naples, FL Audrey Basham, Lawrence, KS Mary-Elizabeth Boatley, Hopewell Junction, NY Ava Ghahremanifar, Islamic Republic of Iran Hunter Jenkins, Poughkeepsie, NY Cheselyn Hanofee, Liberty, NY Olive Harrington, Lawrence, KS Amani Jamal, Hopewell Junction, NY Sophia Kaufman, Lawrence, KS Abigail Kelly, Liberty, NY Ryleigh Leon, Lawrence, KS Alice Lubin, Lawrence, KS Maya Dallow, North Salem, NY Aaliyah Wilson, North Salem, NY Katherine Lenahan, North Salem, NY Kate Jeffery, North Salem, NY Ruby Yarnall, North Salem, NY Caitlin Mooney, Lawrence, KS Dylan Parks, White Sulphur Springs, NY Lilly Rafferty, Gulf Breeze, FL Kate Schein, Oklahoma City, OK Jason Stafford, Rhinebeck, NY Nora Walburn, Lawrence, KS

Trolley Barn Gallery The mission of The Art Effect at the Trolley Barn is to train youth as leaders who catalyze the community through the arts and re-energize downtown Poughkeepsie. The Art Effect’s permanent presence at the Trolley Barn will bring together youth and established art professionals to present impactful exhibitions that engage the wider community and acquaint youth with curatorial and exhibition practices.

VISIT THE VIRTUAL EXHIBITION GALLERY

COMING SOON! Check back on April 7, 2021

The Art Effect Announces Affiliation with Barrett Art Center to Expand Youth and Community Opportunities for the Arts in Poughkeepsie

Two Legacies, One Future

Home Sick at the Trolley Barn By The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College

This post was origionaly posted on The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center Read the full post HERE: https://fllac.vassar.edu/docs/Home-Sick-at-the-Trolly-Barn.pdf The exhibition Home Sick, currently on view at the Trolley Barn through April 1, is a collaboration between multiple Poughkeepsie arts organizations and is the pilot program of The Art Effect’s Youth Curatorial Program. The project came about through conversations between Bart Thurber, The Anne Hendricks Bass Director of The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center and Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, Executive Director of the Art Effect, who share a vision to support the arts in Poughkeepsie. They invited their staff to brainstorm collaborative ways to strengthen The Art Effect’s programming and engage the community with high-caliber arts experiences, while also creating rich educational opportunities. The discussion led to the creation of a new program that would involve a professional curator to guide youth in organizing an exhibition. Mary-Kay Lombino, Deputy Director and the Emily Hargroves Fisher ’57 and Richard B. Fisher Curator at The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center was invited to share her experience as a guest juror of The Art Effect’s first youth-led exhibition. Read More…