Saturday Morning Lights (SML), the Poughkeepsie City School District Community School’s flagship initiative, is set to return. This year’s SML will provide PCSD students and families grades PreK-12 opportunity to engage in academic enrichment, positive youth development, and family bonding experiences from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturdays starting Oct. 15, 2022 and ending June 17, 2023 at Poughkeepsie Middle School.
The Art Effect hosts several visual and media workshops throughout the programs including painting and digital music projects! Click here for more information about The Art Effect’s After School Enrichment Programs. Students will engage in a variety of project-based academic courses and interactive enrichment activities. Course options include creative writing, robotics, book club, math enrichment, and more. In these project-based learning classes, teachers design lessons to support students’ academic needs while also engaging them in interactive activities, collaborative group work, and problem-solving.
All students and families in grades PreK-12 are encouraged to attend. Once enrolled, students and families will be given a schedule confirming their enrollment and the courses they are taking. Learn more and register at PoughkeepsieSchools.org
In partnership with Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board (DCWIB) and Dutchess One-Stop, The Art Effect is in search of young adult applicants to join the GVP Level Up Employment Program.
In The Art Effect’s Level Up Program, selected applicants will:
Receive 120 hours of paid employment in arts-related job roles,
Receive on-the-job training in interviewing, resumes, financial literacy and other job skills,
Receive assistance with job placement once the 120 hours is complete, and
Continue receiving support as well as financial incentives for every 30 days the job is retained.
Eligible applicants will be contacted for an interview.
Membership into the NAHS gives excel level students participating in the Art Institute, MADLab, the Youth Curatorial Team, or Spark Studios at The Art Effect access to college scholarships from the NAEA (National Art Education Association). Furthermore, NAHS members are seen as leaders in their field and often receive priority treatment when applying to college. The average member in good standing, upon graduation has received $6,000 in scholarship dollars to attend college. Six of our graduates have even received the $60,000 NAEA scholarship to attend Pratt Institute’s Art Education program!
NAHS students will organize, plan, and host various art activities and projects to benefit the surrounding communities, such as our annual video & photography competition, Reel Exposure, gallery exhibits at the Trolley Barn Gallery, fun excursions to other galleries and museums, and Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Week.
Spark Studios students are learning the basic fundamentals of photography this fall with a new group of teens ages 14-19. This semester, students learn filmmaking and videography in order to develop their film production and professional skills including:
Working with clients on commercial videos
Bringing a creative vision to life across stages of production
Youth who complete Spark Studios can earn a $100 stipend. The Art Effect’s Youth Workforce Training Programs 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.
Fall semester of Spark Studios runs September 27 – November 17, 2022, 3:00-5:30pm at the Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory, 8 North Cherry Street, Third Floor, Poughkeepsie, NY 12508
Spark Studios teaches film and media arts to empower youth’s voices, build workforce development skills, provide paid work experience, and help students get on a path to college and career success. Youth in Spark Studios learn filmmaking, photography, digital media production, and create media projects in teams and for community clients.
Come to a free, drop-in Art Portfolio Photography Day hosted by The Art Effect!
Bring your art portfolio and get your pieces photographed, perfect for participants to show college representatives in the upcoming Hudson Valley Regional Portfolio Week!
When: Saturday October 15th, 12-4pm
Where: Trolley Barn Gallery, 489 Main Street, Poughkeepsie, NY.
First 5 photos are free, then $2 per additional image. Photos will be sent via email in the following week.
The festival that brought in more than 700 people over the course of three days was a “Huge Success” says Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, Executive Director of The Art Effect who also runs the Trolley Barn Gallery in Poughkeepsie, NY. “We are so proud of what the students in our community have helped create. Not only are their futures looking bright, but we got a glimpse into how bright the future of public art throughout Poughkeepsie is and what it can mean for this community,” says Nicole.
The PKX Festival serves as a building block to the development of Youth Arts Empowerment Zone, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant, establishing a youth-led arts district in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery, the only youth-led gallery in the state! “The Youth Arts Empowerment Zone is an integral part of our community. The festival is another great example of how the arts in Poughkeepsie are providing an avenue for people to come together and be proud of where they live,” says Poughkeepsie Mayor, Rob Rolison. The mayor declared September 17, 2022 as PKX Day in the City of Poughkeepsie which will reoccur for each year’s festival.
Over the last eighteen months, PKX Festival Youth Committee consisting of Poughkeepsie High School students and alumni worked alongside artist duo BoogieREZ and Curator Alison M. Glenn to create and curate various art experiences throughout the festival including a public art installation and an artfully curated exhibition. The PKX Committee is one of The Art Effect’s newest youth training programs at the Trolley Barn Gallery where students learn and practice public speaking skills, conduct presentations to government officials and learn about place making – a people-centered approach to planning, designing and managing public spaces.
“Being a part of the Youth Curatorial Team has made me a more dynamic thinker. I feel so much more confident in my idea processing. Also, seeing the [Wonderland] exhibition come together makes me proud of myself and my colleagues, because we put so much effort and heart into this festival and I’m so excited for the community to experience it.” says Jadeen Sampson, Curatorial Team and PKX Festival Youth Member
The Art Effect is interviewing and hiring the next group of PKX Committee youth to help plan the 2023 PKX Festival, “Droppin’ Jewels” next fall and promises to be even bigger and better with more than 1,000 people in attendance. “Seeing the exhibition come together makes me proud of myself and my colleagues because we put so much effort and heart into this festival,” comments Jadeen,. “The main goal is to do it again, we want it to be a success.” he said.
To get involved with The Art Effect in the development of the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone, or the PKX Festival, reach out to PKXFestival@TheArtEffect.org or to see a gallery of photos from this year’s festival and stay up to date on the plans for next year, visit PKXFestival.org
In partnership with the Poughkeepsie Public Library District’s Big Read, The Art Effect is offering free artmaking workshops at libraries around the county. See all library workshop offerings below with registration information.
Painting Pretty Monsters
In this workshop, participants will learn about illustration and how to translate the written word into visual images, then select passages from Pretty Monsters to create acrylic or watercolor paintings which illustrate the mood and tone of the literary scene. Participants will focus on visual metaphor and abstract representation (using only shapes, symbols and brushstrokes) to learn painting techniques that can even help beginners capture the emotional landscape of the passage.
Friday October 7th, 11am-1pm @ Clinton Community Library
Adults only
Registration Info: free & open to the public, call Clinton Community Library at 845-266-5530 to register
Friday November 4th, 6:30-8:30pm @ Staatsburg Library
Ages 12 – Adult
Registration Info: free & open to the public, call Staatsburg Free Library at 845-889-4683 to register
Animating Monster Metaphors
Wednesday November 9th, 2:30-4:30pm @ Millbrook Library
For Teens
In this workshop, participants read excerpts from Pretty Monsters and discuss how monsters can be metaphors for everyday problems and issues (a schoolyard bully becoming a ghost that haunts you, for example), and then each create art for and animate a short video scene to bring their monster metaphors coming to life!
Registration Info: free & open to the public, call Millbrook Free Library at 845-677-3611 to register
Welcome BACK TO SCHOOL🏫 , Back to Art Class 🎨, and Back to the National Art Honor Society!
The Art Effect is currently recruiting for the 2022-2023 school year. The Art Effect’s National Art Honor Society (NAHS) Chapter #2242 recognizes 9th-12th grade students of high academic and artistic standing throughout the Hudson Valley. The NAHS encourages students to reach their highest level of professionalism and prepares students for a career in the arts. Members serve their community by designing and painting public murals, raising money for scholarships and local organizations, creating public art projects, participating in community art events, and helping set up student exhibits. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙩 𝙀𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙮. Learn more about the National Art Honor Society Here.
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 youth curatorial team!
The Trolley Barn Gallery youth curatorial team is the team of youth who will be leading the decision-making around Trolley Barn Gallery exhibitions for Winter/Spring 2022. 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 in bi-weekly installments, as well as recognition for their leadership.
Tuesday – Thursday, 3-5:30pm | Fall 2022 Session: October 4th – December 14th | Spring 2023 Session: February 6th – June 6th
The Trolley Barn Gallery is seeking new members for the Youth Curatorial Team – who make exhibition curation decisions and are mentored by expert curators and artists in the field of art and museums!
What started out as a class project during one of The Art Effect’s youth workforce programs, MADLab (Media, Art, Design Lab), has become a staple image throughout downtown Poughkeepsie over the last couple months. As one of The Art Effect’s youngest workforce students, Latiana Belton is the talented artist behind the now ‘famous’ PKX Festival Logo!
The PKX Festival will take place on September 15-17, 2022 in downtown Poughkeepsie activating locations along Main Street and North Cherry Street as the new Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ).
“It feels exciting to see the logo that I created everywhere, says Latiana. The logo is not only a part of a cool new arts festival but is also featured in a public art sculpture we worked on this summer with Artist Duo, BoogieREZ that will be unveiled at the Festival on Saturday, September 17.”
PKX Festival serves as a building block to the development of Youth Arts Empowerment Zone, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grant, establishing a youth-led arts district in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery, the only youth-led gallery in the state! This year’s festival themed, Wonderland, features community-wide art, performances, and workshops. Throughout the year, PKX Festival Youth Committee Members worked alongside artist duo BoogieREZ and Curator Alison M. Glenn to create and curate various art experiences throughout the festival including a public art installation and an artfully curated exhibition.
“Community art-making is at the heart of the PKX Festival.” Says Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, Executive Director at The Art Effect who also runs the Trolley Barn Gallery in Poughkeepsie, NY. “From painting the pavement to workshops, music, face painting, juried exhibition, and partner booths — there is something for everyone at PKX this weekend.”
Latiana’s PKX logo will be on display throughout the festival and can be found stenciled along Main Street’s sidewalks, on tee shirts for sale, and it will even be featured in the interactive public art installation that we invite the public to come add their mark to!
For the full schedule and more information about the festival lineup, visit PKXFestival.org
