PKX Festival
The annual PKX Festival, hosted by The Art Effect, plays a pivotal role in advancing the development of the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) centered in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery. The festival is a symbol of community, unity, and a celebration of the creativity and talent residing in Poughkeepsie, NY. The PKX Festival is truly created by youth, FOR EVERYONE.
The 2025 PKX Festival’s Call For Entries is now open! The PKX Exhibition and film showcase celebrates imaginative and original artworks created by young people who have a passion for their medium. If you feel your work is too weird, too different, or too crazy – it’s perfect for this exhibition and film showcase – where teen artists and filmmakers take the lead on taking art and film in a new direction.
Empowering
Poughkeepsie
PKX Festival began as a building block to the development of the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone funded by the NEA Our Town Grant in the City of Poughkeepsie, NY. The Youth Arts Empowerment Zone is establishing a youth-led arts district in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery with The Art Effect as the anchor arts institution.
The YAEZ is a long-term initiative that fosters youth-driven place-keeping through artistic expression, empowering the existing community within this space. This three-day festival features music, public art installations, family-oriented activities, film showcase, teen art exhibition, and more! The PKX Festival is a platform for youth artistry, embracing both emerging and accomplished young artists. Carefully curated films take the spotlight in a compelling showcase, while selected 2-D and 3-D artworks grace the walls of The Trolley Barn Gallery.
The success of The PKX Festival is the culmination of the dedicated efforts of The Art Effect’s workforce programs, which include YAEZ Liaisons, the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team, MADLab, 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 precise curation of the exhibition, the crafting of promotional content, the selection of performers, the coordination of community activities, and the creation of striking public artworks.
“Seeing a film you put all of this work into actually get attention, to have people genuinely enjoy something you made at Reel Exposure, it’s really special, especially when you’re just starting out. It was a call to action for me, like, ‘This is something you’re supposed to do, keep at it!” – Matthew Hamilton, 2020 Reel Exposure Participant
Please consider becoming a sponsor to help support the youth arts programming taking place in the Hudson Valley right now!
Huge Thanks to our 2024 PKX Community Partners!
Special THANK YOU to
Bjorn Qorn, Dulce Café, Hannafords – Highland, Hannafords – Wappingers, North River Roasters,
Rosendale Theater, Stop and Shop, The Dutch Crown, The Movie House (Millerton Theatre), and Upstate Films
for your very generous donations and support in 2024!
This program is partially funded by monies received from the New York State Council on the Arts and is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Art Effect empowers youth to develop their artistic voice to shape their futures and bring about positive social change.
Thank you to our 2024 Festival Sponsors
