Mission

The Art Effect empowers young people to develop their creative voice to shape their futures and bring about positive social change. The Art Effect helps youth explore, experience, and excel in the arts, 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. We believe that the arts have the power to create a more vibrant, caring, and sustainable world led by a generation of youth who value creative thinking, diverse voices, and stronger connections between all people. The Art Effect directly serves over 2,000 young people in classes and programs throughout the Hudson Valley each year. We indirectly reach over 8,500 people through events, exhibitions, and public art installations, and nearly 10,000 through our extensive online presence. Read more about The Art Effect here.

The Art Effect at the Trolley Barn Gallery is the first youth-led gallery in the Hudson Valley, NY. Our mission is to train youth as leaders who catalyze the community through the arts and re-energize downtown Poughkeepsie. The iconic Poughkeepsie Trolley Barn puts youth in the drivers seat of this incredible space, empowering them to engage community members and visitors in transformative arts experiences that they curate along side established professionals.

In addition to youth-curated, international juried exhibitions, The Trolley Barn Gallery is home to a unique blend of workforce programming that brings together youth and established art professionals to present impactful exhibitions and festivals to engage our neighborhood and acquaint youth with curatorial and exhibitions practices.

The Trolley Barn Gallery hosts many youth-led events and exhibitions throughout the year. Click here to see the current exhibitions and visit the calendar for more upcoming events.

The Art Effect’s curatorial training program at the Trolley Barn Gallery is composed of youth who make high level exhibition curation decisions and are mentored by experts in the field. The Youth Curatorial Team takes place over two semester-long sessions in the Fall and the Spring. Youth earn a stipend as the leaders of international juried exhibitions at the Trolley Barn Gallery, and are responsible for every aspect of exhibition curation, including theme generation, artwork selection, art handling, exhibition installation, and interpretation. The Youth Curatorial Team works closely with curators from across the country in a series of after school sessions, weekend workshops, and a variety of gallery and community events. Youth learn about project management, develop public speaking skills through gallery presentations and artist talks, and establish professional connections with international artists, curators, and arts professionals to bring impressive exhibitions of high-caliber artwork to Poughkeepsie.

Impact

“Food, clothing, shelter – we all need these. For our spirit, it’s creativity that contributes to our well-being.” – Judy Elkin, Board Member

The Art Effect facilitates educational programming, community building, and youth leadership at three locations within the Hudson Valley; Pershing Ave, the Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory, and The Trolley Barn Gallery.

Re-activating the iconic Trolley Barn through an innovative approach to youth empowerment through the arts, The Art Effect is putting youth in the driver’s seat of this incredible space, empowering them to engage community members and visitors in transformative arts experiences that they curate. Establishing connections with curators and arts professionals, such as Barrett Art Center, The Art Effect at the Trolley Barn brings impressive exhibitions of high-caliber artwork to Poughkeepsie. 

The Art Effect seeks to achieve high, sustainable impact. Our goals are ambitious — and our students are, too! Our goals for youth participants who complete our sequential programs include:

• 100% will graduate from high school
• 100% will create and post a portfolio of work online
• 100% will apply for admission to college and will enter a 2 or 4-year institution
• 100% of those who complete the Art Institute will receive a scholarship
• 100% will secure employment within 1 year after they graduate from high school or enter college

Annual Report

Here’s a snapshot of what we accomplished together in 2023:

• 112 total programs & courses
• 1118 total submissions for international juried exhibitions
• 154 artists elected by the Youth Curatorial team & exhibited at the Trolley Barn Gallery
• 142 students received scholarships toward programming