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 Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) and Trolley Barn Curatorial Team are collaborating to initiate a series of community clean-ups around the Trolley Barn Gallery on Main St., Poughkeepsie. The youth are calling on all community members to join in making a positive impact in the neighborhood. If your interested group has more than five volunteers please email info@thearteffect.org at least 3 days before the cleanup!
This effort is supported by the Environmental Protection Fund through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. These environmental clean-ups are scheduled for March 30, April 13, April 27, July 19, and August 3, and will provide opportunities for youth to actively engage in improving their local environment.
This last month it’s been an educational experience for me learning about the pollution prevention process. The clean up around the Trolley Barn Gallery along with the presentation/activities has made a sense of community and pride about our Earth.
-Chanel Reed, member of the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team
In celebration of this community effort The Trolley Barn Gallery is hosting an international open call for artists to submit to be part of their upcoming exhibition, Earth’s Reflection. The gallery is interested in bringing together artists who specialize in work that brings attention to pollution prevention. The deadline to submit is April 22, 2024. This exhibition will be open from June 14 through August 9, 2024.
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:
Monday – Friday, 9am – 4pm
Oakwood Friends School – 22 Spackenkill Rd, Poughkeepsie
Week 1: July 8 – July 12
Week 2: July 15 – July 19
Week 3: July 22 – July 26
Week 4: July 29 – August 2
Monday – Friday, 9am – 4pm
SUNY New Paltz – 1 Hawk Dr, New Paltz
Week 1: July 29 – August 2
Week 2: August 5 – August 9
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.
Digital Arts Track
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.
Digital Arts and Illustration Track
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 Track
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 schedule an early drop off/late pick up.
Discounts:
Full or partial scholarships may be available to those in economic need, to apply please complete a Scholarship Application Form and send it to info@thearteffect.org.
As part of The Art Effect’s curatorial workforce development program, youth curators attend gallery shows in the Hudson Valley and New York City and write reviews of what they’ve seen.
Member of the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team, Mary Elizabeth Boatey shares her thoughts on a recent show at Harper’s Gallery in Chelsea.
Located on West 22nd St, Chelsea 512 currently houses the “And the Moon Be Still as Bright” group exhibition, displayed among several other historical and influential art galleries. Founded in 1997, the Harpers Gallery embedded themselves within the heart of New York City’s art district, flourishing within the complex minds of the world’s creatives.
“And the Moon Be Still Bright,” an initially niche but progressively enticing phrase, originates from American writer, Ray Bradbury, author of science fiction novel the Martian Chronicles. The story highlights the preservation of land, describing a familiar tale involving exploration and settlement on newly colonized regions in Mars. The specific title “And the Moon Be Still Bright” references a chapter within the novel describing desperate attempts to save and prevent the internal pollution of Mars at the hands of the new inhabitants from earth. The pieces within this exhibition mimic that sort of natural space both graciously untouched and riddled with destruction. Each artist takes on this theme in a unique way exploring the different “found” mediums equally mimicking the exploration of new areas in the Martian Chronicles.
What initially drew me to this exhibition was my natural love for maximalism and the implication of organized clutter in a lot of art. In regards to the appreciation of nature, the art ranges thematically from the beauty of the past, to the uncertainty of the future. All the while it maintains love for natural imperfection contrasted for man-made “perfect” beauty.
A specific arrangement of pieces that spoke to me was a bright colored orange flowing tapestry by Mimi Jung, titled “Our Inclinations” and an equally sized seemingly overgrown tapestry laced with jewels and valuables in gold titled “Rags to Riches” by Suchitra Mattai. The fabrics of “Rags to Riches” in particular blend with all of the other external elements elevating the entire piece, while also coming across a bit abrasive and harder to look at. The beautiful color contrasts with the rough texture.
Within all the art is a common approach regarding the perspective of immigration and settlement; whether or not human presence in natural spaces results in good or bad, and the internal conflict of that guilt as human civilization is the reason for the pain of others.
As part of The Art Effect’s curatorial workforce development program, youth curators attend gallery shows in the Hudson Valley and New York City and write reviews of what they’ve seen. Senior member of the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team, Chanel Reed, shares her thoughts on a recent show at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.
The Tanya Bonakdar Gallery is at 521 West 21st Street, New York, NY. This gallery developed a contemporary program that includes painting, drawing, installation, sculpture, video, and photography, representing thirty unique artists worldwide. The gallery continues to support the works and careers of artists internationally. The Tanya Bonakdar Gallery featured a past exhibition, “Night Tripper” (June 22 – July 28, 2023), exhibiting Dana Powell’s newest pieces that have an ominous and unsettling effect. She composed small-scale oil paintings that depicted moments like the moonlit sky and dark backroads.
Powell’s small-scale pieces aren’t as provocative as others but burden the viewer with many questions. Dana Powell’s “Closed Road” is a 12 x 14-inch piece that drew my attention. It produces an unnerving atmosphere with bright orange cones and green leaves scattered along a dark road. The piece is painted with fine details that layer paint with textured strokes but also renders form with smooth discipline – similar to impressionism, but with more detail. Powell lets light and color prevail in her work, letting the mood settle into the audience.
This hyperrealism series presents a pleasingly cinematic story full of crime and sinister acts. Within the gallery, the images are spacious along its large white walls. The viewer closes in toward one painting and takes a few steps to another with a whole new scenario. It has the same effect as the pacing of an indie movie. They are capturing the rare moments people miss. This exhibition was purely interesting. It inspired me to continue a path in my illustrative career, creating work that minds the little things in life people look twice at and letting the brain flow.
Thank you for opting-in to the midweek update for Dutchess Arts Camp: Poughkeepsie!
The theme of the final week of camp is Uniquely YOU and students are exploring different methods of self-expression through a variety of mediums. Projects include watercolor silhouette paintings, dolls, peekaboo mugs, music and interviews, digital animation with Rotoscope and Pixilation, dance, and more! Check out the photos:
Join us on Friday, 8/4 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll view students’ 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.
For more news, early bird discounts on fall programming, and more, follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Thank you for opting-in to mid-week updates for Dutchess Arts Camp: Poughkeepsie!
This week, the theme is Monsters and Fairytales, Fantasy and Fun, and through fun art projects, students have been transported to a magical realm of adventure. A variety of imaginative activities in different mediums have explored this theme. In 2-D art class, students have created mushroom houses and fantasy creatures made with collage techniques. In 3D art class, students are designing supernatural board games. In digital music class, students are composing original fantasy soundtracks. Lastly, students are also exploring dance, ceramics, and animation with software like Stop-Motion Studio and Flip-a-Clip. Check out the photo gallery below:
Join us on Friday, 7/28 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll experience the Forces of Nature yourself through students’ 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.
For more news, early bird discounts on fall programming, and more, follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Thank you for opting-in to mid-week updates for Ulster Arts Camp: Week 1!
This week, the theme is Forces of Nature, and campers have been finding inspiration in the natural world as they complete projects in different mediums. Activities have included pendulum paintings, realistic observational drawings, watercolors with different textures, animation, and dance. Students have also visited the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, where they were led around the different exhibitions by museum educator Zach Bowman. This was a great opportunity for young artists ages 5 – 10 to gain exposure to contemporary art! Check out the photos below:
Join us on Friday, 7/28 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll experience the Forces of Nature yourself through students’ 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.
For more news, early bird discounts on fall programming, and more, follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Thank you for opting-in to the mid-week update for Dutchess Arts Camp: Poughkeepsie!
This week, the theme is Kids Around the World, and young artists are taking inspiration from all seven continents as they complete fun projects in different mediums. So far, activities have included paper dolls with unique outfits from around the world, Vejigante masks, clay pots influenced by international styles of sculpture, animation, dance, music, and more! Check out our photo gallery below.
Join us on Friday, 7/21 for our end-of-week showcase, where you’ll experience creativity from around the world! Doors will open at 2:30pm for our gallery walk and media screening; the dance performance will take place at 3:00pm, followed by dismissal and collection of your children’s art at 4:00pm.
For more news, early bird discounts on fall programming, and more, follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Thank you for opting-in to the Dutchess Arts Camp: Red Hook update!
The theme of Dutchess Arts Camp: Red Hook, Week 2, is Music Mayhem. So far, campers have having a blast merging audio and visual mediums through innovative art projects. Students have been experimenting with animation, acrylic painting, dance, sculpture, composition of original songs with digital software and traditional percussion instruments, and more. Check out the photos below.
On Friday 7/21, doors will open for our end-of-week showcase at 2:30pm. Join us for a gallery walk, media screening, and a dance performance at 3:00pm, followed by dismissal and collection of your children’s art at 4:00pm. We can’t wait for you to see these amazing projects and to “feel the groove” of Music Mayhem in-person!
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