“Earth’s Reflection” Exhibition

Exhibition: June 14 – August 9, 2024

When the Earth sees its reflection, will it be proud or scared of what it’s become?

For this exhibition, the Trolley Barn Gallery will bring together a compassionate roster of artists who specialize in work that brings attention to pollution prevention in a way that offers solutions for one of humanity’s most pressing global crises. This exhibition will focus on artistic interpretations of pollution prevention including themes of environmental justice and climate change activism. Artists explored themes inspired by the Earth; translating the sciences of ecology and geology to an experiential art. This exhibition features artists working in 2D and 3D mediums of upcycled materials, sound, video, and performance.

We are looking back at our mistakes, looking forward to solutions, and holding space for our present circumstances. And with the education and support of local artists and activists, the youth curators have equipped themselves with the skills to think outside the box and inspire collective action in Poughkeepsie.

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

The Episode Where a Gallery Exhibits Anime Art

Exhibition: February 23 – March 22, 2024

In this episode, the Trolley Barn Gallery called artists from all over the globe to celebrate anime, manga, and comic books through a vibrant exhibition of art inspired by Japanese animation, manga and comic books. The youth curators accepted a diverse array of art including: figurines, character designs, sketches, photography, collage, digital art and cosplay props to explore how anime is a language that articulates our unique identities.

In the last 30 years there has developed a unique exchange between youth in Black American communities and youth in urban Japanese cultures. The most obvious evidence of this exchange is in the influx of popularity in anime and manga in the US and in hip hop music and fashion in Japan. This summer the youth curators from the Trolley Barn Youth Curatorial Team investigated that exchange on a field trip to the Brooklyn Museum to view Oscar yi Hou’s exhibition “East of sun, West of moon”. Yi Hou, a British-born Cantonese artist now living in Brooklyn, usesd common Japanese and Chinese, Japanese and East Asian motifs to adorn portraits of his ethnically diverse American friends as an exploration of “Asia America.” The youth curators were inspired by this style and wanted to create an exhibition that also playsed with the influence of using Japanese pop culture onto explore the deeper questions of representation.

Senior Project Student Feature: Julie Woods

Featuring Julie Woods, a Senior Project Student.

“In this body of work I explore the unspoken yet deeply connected relationships between the lives of strangers, along with the unique experiences which unite us as a people who believe we are divided. My first pieces are my most literal; the awkwardness of an elevator and mundanity in the supermarket. These began my journey into the human experience and acted as a necessary foundation for how I would later develop as both an artist and creative thinker.” – Julie Woods, Senior Project Student

The Senior Project Exhibition is on view until Friday, January 13. To view the rest of Julie’s statement and works, stop by the Trolley Barn Gallery during gallery hours!

First In-Person Artist Talk at the Trolley Barn Gallery!

Join us for our first in-person Artist Talk!

We invite the art lovers of Poughkeepsie to join us for the Trolley Barn’s very first in-person Artist Talk on Saturday, Oct. 1st, from 6 – 8pm. The talk will feature a panel of three artists who have been selected by our student curators to speak on the topic of bringing WONDER to the community and POWER to our personage. Though it will not be live-streamed, you’ll be able to watch the recording on the website afterwards. We hope to see you there!

Oaxaca Week: July 29 – August 5, 2022

Oaxaca Week in Poughkeepsie celebrates our city’s connection with traditions from the diverse Mexican region from July 29 – August 5. Click here for more more information and a full lineup of events. At the center is an exhibition of authentic Oaxacan textiles in “Tlazotl, Weaver’s Wings,” showcasing actual indigenous garb, on display at the Trolley Barn (489 Main Street, Poughkeepsie). 

It’s sister exhibition, “Art in a Suitcase: Women Creators of the World” at the MASS Design Group (289 Main Street, Poughkeepsie), features six Oaxacan female artists in a variety of media: photography, ceramics, oil and watercolor painting. 

The public is invited to the joint opening of these exhibitions at the Trolley Barn on Friday, July 29 from 4 pm to 6 pm, where food will be served that highlights the diverse culinary traditions of the Oaxacan region. The curator, Nora Isela Ortiz Muro, will present a talk at the Trolley Barn on Wednesday, August 3 at 5 pm.

Gallery Hours
Wed-Fri 2-5 PM • Sat 12–4 PM
(during exhibitions only)

High Contrast International Juried Exhibition

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