Archive for the "Bloggin" Category

Exhibition Review: East of sun, west of moon by Oscar yi Hou at the Brooklyn Museum

Reviewed by Chanel Reed

One of the youngest artists to exhibit a solo show at a substantial museum in New York, Oscar yi Hou: East of sun, west of moon, has exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum from October 14, 2022 – September 17, 2023. The Brooklyn Museum is located at 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York, built on the land that is a part of an ancestral homeland of the Lenape (Delaware) people. The museum holds excellence in exhibitions, programs, collections, and visitor experience, challenging traditionally common art history by including multiple perspectives in creations. 

Drawing was something that yi Hou had close to his heart ever since he was young. Mass culture in TV shows, such as animes and cartoons, stimulated his artistic flow. The exhibition, East of sun, west of moon, embodied 11 portraits with specific details representing East Asian and Western history, such as Son Goku from the popular anime Dragon Ball, Chinese descendants, and his close friends. Along with the figurative symbolism comes fragmented collages of art with vibrant and poppy so-called “Chinese cowboy” iconography, Chinese calligraphy, and popular imagery. Yi Hou embraces the Asian community, the queer community, the reclamation of slurs, and the complexity of himself through illustrative paintings.

Electricity shocked my body once I stepped into this exhibition. I was blown away by the unique style of Yi Hou’s work. It’s hard for me to find an artist with such incredibly complex work that I am invested in. It had a feel of organized chaos to it, where my eyes wandered everywhere because of the rich hues and hidden details I hadn’t picked up yet. As a fellow artist who develops work with the help of online references, the connections interlocked. His art inspires me to create art that breaks my style apart to recreate something outstanding with great detail and meaning. It also motivates me to keep on drawing from what influences me the most; anime/ Japanese culture and the queer community into complex concepts. 

Learn more at www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/oscar_yi_hou

PKX Festival and Teen Art Exhibition Coming Soon!

Save The Date for the 3rd annual PKX Festival, April 18-20, 2024. The PKX Teen Art Exhibition celebrates imaginative and original artworks created by young people who have a passion for their medium.  The International PKX Art Exhibition opens on April 18th. The International PKX Art Exhibition serves as a platform for young artists to display their creativity from around the globe. This exhibition is a tribute to the extraordinary artistic talents of teenagers aged 14-19.
Join us for the annual PKX Festival, hosted by The Art Effect, at The Trolley Barn Gallery located at 489 Main St, Poughkeepsie, from Thursday, April 18 through Saturday, April 20.

EXHIBITION | FASHION SHOW | FILMS | MUSIC | FOOD | ART

Click here for more information on the festival.

Oaxaca Opening Reception

Oaxaca y sus Cultural Hermanas del Mundo invites the community to an opening reception on July 29, 4-6pm for an evening of art, culture and food. Welcoming and opening remarks from Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt, Executive Director of the Art Effect, Ellie Charwat, Coordinator of Oaxaca Week, Mayor Robert Rolison, Felipe Santos, Coordinator of La Guelaguetza and translations by Gabriela Vega Mathews.

Margarita Ernestina Vazquez Martin runs a shop that supplies weavers in San Pedro.

Tlazotl, Weaver’s Wings 
Trolley Barn Gallery
489 Main St, Poughkeepsie

This collection of textiles and traditional costumes represent the daily lives of the many indigenous groups of (in?) Oaxaca. The huipil, created by the Oaxaca women is a hand-woven cotton tunic using natural dyes and adorned with embroidery. The traditional garments offer a visual language in which the natural wealth of the territory, the history of its people, and the indigenous cosmogony are reflected. The exhibit has been shown in Florence, Italy, Panama, Ecuador, and now Poughkeepsie.

Pitayas III

Art in a Suitcase: Women Creators of the World 
MASS Design Group 

Although born in different parts of the world and working with varying artistic media, the six women artists reflect the rich cultural ambiance that Oaxaca offers them through a collection of work that is easily portable throughout the world. Art in a Suitcase: Women Creators of the World has been shown at the Municipal Palace of Santa Cruz Colchagua, Chile as well as throughout Mexico, Europe, and Latin America.

Trolley Barn Youth Curatorial Team

Trolley Barn youth curatorial program trains youth as leaders who catalyze the community through the arts and re-energize downtown Poughkeepsie. Together alongside established art professionals, youth present impactful exhibitions that engage the wider community and acquaint youth with all aspects of the curatorial process including; Museum & Gallery Administration; Project Management; Art Exhibition Curation & Interpretation; Art Handling; Exhibition Design & Installation; Public Speaking; Virtual Exhibition Design; Workshops with curators, artists, and museum professionals. In preparation of the Oaxaca Exhibition opening, youth taking part in this summer’s curatorial workforce program at The Art Effect had the opportunity to work directly with the fabrics and artwork as part of the Tlazotl, Weaver’s Wings  exhibition arranging and installing each piece.

Call for Artists

The Trolley Barn Gallery and the PKX Festival Committee are looking for performers for the First Annual PKX Arts Festival in Poughkeepsie, NY on September 15-17, 2022!

Are you ready to share your gifts with the Poughkeepsie community and beyond? We are looking for creatives of all kinds to perform at the PKX Festival happening September 15-17! Visit @PKXFestival on IG for more info or click here to apply

The festival will feature the unveiling of an original public art commission, food, performances, and creative activities in and around the Trolley Barn Gallery on Main St, Poughkeepsie. In support of local youth, community, and the arts, PKX is expecting over 200 participants. The event is free of charge, open to the public, and will be advertised throughout the Hudson Valley. 

We are excited to incorporate a variety of live performances during the duration of the festival, and we need you! 
Please keep in mind that this is a youth-friendly event and the music played should be appropriate for younger audiences.

Participating performers will receive: 

  • Prominent display in the event program and throughout the event;  
  • Business publicity to 200+ attendees;  
  • Listing in festival emails to 5,700 contacts;
  • Listing with a link on The Art Effect’s festival website with 38,000 monthly views;
  • Social media spotlight to more than 10,000 followers across platforms; 
  • Media coverage throughout the Hudson Valley. 

Please email mmays@d-mmc.us for technical support.
Please email destiny@thearteffect.org for event logistics or additional information. 

$200 Stipend, Applications close on August 12!

BoogieRez

Come check out the unveiling of the public art installation created by some of The Art Effect’s youth and this year’s INCREDIBLE guest artist @riiisaboogie@rezones
Learn more about the PKX Festival:Wonderland and how YOU can get involved https://thearteffect.org/event/pkx

Wonderland Wednesday

Take a peek behind the scenes into our first annual PKX Festival, Wonderland! Hudson Valley teens “danced through the decades” with a silent disco at the Trolley Barn Gallery hosted by Poughkeepsie Open Studios and the PKX Youth Committee. Catch even more behind the scenes videos leading up to the PKX Festival on September 15-17, 2022 each “Wonderland Wednesday” every other week and learn more about the festival here!

PKX Sticker Challenge

In honor of the upcoming PKX Festival, the youth committee has launched a sticker challenge. Follow @PKXFestival on Instagram to see where you can pick up your sticker!

Here’s how the challenge works:

  1. Pick up a sticker at the Trolley Barn Gallery, 489 Main St. Poughkeepsie
  2. Color and design your PKX logo sticker
  3. Snap a photo and post your design on IG: tag us using #PKXFestival AND @PKXFestival
  4. DM a screenshot of your post to @PKXFestival or email pkxfestival@thearteffect.org

100 Days Until PKX!

Can you believe the PKX Festival is only 100 days away! The PKX Youth Committee is excited and you should be too. Prepare to enter an otherworlldly empire of art, illusion, and surprise! There will be art, music, food, and performances from throughout the community.

Mark your calendar! September 15-17, 2022 at the Trolley Barn Gallery!

PKX Committee

The PKX Festival Committee and the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team spent spring break creating public art mockups and work alongside featured artists BoogieRez to begin the piece for this year’s PKX Festival.

They started the week with a trip to NYC to visit BoogieRez’s studio at the World Trade Center.

The rest of the week, the youth created plushies with sewing machines in the Poughkeepsie Underwear factory studio.

Students had insightful conversations with Boogie and Rez about pursuing their independent careers in the arts. All of the plushies that were created during the intensive, will be unveiled officially at the PKX Festival in September!

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