The Art Effect

PKX Festival Youth Committee

Learn how to cultivate community partners, market a brand, engage Poughkeepsie youth and residents, and curate the first ever PKX Fesitval! The PKX Youth Committee will earn a stipend as the primary planners and developers of the PKX Festival, to be held at the Trolley Barn on Main Street in September 2022. 

Youth will work closely with the city, local artists, stakeholders and community partners as they learn about community organizing, art and nonprofit administration, civil service, and public speaking. Committee members will also attend a mandatory Spring Break intensive, which includes a trip to NYC to work closely with the Festival Featured Artist: BoogieRez.

If you have a deep love for the arts, the City of Poughkeepsie and you want to bring the community together, this is the place for you!

Trolley Barn Youth Curatorial Team Spring 2022

Have you ever wondered what happens at a museum or gallery? Curious about what a Curator does or how exhibitions are created? The Trolley Barn Youth Curatorial Team is a new program at The Art Effect's Trolley Barn Gallery that gives you a stipend to create exhibition themes, review and select artworks, and curate how the community interacts with the artwork in the Trolley Barn Gallery. Team members have the opportunity to work alongside professional curators from world-class museums and get hands-on experience working in a gallery setting. This program will prepare you for your first museum or gallery job, and a great experience to add to your resume. 

MADLab Spring Session

Please note preference for our youth employment programs is given to Dutchess County residents.

Media/Art/Design Lab (MADLab) is an "earn while you learn" arts-based career and skills training program that trains youth in:

• visual art and graphic design skills
• social media marketing skills
• public art project management skills

Reminder – The Art Effect's youth workforce programs are application-based and accepted applicants will be contacted by instructors before program begins.

Spark Studios Spring Session

Please note preference for our youth employment programs is given to Dutchess County residents.

Spark Studios is a filmmaking and videography program for youth interested in developing their film production and professional skills including:

• working with clients on commercial videos
• bringing a creative vision to life across stages of production

Reminder – The Art Effect's youth workforce programs are application-based and accepted applicants will be contacted by instructors before program begins.

Fall MADLab

Fall Spark Studios

Spark Studios: Summer Youth Employment

Gain Skills in Filmmaking and videography while producing high-quality media work for clients while creating a professional portfolio! Youth hone their sound-mixing and video skills as they work on projects focused on the community of Poughkeepsie’s stories and ideas.

Stipend = $12.50 / hour

Trolley Barn Squad – Up Close and Personal Jurying Intensive

Want to call the shots on the next big arts exhibition in Poughkeepsie? Ever wonder how galleries or museums choose what's on the walls? What even IS a curator? Learn to generate a theme, jury a national call for entries, and hang the work as a part of the Trolley Barn Gallery Squad!

The Trolley Barn Gallery Squad is the team of youth who will be leading the decision-making around Trolley Barn Gallery exhibitions for the rest of 2021. Successful applicants will be able to commit to attending all sessions (which adds up to about 3 days per month) and will receive a $500 stipend at the end of the year, as well as recognition for their leadership. 

MADLab Intensive: Digital Photography – Reel Exposure Intensive

Get into the action of teen storytelling through photos, videos, and response art! Learn how to react to, recreate, and respond to works of art from teenagers across the country by capturing your own photos and producing your own videos! 

Stipend = $50 per youth