The Art Effect Announces Affiliation with Barrett Art Center to Expand Youth and Community Opportunities in the Arts in Poughkeepsie
The Art Effect is excited to announce its affiliation with Barrett Art Center, bringing together the largest arts organization with the oldest arts organization in Dutchess County. The affiliation will open doors of new opportunities for The Art Effect and Barrett Art Center, creating spaces that match the breadth of the combined mission and merged identity—a true manifestation of their shared vision where youth and community come together to create and experience art in all of its forms.
On March 10, with a staggeringly high measure of participation, the voting members of the Barrett Art Center unanimously approved an affiliation with The Art Effect. The final vote was 52 in favor and 0 opposed. “As part of The Art Effect’s mission to organize youth-led nationally-recognized art exhibitions and educational programming at the Trolley Barn Galley, I am thrilled to be partnering with Joanna Frang and the team at Barrett Art Center to bring a new level of expertise to The Art Effect. This exciting affiliation will not only maintain the knowledge, direction, and engagement that Barrett brings to the community, but also to our new curatorial initiative.” says Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, Executive Director of The Art Effect.
Together, The Art Effect and Barrett Art Center will grow and deepen their impact in the community in exciting new ways. The current collaboration will expand to establish a teen curatorial program at the Trolley Barn Gallery, expanding opportunities for gathering, showing, and experiencing art in the community. Additionally, Barrett’s two art studios at 55 Noxon Street will continue to be actively used by working artists, the Barrett Kids after school programming, as well as The Art Effect’s Junior Art Institute this Summer.
Comments on the news:
“It was refreshing to see the measure of participation and support from colleagues whom we’ve trusted and worked with for, literally, decades. Their unanimous endorsement confirms that The Art Effect/Barrett task force did its homework and came to the appropriate conclusions. Barrett, the region’s most established arts organization, will be integral to the efforts of The Art Effect in further transforming and reinvigorating the arts community in Dutchess County and beyond.” Michael West, Esq., Senior Attorney New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc.
“The staff and board at Barrett Art Center is excited to combine our experience and skill in presenting cutting-edge exhibitions and arts education programming with their commitment to, and proven success in, empowering young people to develop their creative voices and artistic skill to shape a more vibrant, caring, inclusive and sustainable world. Together, we will not only preserve the history of the arts in Dutchess County, carrying our Founder, Tom Barrett’s, legacy and his vision of a permanent center for the arts in the City of Poughkeepsie, but also drive their future.” Loretta Spence, President of the Board of Directors, Barrett Art Center
“We are very excited to bring a profound new level of programming to The Art Effect and the Trolley Barn Gallery space. The combination of these two phenomenal arts organizations offers an exciting opportunity to strengthen and expand exhibitions, programming, and Poughkeepsie’s vibrant arts scene. I am honored to be a part of this great team and excited that together we will create an even more sustainable impact in the community.” – Gaye Mallet, Chair of the Board of Directors, The Art Effect
About The Art Effect: The Art Effect was created in 2018 from two long-standing arts education agencies in Poughkeepsie, NY: Mill Street Loft and Spark Media Project. The Art Effect empowers youth and people of all ages to explore, experience, and excel in the arts: by introducing them to visual arts and media, giving them the opportunity to develop real skills in these fields, and guiding them towards achieving their academic and career goals. With the opening of the new 3,000 square-foot Trolley Barn Gallery for exhibitions and classes, The Art Effect is continuing to nurture and grow Poughkeepsie’s vibrant art scene and help revitalize Main Street.
About Barrett Art Center: Since its founding as the Dutchess County Art Association in 1935, the organization’s mission has been to foster and perpetuate an appreciation of the visual arts in the Hudson Valley through exhibitions, education, and preservation. Barrett Art Center sustains its diverse contemporary art community by bringing together thousands of participants each year through collaborative art and history programs to reach diverse audiences in its inner-city neighborhood. During the affiliation, the Dutchess County Art Association, Inc. (aka Barrett Art Center) will acknowledge its new relationship with The Art Effect with the name “Barrett Art Center, an affiliate of The Art Effect”. The affiliation is the first stage of what is anticipated will be a full acquisition and merger, pending additional due diligence and processes.
