The Art Effect is now accepting applications for the 2024 Winter Intensive sessions of its two workforce development programs, Spark Studios and MADLab. These workforce programs are paid arts-based career and skills training experiences.
Spark Studios Intensive: Learn and develop photography and video production skills, including all three parts of production skills, to produce a final project!
MADLab Intensive: Create and transform a 2D nature painting into a 3D pop-up sculpture that could be showcased in the City of Poughkeepsie!
Intensive Dates: December 2th – 12th, Monday – Friday 3:00-5:30pm.
Fall 2024 Youth Workforce Program opportunities (MORE INFO COMING SOON)
Spark Studios
PUF Studios: 8 N. Cherry St, Poughkeepsie
Spark Studios teaches film and media arts to empower youth voices, build workforce development skills, provide paid work experience, and help students get on a path to college and career success. Spark Studios will teach students ages 14-19 cutting-edge media production techniques, how to create original films and/or content, give industry exposure, and develop skills for entry into advanced level Art Institute courses to develop film portfolios.
MADLab is an “earn while you learn” arts-based career and skills training program that trains youth ages 14-19 in visual art, media art, and design careers. This session, youth will work on visual arts and graphic design projects while developing skills that could include painting, sculpture, public speaking, leadership, workplace etiquette, presenting, and critiquing.
Youth Arts Empowement Zone Curators
Trolley Barn Gallery: 489 Main St, Poughkeepsie
The Art Effect’s Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) curatorial training program is composed of teens ages 14-19 who lead the ongoing activation of the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery. This session, gain community engagement and curatorial skills while developing your individual creative voice. The youth curators decide what is showcased at the Trolley Barn Gallery and design complimentary public events and workshops. Build skills in public speaking, collaboration, art handling, and marketing while participating in mentorship discussions with accredited local curators, artists and community leaders. This is a great opportunity to learn how the arts can guide community development and strengthen civic participation.
Applications Coming Soon.
Students who complete the program will earn a stipend.
To fill out an interest form and be alerted when more info is available, Click Here.
Please reach out to cy@thearteffect.org or 845.471.7477 with any questions.
The Art Effect empowers youth to develop their artistic voice to shape their futures by giving them the opportunity to develop real skills, and guiding them towards achieving their academic and career goals. The Art Effect’s youth workforce programs build workforce development skills, provide paid work experience, and help students get on a path to college and career success! Each program offers different skills from film and photography to public art, to place keeping and curation.
Spark Studios
PUF Studios: 8 N. Cherry St, Poughkeepsie
Spark Studios teaches film and media arts to empower youth voices, build workforce development skills, provide paid work experience, and help students get on a path to college and career success. This 8 week program will teach students ages 14-19 cutting-edge media production techniques, how to create original films and/or content, give industry exposure, and develop skills for entry into advanced level Art Institute courses to develop film portfolios.
MADLab is an “earn while you learn” arts-based career and skills training program that trains youth ages 14-19 in visual art, media art, and design careers. This session, youth will work on visual arts and graphic design projects while developing skills that could include painting, sculpture, public speaking, leadership, workplace etiquette, presenting, and critiquing.
Youth Arts Empowerment Zone Curators
The Art Effect’s Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) curatorial training program is composed of teens ages 14-19 who make high level exhibition curation decisions and are mentored by experts in the field. This session, learn community engagement and curatorial skills while developing each youth curator’s individual creative voice. YAEZ curators lead the ongoing activation of the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery. Build skills in public speaking, collaboration, art handling, and marketing while participating in mentorship discussions with accredited local curators, artists and community leaders. This is a great opportunity to learn how the arts can guide community development and strengthen civic participation. The youth curators decide what is showcased at the Trolley Barn Gallery and design complimentary public events and workshops.
Join us on day two of this year’s PKX Festival, April 19th at the Trolley Barn Gallery for the World Premiere of the Who We Are music video created by the youth of Spark Studios.
Video edited by Raymond “Rayband” C., Spark Studios
Behind The Scenes with Spark Studios
Take a look behind the scenes as the Spark Studios youth prepare for this year’s PKX Festival’s Official Music Video, “Who We Are”! VLOG Produced by JD @jaydeegreat
This year’s PKX Festival, “Droppin’ Jewels” celebrates the richness of Poughkeepsie’s community, highlighting its assets, heroes, and the intergenerational creative energy that defines the city. Throughout the free, 3-day festival, families, friends, and the community will participate in family-friendly art and media activities, teen art exhibition opening reception, short-film screenings, food trucks, vendors, and more. All components of the festival are free and open to the public.
Music Video Youth Credits:
Maximus Barry Raymond Candido Sharie Ortiz Malika Oszip Sagiv Baker October Davis Jayden Thoman Lilly Oleary Max Goodhill Riley Slosson Wiles Assael Aiden Colby
Apply for a winter workforce intensivein entrepreneurship or public arts where you earn a stipend to learn and work! Open to students ages 14-19 who live in Dutchess County.
Arts & Entrepreneurship Intensive December 4 – 15, 2023 Monday – Friday | 3:00 – 5:30 PM PUF Studios: 8 N. Cherry St, Poughkeepsie
In this business start-up workshop, young entrepreneurs will receive support in generating their business ideas and clientele.
Students will get the resources they need to establish: • Business branding (names/logos/mission statements) • What services they can & will provide • Generating Price Points for those services • Generating leads for target customer for their business • How to draft and pitch client proposals and general agreements
Students ages 14-19 who participate and successfully complete all 25 hours of the workforce intensive will earn a $125 stipend and a chance to make a business ‘elevator’ pitch to a panel of business professionals.
Street Art Intensive December 4 – 14, 2023 Monday – Thursday | 3:00 – 5:30 PM Pershing Studios: 45 Pershing Ave, Poughkeepsie
Bring art to the world by taking it to the streets! In this intensive, you’ll explore the world of street art from Graffiti and stenciling to sculpture, public painting, and more! Receive $100 stipend upon completion of the program!
Students ages 14-19 who participate and successfully complete all 20 hours of the workforce intensive will earn a $100 stipend!
PKX Festival Intensive December 4 – 14 Monday – Thursday | 3:00 – 5:30 PM Trolley Barn Gallery: 489 Main St, Poughkeepsie
Join us in crafting an unforgettable festival experience!
This Winter Intensive is for young creatives who want to shape the identity of the 3rd annual PKX Festival under the theme “Droppin’ Jewels.” Teens will immerse themselves in a dynamic and collaborative environment, honing design and marketing skills while contributing to the festival’s vibrant branding.
Program Highlights:
Establish Festival Branding
Unleash your creativity to craft a captivating color palette that embodies the spirit
Develop a visual identity that resonates with the festival’s theme
Design Festival Poster
Dive into the world of graphic design as you collaboratively create the festival’s poster.
Generate Community Engagement
design and distribute eye-catching flyers relating to the festival
Cultivate Design and Marketing Skills
Gain hands-on experience in graphic design, applying principles to real-world projects.
Sharpen marketing skills by crafting content that effectively communicates the festival’s theme and encourages community involvement.
As part of The Art Effect’s curatorial workforce development program, youth curators attend gallery shows in the Hudson Valley and New York City and write reviews of what they’ve seen.
Located on West 22nd St, Chelsea 512 currently houses the “And the Moon Be Still as Bright” group exhibition, displayed among several other historical and influential art galleries. Founded in 1997, the Harpers Gallery embedded themselves within the heart of New York City’s art district, flourishing within the complex minds of the world’s creatives.
“And the Moon Be Still Bright,” an initially niche but progressively enticing phrase, originates from American writer, Ray Bradbury, author of science fiction novel the Martian Chronicles. The story highlights the preservation of land, describing a familiar tale involving exploration and settlement on newly colonized regions in Mars. The specific title “And the Moon Be Still Bright” references a chapter within the novel describing desperate attempts to save and prevent the internal pollution of Mars at the hands of the new inhabitants from earth. The pieces within this exhibition mimic that sort of natural space both graciously untouched and riddled with destruction. Each artist takes on this theme in a unique way exploring the different “found” mediums equally mimicking the exploration of new areas in the Martian Chronicles.
What initially drew me to this exhibition was my natural love for maximalism and the implication of organized clutter in a lot of art. In regards to the appreciation of nature, the art ranges thematically from the beauty of the past, to the uncertainty of the future. All the while it maintains love for natural imperfection contrasted for man-made “perfect” beauty.
A specific arrangement of pieces that spoke to me was a bright colored orange flowing tapestry by Mimi Jung, titled “Our Inclinations” and an equally sized seemingly overgrown tapestry laced with jewels and valuables in gold titled “Rags to Riches” by Suchitra Mattai. The fabrics of “Rags to Riches” in particular blend with all of the other external elements elevating the entire piece, while also coming across a bit abrasive and harder to look at. The beautiful color contrasts with the rough texture.
Within all the art is a common approach regarding the perspective of immigration and settlement; whether or not human presence in natural spaces results in good or bad, and the internal conflict of that guilt as human civilization is the reason for the pain of others.
As part of The Art Effect’s curatorial workforce development program, youth curators attend gallery shows in the Hudson Valley and New York City and write reviews of what they’ve seen. One of the newest members of the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team, Crystal Serino, shares her thoughts on a recent show at Miles McCentry Gallery.
Linnenbrink’s gleeful use of unexpected colors and vibrance embraces a childlike joy in art. He developed unique processes he refers to as “Cut”,”Drill”,”Drip”, and “Reverse” painting. Linnenbrink stated: “All interaction with color happens in and through the eye of the viewer. The same visual information then lands in receptors that are all molded by the whole life story of the individual that receives what is to be seen.” His other works in the space include spheres, chairs, and linear sculptures.
My favorite piece in the gallery was the resin sphere “COLDWORLDGOODMANBITEBACK”. This work has objects infused inside such as a Roblox character, a medical ID, a Seinfeld photo, and even a tooth. Mixed in with the vibrant colors are small skulls in the layers.
Of all the galleries we toured in Chelsea, this one was my favorite exhibition. You can play around with a childhood wonder. In my artistic journey, resin art has always fascinated me. Seeing it represented in this light brings my soul joy.
As part of The Art Effect’s curatorial workforce development program, youth curators attend gallery shows in the Hudson Valley and New York City and write reviews of what they’ve seen. Senior member of the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team, Chanel Reed, shares her thoughts on a recent show at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.
The Tanya Bonakdar Gallery is at 521 West 21st Street, New York, NY. This gallery developed a contemporary program that includes painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, video, and photography, representing thirty unique artists worldwide. The gallery continues to support the works and careers of artists internationally. The Tanya Bonakdar Gallery featured a past exhibition, “Night Tripper” (June 22 – July 28, 2023), exhibiting Dana Powell’s newest pieces that have an ominous and unsettling effect. She composed small-scale oil paintings that depicted moments like the moonlit sky and dark backroads.
Powell’s small-scale pieces aren’t as provocative as others but burden the viewer with many questions. Dana Powell’s “Closed Road” is a 12 x 14-inch piece that drew my attention. It produces an unnerving atmosphere with bright orange cones and green leaves scattered along a dark road. The piece is painted with fine details that layer paint with textured strokes but also renders form with smooth discipline – similar to impressionism, but with more detail. Powell lets light and color prevail in her work, letting the mood settle into the audience.
This hyperrealism series presents a pleasingly cinematic story full of crime and sinister acts. Within the gallery, the images are spacious along its large white walls. The viewer closes in toward one painting and takes a few steps to another with a whole new scenario. It has the same effect as the pacing of an indie movie. They are capturing the rare moments people miss. This exhibition was purely interesting. It inspired me to continue a path in my illustrative career, creating work that minds the little things in life people look twice at and letting the brain flow.
This spring, twenty-nine seniors are graduating across The Art Effect’s programs and continuing their artistic journeys in college or career. Their achievements in the studio, the gallery, the classroom, and beyond are worth celebrating. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish next.
Not pictured: Nastajia Epps (MVP After School Program), Myelle-Sanai Johnson (MVP After School Program), Jose Marrero (MVP After School Program), Deavin Moore (MVP After School Program), Dayiana Moore (MVP After School Program), Nicholas Regini (Art Institute), Melanie Rodriguez-Velasco (MADLab), Janelle Smith (MADLab)
Samuel Bates
Art Institute
Janae Brown
ArtsBridge, National Art Honor Society
Caleb Clark
Spark Studios
Celia Drury
Art Institute, Senior Project
Shawn Elliott
Spark Studios
Katia Estrada
ArtsBridge, Senior Project, National Art Honor Society
Dalya Hanel Sheshany
Art Institute, National Art Honor Society
Self Portrait, 2020
Gabriel Kladakis
ArtsBridge, National Art Honor Society, Trolley Barn Curatorial Team
A mural painted by The Art Effect’s Media/Art/Design Lab (MADLab) workforce youth has been installed in the Malcolm X Park on Mansion Street in Poughkeepsie. After being neglected for many years, the park has been revitalized with new playground equipment, benches, tables, native trees and shrubs, a refurbished basketball court and bleachers– and now, public art created by local youth. The park both celebrates an icon of American history and provides a beautiful green space for community members to gather; the mural advances both of these goals, and also provides creativity and a visual symbol of Black empowerment.
In 2019, the idea for the mural was initially conceived by Scenic Hudson, MASS Design Group, The Art Effect, and project lead Ernest Henry from the Hudson Valley Re-Entry Network. This team consulted with local residents of all ages who frequent the park, and decided that the mural would become a collaborative project; community members would paint a Kente stripe design (inspired by the traditional Ghanaian cloth that has become a symbol of African and African-American identity). However, this plan was interrupted by the pandemic.
Fortunately, MADLAb youth were able to complete the mural using the art and design skills they had learned in the classroom. Their hard work ensured that the project remained a collaborative endeavor, and added youth voices to the design of an important community resource. The finished mural includes a portrait of Malcolm X and an inspiring quote from the human rights leader: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
The Malcolm X Park is now more welcoming than ever. This mural is yet another example of MADLab’s commitment to creative placemaking– the practice of shaping a neighborhood, both physically and socially, by local residents. With projects like Scenic Hudson mural, We Are Poughkeepsie mural, community clean-up days along the Fall Kill Creek, and now the mural at Malcolm X Park, MADLab youth are connecting with more community partners and deepening their positive impact on the places where they live and work.
Click here to learn more about MADLab and apply for the summer session beginning on July 5.
