For young people with creative minds, getting involved in the arts gives a voice to their innermost worlds and develops their identities in ways that can positively impact the rest of their lives. For over 40 years, the Poughkeepsie-based nonprofit The Art Effect has provided countless opportunities for young people to explore and excel in the arts through classes, programs, and events that help them develop real world skills and guide them toward their academic and career goals.
On Friday, November 15 from 6 to 9pm, the organization will honor the important work of community and arts leaders working to further those same goals and improve the lives of those in Poughkeepsie and the surrounding Hudson Valley with its sixth annual Art After Dark fundraising event. This year’s event honors Hezues R., media entrepreneur, activist, and alumnus of The Art Effect, Karmen Smallwood, community leader, youth advocate, and friend of The Art Effect, and Dutchess Community College, educational innovator and partner of The Art Effect.
“Attendance at Art After Dark helps further our mission to empower youth to develop their artistic voice, shape their futures, and bring about positive social change,” says Pamela Perry, The Art Effect’s Managing Director.
This year’s gala, held at the organization’s Trolley Barn Gallery, will also offer attendees a one-of-a-kind immersive art experience, alongside culinary delights and cocktails with a creative twist. Attendees will be able to explore “The Duo Show” at the Trolley Barn Gallery, currently on view through November 8, which will reopen for one night only during Art After Dark on November 15.
The exhibition features two artists whose works transform the 3,000-square-foot space into a powerful interplay on the themes of childhood, displacement, loss, and hope—sparking an essential dialogue about the roles humans have in nurturing or inhibiting the growth of the next generation.
Born amid the chaos of the first Liberian war, painter and photographer Kimmah M. Dennis’s works resonate with issues of government abuses, forced child recruitment, and harrowing escape. Shown alongside is artist and executive director of Unison Arts Marielena Ferrer’s “Broken Monarchs,” an installation which reflects both her background as an immigrant from Spain and Venezuela, and her response to recent U.S child separation immigration policies.
Reflective of the organization’s mission, the show is curated by The Art Effect’s Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) Curatorial Team—part of the organization’s long-term goal to create a youth-led arts district in downtown Poughkeepsie—in collaboration with guest curator Indira A. Abiskaroon, Curatorial Assistant of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum.
The Art Effect’s sixth annual Art After Dark fundraising gala will take place Friday, November 15 from 6 to 9pm at The Trolley Barn Gallery in Poughkeepsie. To purchase tickets or make a donation in lieu of attendance, visit Thearteffect.org/tae-events/aad.
