The Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) liaisons have revitalized the pavement outside the Trolley Barn Gallery with a vibrant mural, revamping the previous artwork. This project is part of their annual community engagement efforts, where local students organize workshops, art activities, and an arts festival.
The YAEZ liaisons collaborated on a lively, pop-inspired design. Through interactive workshops, they created characters and themes celebrating nature and Poughkeepsie’s landscape. The community embraced the project, with over 50 people participating in the painting process. The mural now serves as a joyful centerpiece, engaging residents and visitors with community spirit!
Meet Tamara Gentle, a dynamic and talented artist who graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2023. A proud alumna of Poughkeepsie High School, Tamara has impacted the art community over the past two years. She has dedicated her time as a teaching artist at The Art Effect, where she has played a role in assisting with residencies and co-teaching the MADLab youth workforce program. Her commitment to fostering creativity and skill development in young artists has made her an important figure among students.
One of Tamara’s standout achievements includes her involvement with the Color My Future Duchess County Career coloring book. Originally, she was part of the team that designed the original illustrations for this innovative project. More recently, she took the lead on updating the content, providing illustration support to ensure the book remains a valuable and engaging resource.
One of Tamara’s standout achievements includes her involvement with the Color My FutureDuchess County Career coloring book. Originally, she was part of the team that designed the original illustrations for this innovative project. More recently, she took the lead on updating the content, providing illustration support to ensure the book remains a valuable and engaging resource.
At the Trolley Barn Gallery, the power of art to inspire change, and foster community engagement is important. The international open call for the Earth’s Reflection exhibition invites artists to explore art, environment, and social justice through these various events:
Lauren Hollick – Studio Visit (March 8)
Lauren Hollick is a Hudson Valley artist and educator who works mostly with upcycled materials. Studios toured her studio at the Cunneen-Hackett Art Center and asked her questions about her artistic practice and personal motivation to create climate change sensitive art. Hollick explained her process of making paper and collecting found objects for her artwork.
Elinor Levy – Guest Speaker, Activity (March 15)
Elinor Levy is a Hudson Valley artist and Folk Arts Program Manager at Arts Mid-Hudson. Levy talked the students through concepts of cultural sustainability and local folklore. They discussed how legends and stories about a place can affect a city just as much as the truth and how a culture can be changed when the narrative about a place changes. Levy led a “Jane’s Walk” around Main Street in Poughkeepsie and the students observed their environment and investigated local meeting spots, abandoned locations and statements of local culture articulated through signage and folklore. The students learned how individual identity can be crafted in response to environment and history.
Serena Domingues – Workshop (March 16)
Serena Domingues is a Founder of Nature’s Impact – a Poughkeepsie based environmental education organization that curates experimental art installations and holds pop up workshops and activities focused on exploring the connection between humans and nature. Serena put together a workshop to teach the students how to create pinch-pots out of clay. While the students manipulated clay into their desired shapes, Serena explained her practice and professional journey – reminding our students that there is no single, right way to become an artist and start your own business. Serena also spoke about clay, it’s originals and asked the students to speak on how clay makes them feel and think – and how it feels to be connected to the Earth and to use earth as a medium for artmaking.
Harrison Brisbon-McKinnon – Guest Speaker, Activity (March 16)
Harrison Brisbon-McKinnon is a Vassar student and Art Effect alum who volunteered to give a two part presentation on ownership and identity and how it is informed by a person’s environment. Brisbon-McKinnon spent a large portion of last summer studying Earth Science and technology – holding a weekly workshop to help underrepresented communities gain access to advanced scientific technology. In part one of his presentation, Brisbon-McKinnon introduced the students to concepts of body ownership and consumption. He asked students to image that their bodies were not their own – that they are in fact part of the Earth and part of a bigger system of ecology that may be outside the realm of individual identity. In an exercise, he asked students to delete an app from their phone whose sole purpose was consumerism to empower them to contribute more to the culture, not just ingest what has already been created. In part two of his presentation, he employed an activity similar to the Jane’s Walk the students participated in with Elinor Levy. But for this activity the purpose was to dissect who the building truly belonged to – beyond legal ownership – and what was the purpose of these locations for the community members who patronized them. The students were encouraged to discuss the purpose of these locations and how they would change if their ownership of those locations reflected the community more than capitalistic endeavors.
Sheri Reid – Guest Speaker (March 29)
Sheri Reid is a environmental justice consultant and Poughkeepsie local. Reid gave a presentation to the students that illustrated the institutional policies that built Poughkeepsie and created the racial and economic divides within the city. Reid’s presentation included maps and demographic information of the city of Poughkeepsie which clearly demonstrated the access (or in access) to reliable FEMA resources considering that the majority of Poughkeepsie is in a flood plain. This presentation sparked lively discussion about institutional racism and different environmental factors that contribute to further disparity between marginalized and non-marginalized communities.
These events have deepened the understanding of art, environment, and social justice, inspiring a commitment to positive change.The Trolley Barn Gallery is excited to showcase diverse perspectives at Earth’s Reflection, with an opening reception on June 14 from 6 PM to 8 PM. The exhibition will be displayed from June 14 to August 9, 2024, highlighting art’s power to engage and inspire.
The PKX Festival was a great success this year! From music performances to inspiring showcases, the energy was vibrant throughout the event. We are happy to relive these moments of creativity and community with these stunning photos from the event!
Thank you to all who made the PKX Festival unforgettable!
The upcoming PKX Festival, themed “Droppin’ Jewels,” is deeply rooted in the wisdom and influence of Keli Faircloth’s grandmother, a beloved figure in her life. As an active member of The Art Effect’s programs and a vital part of the PKX Festival Committee and Youth Curatorial Team, Keli embodies the theme through her role as a knowledge keeper, inspired by her grandmother’s wise words: “Child, I just dropped some jewels on you.” This personal connection will fill the festival with a spirit of wisdom, creativity, and community empowerment, celebrating Poughkeepsie’s creative energy across generations.
MADLab students, Mahogany and Kierra Thomas embarked on a visionary project during a May sculpture intensive. Inspired by the theme of “Droppin’ Jewels,” they developed an idea of crystal-like trees to symbolize imparting wisdom. Under the guidance of artist Suprina Kenney-Troche, the students brought their vision to life. The outcome is an incredible gem tree, ready to captivate visitors at PKX Festival.
The gem tree serves not only as an inspirational piece of art but also as an interactive installation. Festival attendees are invited to participate by hanging pieces of wisdom or advice on the tree, fostering a sense of community and shared experience.
Join us at the PKX Festival, April 20, for the unveiling of this special creation, where art, collaboration, and inspiration converge to create a truly memorable experience.
Thank you for opting-in to mid-week updates for Ulster Arts Camp: Week 2!
This week, campers have been discovering different methods of self-expression through the theme of Welcome to the YOU-niverse! In 2D art class, students used new painting techniques to create original games and playing cards decorated with custom characters. In 3D art class, students made creatures out of air-dry clay, and planets with unique habitats where these creatures live. In animation class, students learned looping, walk cycles, and line boils techniques to create imaginary villages. Other activities also included music, dance, tie-dye, and a visit to the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, led by museum educator Zachary Bowman.
Check out the photos!
Join us on Friday, 8/4 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll experience the YOU-niverse for yourself through students’ immersive projects. Doors will open at 2:30pm for our gallery walk and media screening. A dance performance will take place at 3:00pm, followed by dismissal and collection of your children’s art at 4:00pm.
