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!
Dutchess and Ulster Arts Camps allow children to imagine, discover, create, and have fun each summer. Young artists explore fine art, digital media art, and performing arts while strengthening their self-confidence, creative thinking, and art making techniques both individually and in a collaborative setting. Professional artists and experienced teachers support hands-on art experimentation with a wide variety of artistic mediums including painting, sculpture, collage, and animation. The pieces created at camp will portray original narratives connecting to each camper’s interests and lives. Finished artwork and performances will be displayed in a final showcase each Friday in an open exhibition setting for campers to share with family and friends. Creativity thrives as campers explore and play! Click on a week below to register:
The Art Effect’s Junior Art Institute takes young artists on a deep dive into their chosen medium while building a foundational knowledge of techniques, elements, and principles of fine or digital art. Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm. Dutchess Community College – Allyn Washington Center for Art & Science, 37 Gallery Circle, Poughkeepsie.
FINE ARTS TRACK
Fine Arts students this summer will explore drawing, painting, introductory figure drawing, and stop-motion animation! This intensive art course teaches students the various concepts of 2D and 3D art while showing them the many possibilities and outcomes these techniques and materials can offer. This Junior Art Institute track is perfect for students serious about fine art and developing their skill set.
The Junior Art Institute’s Digital Arts track will include instruction in digital arts and illustration, stop-motion animation, and experimental printmaking. Students will learn fine art skills such as value, color theory, composition, and 3D modeling to create original, digital artworks. Learn how fine art elements enhance character designs and narratives! This track is great for students interested in animation, character design, and illustration.
The Art Effect’s Summer Art Institute takes high school-aged artists on a deep dive into their chosen medium while building on a foundational knowledge of techniques, elements, and principles of fine or digital art while creating a strong portfolio. High school students interested in pursuing a degree in the arts will meet with college representatives and receive portfolio critiques each session.
Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm Dutchess Community College – Allyn Washington Center for Art & Science, 37 Gallery Circle, Poughkeepsie
Drawing and Painting Track
The Summer Art Institute’s Drawing and Painting track is recommended for high school students with a love of art who want to grow their skills and experience this summer. Create an impressive fine-art portfolio with classes including Drawing and Painting, Experimental Printmaking, and Color and The Human Figure. Students will tackle color theory, composition, content, materiality, and value to enhance their 2D art-making skills. This Summer Art Institute track is recommended for students looking to improve their technical skills while making unique and original art that can go into their fine art portfolios.
The Summer Arts Institute’s Digital Arts & Illustration track is recommended for high school students who are interested in exploring and refining skills in animation, digital painting, narrative creation, concept design, and illustration. Students in this track will take classes including Digital Illustration, Mixed Media Animation, and Human Figure. Students will elevate their artistic knowledge, technical skills, and unique artistic style this summer by learning the power of mark-making, color theory, narrative creation, character design, animation, and contemporary artistic technology. Students will master their skills using various technology including iPads, and professional programs such as Procreate, Adobe Suite, and beyond!
Advanced Drawing and Painting is the Summer Art Institute’s most comprehensive portfolio track for students with fine art experience and a desire to create a strong portfolio. Classes include Advanced Drawing and Painting, Color and The Human Figure, and Digital Arts and Illustration. Working from intricate still lifes, live models, contemporary art elements, and experimental techniques, Advanced Drawing and Painting students will spend three weeks this summer using their artistic knowledge to develop an authentic, mature, and edited fine art portfolio. Students enrolling in this summer program must already have an understanding of formal art techniques, color theory, value, key/tone, and composition.
Early drop-off available for an additional $25/day Late pick-up available for an additional $25/day Please email cory@thearteffect.org or call 845-471-7477 to schedulean early drop off/late pick up.
Discounts:
Save even more as a member of The Art Institute! Enjoy exclusive benefits while supporting The Art Effect’s mission to empower young people to develop their creative voice, shape their futures, and bring about positive social change through visual and media arts. Save an additional 5% on classes and Summer Arts Camps, early entry to meet with top arts colleges at Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Day, and early access to registration for year-round art courses. Become An Art Institute Member Today!
Multiclass/Sibling Discount: Save 5% when registering 2 or more children OR when you sign 1 child up for two or more weeks of camp.
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
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.
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.
PK B.A.Y (Poughkeepsie Board of Artistic Youth) & YAEZ (Youth Arts Empowerment Zone) Submission Due: January 7, 2024 Email micah@thearteffect.org for submission and/or questions (detailed submission information below)
Background / Vision
The Art Effect empowers young people to develop their creative voices to shape their futures and bring about positive social change. The Art Effect helps youth explore, experience, and excel in the arts, introducing them to visual arts and media, giving them the opportunity to develop real skills in these fields, and guiding them toward achieving their academic and career goals.
Currently, The Art Effect is partnering with the Poughkeepsie Children’s Cabinet to expand the YAEZ (Youth Arts Empowerment Zone) as a model for youth civic engagement in the City of Poughkeepsie. With funding support from The Wallace Foundation, The Art Effect and the Poughkeepsie Children’s Cabinet are collaborating with four of Poughkeepsie’s out-of-school-time providers to convene adolescent leaders, The PK B.A.Y. (Poughkeepsie Board of Artistic Youth), from The Art Effect, Family Services, Community Matters 2, and The Boys and Girls Club to form a first-of-its-kind citywide youth initiative.
The PK B.A.Y. is a group of approximately 12 Poughkeepsie-based students ranging from ages 14 to 18 who work within the YAEZ to advocate for art, entrepreneurship, and youth voice to be valued in community leadership. The PK B.A.Y. believes that public art means bringing people together but public art can also mean bringing awareness to the community. The PK B.A.Y. believes that making a difference is hard but it is possible.
The YAEZ is a 10-year plan to establish a youth arts district along Main Street in Poughkeepsie, with The Art Effect at the Trolley Barn as the anchor arts institution. It will focus on youth-driven placemaking in and around the Trolley Barn. In its early stages, there will be annual arts festivals around community-inspired artworks, created by local youth and professional artists, all of which will empower the local community.
As part of their work, the PK B.A.Y. seeks proposals for public art installation work within the YAEZ that enacts their mission.
Overview and Project Description
We are interested in working with an artist to create a public art installation that allows for youth and community participation in the process of its creation. Youth in our programs have worked on several projects ranging from murals, to sculptures, and media-based projects. For the PK B.A.Y. project, preference will be given to sculptural work, and our ideal featured artist will prioritize incorporating Poughkeepsie-related imagery, such as bridge imagery. While the desired location for this installation would be within the blocks of the YAEZ (one block north and south of Main st. stretching from N. Cherry to N. Clinton), we welcome proposals for art installations elsewhere in the city limits. Preference will be given to works in higher-visibility areas, and proposals are requested to incorporate at least one of the following themes without openly blaming or shaming anyone: unity, connection, and peace; Poughkeepsie and its indigenous history; anti-violence; drug abuse prevention; the negative effects of drugs.
The PK B.A.Y envisions this project will promote positivity, provide inspiration & give the people of Poughkeepsie a little push in the direction of stopping violence & drug use going forward. We have high hopes for this project, and we will be interested in taking measures to protect the art piece from vandalism. We are looking forward to seeing how the project will make an impact in our community, hopefully in a positive way. The PK B.A.Y hopes that this project will reach both the hearts & minds of everyone who sees it in our city.
Project Parameters:
In the cases of a sculptural or mural pieces: minimum dimensions are 10 feet tall, five feet wide (preference of large scale),
Preference given to works in high-visibility areas,
Must be weatherproof,
Must aim to foster positivity,
Must incorporate at least one of the following themes:
Unity: connection, and peace;
Anti-violence:
Poughkeepsie and its indigenous history,
Drug abuse prevention and the negative effects of drugs.
Must draw attention to themes without openly blaming or shaming anyone,
Preference given to artist who enjoy working with youth,
Preference given to works that involve a community interactivity component,
Though preference is given to sculptural work, we invite proposals covering a wide variety of arts.
The artist would work alongside PK B.A.Y. to plan the work in early 2024, with the goal of actual production taking place during spring 2024.
Timeline of 2024 PK B.A.Y. Public Art Project
Submissions due 1/7/24
Notification of acceptance 1/19/24
Collaborative planning/pre-production work with artist(s) and youth starts earliest 2/6/24
Execution/production of work with artist(s) and youth takes place between March-June 2024 (timeline depends on scope of project, etc.)
Final project must be completed by 06/28/24
Proposal Submission Guidelines
Artist Bio
Resume and/or CV
Sample of Work Portfolio (Website or google drive links welcome)
Project Description (1 page)
Description of your project concept
How do you imagine your work of art activating the public?
What role do the youth play in the creation and execution of the proposal?
Proposed project budget (See #6 for Budget details)
Proposed project timeline (Students meet Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30-5:30pm, You can begin working with students on 2/06/24, but the Project must be completed by 06/28/24)
File types accepted: .doc, .pdf, .png, .jpeg, .mov, .mp4) Submissions must be emailed to micah@thearteffect.org by 01/07/24 by 11:59 pm.
Artist(s) Selection Process
Artist(s) applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:
• Artistic merit as evidenced by the submitted representation of past work.
• Appropriateness of the artist’s medium, style, and previous professional experience as they relate to the art goals and opportunities in this project.
• Experience with projects of similar scale and scope
• Experience working with community groups and/or youth
• The ability of the artist(s) to successfully pitch a work of art/ project that youth believe fits the mission of PK B.A.Y. and Youth Arts Empowerment Zone.
The selected artist(s) will be notified in January 19, 2024
Range of Project Cost
The Art Effect will provide the guest artist a fee of $5,000, and can provide reimbursable support for supplies of up to $2,000. Cost proposals should include a breakdown of costs for materials, site visits, collaborative brainstorming sessions with youth, and drawing or maquette creation.
Location Information
The Trolley Barn is located at 489 Main St, Poughkeepsie NY 12601. The Youth Arts Empowerment Zone encompasses the block of Main Street running from N. Cherry to N. Clinton, extending one block north and one block south of Main Street. A map indicating the YAEZ boundaries is on the following page. If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to reach out to micah@thearteffect.org
November 7 – December 12, 2023 Tuesdays, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Class via Zoom, link will be provided at signup
Cost $234
In this art portfolio development course, homeschool students ages 14-19 will develop a unique, dynamic portfolio while expanding on fundamental drawing and painting skills. Primarily working from observation, you will learn to balance life drawing with imaginative and photo based references. This class is virtual on Tuesdays from 1-3 PM with instruction via Zoom. Recommended for ages 14-19.
The Art Effect’s Art Institute provides artistic youth ages 14-24 with experiential learning opportunities in essential portfolio development and college preparatory skills through high-level art training, mentoring, and advanced educational experiences. The Art Institute inspires and motivates students, preparing them for successful careers and acquiring merit-based scholarships to the nation’s best art schools in the visual and media arts. Art Institute is a year-round, intensive, pre-college portfolio development program for motivated teens ages 14-19. Graduates generate an impressive portfolio of original work that demonstrates their pre-professional skills in the visual and media arts. See current and upcoming courses HERE.
To register: Please fill out the registration form here, and mail to: The Art Effect at 45 Pershing Ave, Poughkeepsie or email cy@thearteffect.org
NAHS members are seen as leaders in their field and often receive priority treatment when applying to college. Membership in the NAHS gives you access to college scholarships from the NAEA (National Art Education Association) that are not available to other students.
To be considered to be a member, you must fill out the application as well as submit a WEIGHTED high school transcript to The Art Effect, both by September 30, 2023. Your weighted transcript must demonstrate a cumulative average of 87 or higher to be considered. Transcripts can be submitted as attachments and emailed to hannarose@thearteffect.org
This year, NAHS will be holding meetings on the first Thursday of every month, starting October 5 and ending June 6. If you are chosen as an officer, you will also attend an additional meeting a month on the second Thursday of each month. Our first officers meeting will take place on October 12.
NAHS students will organize, plan, and host various art projects to benefit the surrounding communities, including public art murals and events like Hudson Valley Portfolio Day. These activities promote art to the community, and look great on an individual’s college application resume!
If selected, you will be expected to be actively involved in The Art Effect’s programming, pay the one time annual dues of $25, and to maintain a GPA of 87 or higher in your enrolled school.
We look forward to receiving your submitted transcript and virtual application form by September 30, 2023.
We will reach out with acceptance decisions by October 2, 2023.
