Call Opens: March 18, 2024

Call Closes: April 22, 2024
Exhibition Dates: June 14 - Aug 9, 2024

The exhibition is located at the Trolley Barn, 489 Main St., Poughkeepsie, New York

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

The Trolley Barn Gallery is pleased to open the call for Earth’s Reflection, an international juried exhibition that recontextualizes the Trolley Barn Gallery’s 3,000-square-foot space into a progressive and thought-provoking landscape. This exhibition will focus on artistic interpretations of pollution prevention including themes of environmental activism and urban revitalization. Artists exploring themes inspired by the Earth, ecology, geology and biology, regreening, native lands, and community stewardship are encouraged to apply. 

Earth’s Reflection is open to all visual media: interdisciplinary, multimedia, installation, contemporary, crafts, video art, soundscapes/sound art, performance art, and design in 2D and 3D. Artists working with trash, sound, video, and/or performance are encouraged to submit. 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. 

Youth employed in The Art Effect’s curatorial training and community engagement programs are venturing into youth-led climate change activism and placekeeping. To support the continuous exchange of ideas and resources, youth will collaborate with community organizations and Hudson-Valley-based artists who utilize unconventional and up-cycled materials in their work. Youth Arts Empowerment Zone Liaisons and the Trolley Barn Curatorial Team will host a number of community clean-ups throughout the exhibition. Poughkeepsie youth will promote, educate, and create community discourse around the ideas of pollution prevention through a public art exhibition and related environmental educational programming. With the support of local artists and community leaders, the youth curators will equip themselves with the skills to become environmental leaders who can think outside the box and inspire collective action and upkeeping in our local community.

This exhibition will be open during the Hudson Valley’s Upstate Art Weekend - June 18 through 21 - for educational, family-friendly exhibition events and activities. Upstate Art Weekend is a connective annual event for locals and tourists to celebrate the cultural vibrancy of upstate New York. With 145 participants and thousands of visitors in 2022, the Trolley Barn Gallery is excited to, once again, be one of many fascinating organizations, galleries, and creative projects to join Upstate Art Weekend. 

This international juried exhibition will be held June 14 through August 9, 2024 at The Art Effect's Trolley Barn Gallery, 489 Main St., Poughkeepsie, New York, with an Opening Reception Friday, June 14, 6-8pm.  

Artists will be notified within approximately 2-3 weeks after the deadline in an email about the selection status of their entries. 

Acceptance into Trolley Barn Gallery exhibitions will prompt automatic enrollment in the Trolley Barn Gallery mailing list. To opt out of receiving the Trolley Barn newsletter and regular exhibition updates please check the “OPT OUT” line of your Loan Registration Agreement or email the gallery at trolleybarn@thearteffect.org.

About the Research

The artwork selection process for the exhibition is part of The Art Effect’s innovative youth curatorial program that brings together established arts professionals and local youth to present high-caliber art exhibitions. Trolley Barn Gallery youth curators read contemporary art magazines, speak to local artists, and adventure on educational field trips to research the styles, media and concepts associated with each exhibition theme. This is an important aspect of their training as it opens pathways for youth to consider careers in art galleries and as professional artists and informs them on modern curatorial practices. 

About the Jurying Process
This is a juried exhibition. Submitting available works through this application does not guarantee your inclusion in the show. Application fees are nonrefundable. Youth curators work with a nationally recognized guest curator to narrow the selections based on execution, innovation, and relevance to the curatorial narrative. 

About the Artwork Selection
Artists may enter recent works not previously exhibited with the Trolley Barn Gallery. Talented youth curators select artworks for the exhibition and design the experience of the showcase. Art selections inform the design, wayfinding and vibe of the exhibition. Themes of the artworks selected influences the development of community-focused exhibition events, specific to each Trolley Barn Gallery exhibition. Artwork selected for the exhibition will be shown in the Trolley Barn Gallery - as well as - in an online virtual gallery on the Trolley Barn’s website. 

Sale of Works
Exhibiting artists may specify a retail price for work that is available for purchase or note the work as “Not for Sale”.  The Art Effect will retain a commission fee of 20% of the sale price for members of The Art Effect and current students; for non-members, the commission fee is 30%. 

IMPORTANT DATES:

Entry Deadline: April 22, 2024 at 11:59 PM Mountain Time Zone
Notification of accepted artwork: May 5, 2024
Delivery of accepted artwork: May 6, - May 25, 2024
Exhibition: June 15 - August 9, 2024

Art Return: August 20 - September 7, 2024 

Events:

Opening Reception: June 14, 2024, 6-8pm

Lecture and Community Clean Up: July 19

Family Friendly Art Workshop: July 20

Panel Discussion: August 2

About The Art Effect:

The Art Effect empowers young people to develop their creative voice to shape their futures and bring about positive social change. The Art Effect (formerly Mill Street Loft + Spark Media Project) 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 throughout the Hudson Valley each year.

The Trolley Barn Gallery:

The mission of The Art Effect at the Trolley Barn is to train youth as leaders who catalyze the community through the arts and re-energize downtown Poughkeepsie. Exhibitions at the Trolley Barn are free and open to the public — so there are no financial barriers to access.

Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ):

The Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) is a long-term initiative to establish a youth-led arts district along Main Street in Poughkeepsie with The Art Effect as the anchor arts institution. This initiative is a roadmap for place-keeping through the arts.

Funding provided by the Environmental Protection Fund as administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Any opinions, findings, and/or interpretations of data contained herein are the responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions, interpretations, or policy of Rochester Institute of Technology and its NYS Pollution Prevention Institute or the State. 

Application Requirements

Submitting Entries:

General fee/non-members: $25 for the first three images plus $5 for each additional image. 15 images max, including up to 3 video submissions. 

Trolley Barn Gallery Members: Free for the first three images plus $5 for each additional image.15 images max, including up to 3 video submissions. (coupon code required)  

City of Poughkeepsie Residents (zip code 12601 or 12603): 50% submission fees for the first three images plus $5 for each additional image. 15 images max, including up to 3 video submissions. (coupon code required) 

Current students and staff of The Art Effect: $10 for the first three images plus $5 for each additional image, 15 images max, including up to 3 video submissions.  (coupon code required) 

Please email trolleybarn@thearteffect.org for the applicable coupon code.  To become a member, visit, trolleybarn.org/membership 

Eligibility Criteria

Artwork specifications

We recommended a maximum of 10 feet in any direction; there is no minimum. 2D artwork should not weigh in excess of 60 pounds. Artwork must be exhibition ready with appropriate frames and hardware as applicable (we prefer wire hanging systems but any hanging mechanism is accepted). Please contact us at trolleybarn@feelthearteffect.org for consideration if your work exceeds these specifications or if your work needs special instructions – we may be able to accommodate your work. The Trolley Barn Gallery is suitable for a range of artwork sizes and media, and we are pleased to work with invited artists to ensure effective installation and presentation of their artwork. Site plan available on request. If you have less than three images or media, please create a blank image that reads "This page intentionally left blank" in order to meet the minimum of three uploads. Please do not upload multiple images of one artwork. If an artwork is best viewed from multiple angles, upload a video of your submission to capture its dimensionality.