Poughkeepsie's Art Effect helps young people 'develop their creative voice'

The Art Effect of the Hudson Valley gives children a space to express themselves through art, while building their skillset and connecting them with their community.

"At the heart of it, we're helping young people develop their creative voice," said Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, the executive director of The Art Effect.

The Art Effect of the Hudson Valley is one of the programs assisted by the Holiday Helping Hand campaign, a collaboration between the Poughkeepsie Journal and the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region.

Art Effect mentors, prepares teens for workforce

At The Art Effect of the Hudson Valley, there are many workforce development programs serving the children of Poughkeepsie including Spark Studios, MADlab, Youth Curatorial Team, PKX Festival and Forge Media, their advanced media production program. Within their workforce programs they serve 100 students every year from the City of Poughkeepsie.

"We're also providing them with youth employment, and supporting their ability to have some early experience with jobs and financial literacy, and their own agency," Fenichel-Hewitt said.

Students at The Art Effect have the opportunity to pick up a multi technical artistic skills, where students can build a portfolio, along with working in graphic arts and design, photography, painting and drawing.

The students also get practice with critical thinking skills, organizational skills, time management, public speaking and presentation skills. Whatever career path the students choose, even if it's not directly an art career, they're afforded a framework to a path of success.

"We work hard to create equity in those programs by making sure we provide scholarships for any of our City of Poughkeepsie youth that have financial challenges to access our portfolio development courses, as those are tuition courses," Fenichel-Hewitt said.

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For students, Art Effect expands community

Jaydee Thomas, 19, joined The Art Effect in his sophomore year of high school. He said through his experience, he's been able to acquire lots of resources, in addition to opportunities for networking and connections within the industry.

One of his favorite experiences in The Art Effect is how he can relate each opportunity back to his personal life. "It feels like every time we do certain events it correlates with something in my life," he said.

Chanel Reed, 19, a student at Dutchess Community College for visual arts, was born and raised in Poughkeepsie. She is an illustrator and designer and has been a part of The Art Effect for two years. "It's been a great opportunity to expand my art world and my community," she said.

She started as a youth curator and now has moved up into a senior curator role, having the opportunity to curate exhibitions, creating themes, layouts and designs. "It's been a joy," she said. "We also had opportunities to go to different museums and other galleries."

She's drawn inspiration from these excursions, and this past summer had the chance to go to galleries in Chelsea and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Just growing into this art community also helped me grow as an artist and explore different media and different types of art expressions," she said.

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A vast alumni network keeps Art Effect running

They also like to keep up with their alumni and their endeavors, plus the scholarship dollars being offered to them. "Last year, over a million dollars was offered to our students to access college," Fenichel-Hewitt said.

They've been able to build an extensive alumni network. On their full-time team, there are five alumni including Jamie Ransom, the Trolley Barn gallery manager. She spent every semester of high school at The Art Effect.

"The plan was always to come back and give back in some way," she said.

One of her goals is to make Main Street, where the Trolley Barn is located, a cultural center, displaying the work of the students and doing beautification without gentrification. She aims to help students highlight the unique culture of the City of Poughkeepsie and provide a community-building experience when people walk by the Trolley Barn. She said if you want to do the arts, you shouldn't have to leave Poughkeepsie to do so.

"We're really proud of the fact that our young people are going away, gaining more experience in the workforce or in higher education and then coming back and really serving the community in the way they were served," Fenichel-Hewitt said.

The Art Effect's next event is their Members Show, which is open Dec. 15 through Jan. 26 and curated by the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team.

Holiday Helping Hand

The Art Effect of the Hudson Valley is one of the programs assisted by the Holiday Helping Hand campaign, a collaboration between the Poughkeepsie Journal and the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region.

This year Holiday Helping Hand has provided funds to The Art Effect to give 50 students gift cards at their holiday party this winter. The gift cards provide the students with a little extra support that they may need at the end of the year. "We've had students in the past talk about how it's really helped them purchase gifts for other family members," Fenichel-Hewitt said.

Each year, the Poughkeepsie Journal and United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region raise funds for Dutchess County programs that assist local kids and families in having a happy holiday season through the Holiday Helping Hand campaign.

To donate, visit uwdor.org/hhh23 or mail a check to Holiday Helping Hand, United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region, 75 Market St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Checks should be made payable to Holiday Helping Hand.

From Dec. 1-7, the following donations have been made to the 2023-24 Holiday Helping Hand campaign, totaling $5,381.08:

• Charles & Roni Stein, $100

• In Memory of Joe Resta, Love Renie, $75

• Linda McCluskey, $50

• Mr. & Mrs. Clarence N. Glover, Jr., $300

• Anonymous, $45

• Anonymous, $150

• In Memory of Marty Quick, Love Peggie, $100

• Diane Fiscina, $200

• Shirley Lee, $25

• Kathleen Bartles, $1000

• Pat & John Varricchio, $100

• In Memory of our Dad "Chuck", From James Collins, $50

• In Memory of P. David Dobbs, From Gloria Dobbs, $200

• In Memory of Dennis M. Powers & Louis M. Brosang, From Dennis & Barbara Powers, $100

• In Memory of My Husband, Edward Nadeau, From Jackie Nadeau, $100

• In Memory of Stanley Hamm & Anna Moore, From Mae Hamm, $25

• Anthony & Diane Galucci, $51.32

• In Memory of Josie V., $10

• Lorraine Carbone, $25

• Anonymous, $100

• Angelia & Danielle Kassow, $100

• In Memory of Ray & Len Kistner, From Bernard Kistner, $100

• In Honor of Our Grandkids, Our Next Generation, From Judie & Lee Pagones, $50

• Margaret Barton, $50

• Frank & Judith Darrow, $200

• Judith Perlman, $100

• Donald & Christine Stammer, $50

• Cathy Hingos, $30.79

• In Memory of Patrice Abruzzo, From Judith Abruzzo-Wasilewski, $25

• In Memory of Debby S. Baldwin, From Harry Baldwin, $500

• In Memory of John C. Ritchie, From Diana Ritchie, $100

• In Memory of Melissa D. Ritchie, From Diana Ritchie, $100

• Carol Gray, $50

• In Memory of Our Parents and Grandparents Walt & Joyce Herrmann, and Curtis and Anna Martinson, Love Jim, Cindy, David, And Jeff, $50

• Gary Zadany, $100

• Mia Anderson, $25

• Pam & Bill Dahncke, $25

• William Peckham, $100

• Anonymous, $100

• Anonymous, $50

• In Memory of Father, Donald Doria and Mother, Pearl Woodin, From Rebecca Hastings, $20

• Frank & Maureen Derasmo, $75

• Keith Axelrod, $102.65

• Gerald & Margaret Kelly, $100

• John & Laura Williams, $300

• Stuart Leydon, $20

• Anonymous, $51.32

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Poughkeepsie art school is preparing future leaders: What to know