Mill Street Loft News

November 2008 Mill Street Loft events – 845-471-7477, info@millstreetloft.org:

Tuesday, November 4, 5:00-8:00 pm – College visit from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) Boston at Mill Street Loft, 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY.  Rep will outline  SMFA programs, review students’ portfolios and answer questions. FREE to art students and their parents.  Call 471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

Thursday, November 6, 4:00-8:00 pm – 8th Annual Regional Portfolio Day at The Henry A. Wallace Center, FDR Presidential Library and Home, Route 9, in Hyde Park. An opportunity for serious high school art students to meet with and have their portfolios reviewed by representatives from more than 35 of the most prestigious art schools in the nation. This event is made possible by a grant from the McCann Foundation. FREE Admission. Call 845-471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org. 

Friday, November 7, 6:30-8:30 pm – Educator’s Forum – “Slides, Websites & CD’s…OH MY”. Featuring representatives from leading college and university art schools and departments, designed to help teens, parents and art teachers prepare for the college application process. FREE Admission. Call 845-471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org. 

Saturday, November 8, Noon to 4:00 pm – College visit - representative from Montserrat College of Art, at Mill Street Loft, 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY.  Rep will discuss Montserrat’s  programs, review students’ portfolios and answer questions. FREE to art students and their parents.  Call 471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

Friday, November 14, 7:00-9:00 pm - Spoken word & poetry jam at the Muddy Cup Cafe, Main Street, Poughkeepsie.  Girls from PASWORD & Project AWARE empowerment programs present recent work. FREE & Open to the public.  Call 471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

NEW - Tuesday November 18, 5:30 to 8:30pm – College visit, rep from The Art Institute of Chicago, at Mill Street Loft, 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY. Interested students should bring a portfolio for review. FREE to art students and their parents.  Call 471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

Thursday, November 20, 4:30 pm – Dedication at Mill Street Loft of the “Give Us A Hand” bronze sculpture. The public reception and installation celebrating “A Community of Giving,” and saluting the many area participants who “gave their hand” toward this sculpture will take place at the entrance to Mill Street Loft, 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY.  The ribbon cutting will be presided over by Charles North, President and CEO of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce.  FREE admission. For further information, call 845-471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

CHANGED - Date & time to be confirmed -week of November 24 – Opening of PASWORD & Project AWARE Alumnae Art Exhibit. This show created by teen girls from the Cities of Poughkeepsie and Beacon includes nature studies in acrylics and words, uniquely fashioned Tee-shirt art and clothing, an interactive component, and a sneak preview of PASWORD’s 10th Anniversary poetry collection being assembled for publication next year. “Summer Expressions” reflect girls’ experiences from a variety of outdoor experiences including survival skills, hiking and canoeing, and reveals imaginative perspectives. FREE admission.  For further information, call 845-471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.  ###
 

MILL STREET LOFT NOVEMBER EVENTS: 

Tuesday, November 4, 5:00-8:00 pm – College visit from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA) Boston at Mill Street Loft, 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY.  Rep will outline  SMFA programs, review students’ portfolios and answer questions. FREE to art students and their parents.  Call 471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

Thursday, November 6, 4:00-8:00 pm – 8th Annual Regional Portfolio Day at The Henry A. Wallace Center, FDR Presidential Library and Home, Route 9, in Hyde Park. An opportunity for serious high school art students to meet with and have their portfolios reviewed by representatives from more than 35 of the most prestigious art schools in the nation. This event is made possible by a grant from the McCann Foundation. FREE Admission. Call 845-471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org. 

Friday, November 7, 6:30-8:30 pm – Educator’s Forum – “Slides, Websites & CD’s…OH MY”. Featuring representatives from leading college and university art schools and departments, designed to help teens, parents and art teachers prepare for the college application process. FREE Admission. Call 845-471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org. 

Saturday, November 8, Noon to 4:00 pm – College visit - representative from Montserrat College of Art, at Mill Street Loft, 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY.  Rep will discuss Montserrat’s  programs, review students’ portfolios and answer questions. FREE to art students and their parents.  Call 471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

Thursday, November 20, 4:30 pm – Dedication at Mill Street Loft of the “Give Us A Hand” bronze sculpture. The public reception and installation celebrating “A Community of Giving,” and saluting the many area participants who “gave their hand” toward this sculpture will take place at the entrance to Mill Street Loft, 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY.  The ribbon cutting will be presided over by Charles North, President and CEO of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce.  FREE admission. For further information, call 845-471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

Sunday, November 23, 2:00-5:00 pm – Opening reception for PASWORD & Project AWARE Alumnae Art Exhibit. This show created by teen girls from the Cities of Poughkeepsie and Beacon includes nature studies in acrylics and words, uniquely fashioned Tee-shirt art and clothing, an interactive component, and a sneak preview of PASWORD’s 10th Anniversary poetry collection being assembled for publication next year. “Summer Expressions” reflect girls’ experiences from  a variety of outdoor experiences including survival skills, hiking and canoeing, and reveals imaginative perspectives. FREE admission.  For further information, call 845-471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

Michael Gallo Farrell, a professional photographer for more than 25 years, is an artist and teacher. Gallo Farrell teaches in Poughkeepsie at the Oakwood Friends School and at the Art Institute of the Mill Street Loft, where he is the Associate Director and Director of Photography.  His exhibit at the Mill Street Loft Gallery, 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY, entitled: ”An Organic Octave Overture” is a now-and-then show embracing the theme of the natural world and real music. This solo show is a combination of traditional and digital photography. The opening reception on Saturday, October 18, 2008, from 5 to 9 pm will be a celebration with ethnic food, spirits and live music.  It is FREE and open to the public.  The exhibit will be on view through November 20 and is open Monday-Friday 10 am to 4:30 pm.  For further information, visit the Mill Street Loft website: www.millstreetloft.org,  call 845-471-7477 or email: info@millstreetloft.org.

Michael Gallo Farrell has created a photographic celebration of music and art — an overture that celebrates the beauty of the Hudson Valley and which nurtures the pursuit of organic music, hard work and coexistence. His love of music and the appreciation of musicians of the highest standards are showcased in the photographs of Carlos Santana, Bob Marley, John Mellencamp, members of The Band, Don McLean, Derek Trucks and Bill Perry, among many others. His love of the Hudson Valley, its musicians and artists, such as Frederic Church, and the scenes that inspired the Hudson River School of Art are the catalysts for some of his most recent work. Gallo Farrell uses both film and digital formats. Traditional photographic printing in the darkroom and digital Photoshop art are the technical sides of the “Now and Then” subtext.  Santana was recently photographed in Albany, while the photos of Bob Marley and Don McLean date from the 1970s. 

Mill Street Loft is a multi-arts educational center that provides a wide range of innovative programs, art classes and workshops for Hudson Valley audiences of all ages and backgrounds.  These include The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft, a pre-college portfolio development for motivated teens interested in careers in the visual arts, as well as several outreach programs for at-risk teens, and a new Arts For Healing program in partnership with Vassar Brothers Medical Center.

For further information: info@millstreetloft.org. End

The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft celebrates it’s Tenth Anniversary with a salute to its Founder/Director Todd Poteet, and host and supporter of its expanding Summer Art Intensive at Marist College, Timmian Massie, Chief of Public Affairs. The fundraising event on Thursday, October 2nd, from 5:00-7:30 pm at the Vassar Alumnae House, will benefit the Scholarship Fund, which provides opportunities for aspiring young Hudson Valley artists from economically disadvantaged homes to attend the unique pre-college portfolio development program for teens interested in pursuing careers in the visual arts. Event attendees will enjoy a festive cocktail reception and silent auction of works donated by working Art Institute alumni, faculty, current students and other area artists. Tickets are $35 per person and may be reserved from the Mill Street Loft office, 845-471-7477 or on-line at www.millstreetloft.org.

The brainchild of artist/educator Todd Poteet, The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft has helped its 200 graduates to receive offers of more than 12 million dollars in merit-based scholarships to the nation’s leading universities, colleges and distinguished art schools including: Pratt Institute, the School of Visual Arts, the School of the Chicago Institute of Art, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Columbus College of Art and Design, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) among others. The Art Institute was established in 1998 with after-school and Saturday courses in a core curriculum of drawing, painting, photography, portfolio development and sculpture. To supplement these courses, and with the support and collaborative assistance of Timmian (Tim) Massie, Chief of Public Affairs at Marist College, the Summer Art Intensive was begun at Marist’s Steel Plant Studios on Route 9. In 2009 this program will include a new residential component for students (both local and from abroad) who wish to attend.

Todd Poteet is Director of The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft and owns Pen & Ink Creative, a graphic design firm. He holds a BFA in illustration and a Master’s in art education, and has taught at Pratt Institute’s Saturday School, LaGuardia H.S. for Visual and Performing Arts. Todd is the recipient of several prestigious awards including: Mill Street Loft’s “Friend of the Arts Award”, the Dutchess County Executive Arts Award for Art Education, The “40 Under 40 Shaker Award,” and the “Congressional Medal for the Arts.”

Timmian (Tim) Massie joined Marist College in 1994 and, as chief public affairs officer, is the official Marist spokesman, as well as a recognized leader in the use of technology in media relations. A Poughkeepsie native, Tim is a graduate of Dutchess Community College. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Fordham University, and studied at Iona College, the North American College in Vatican City and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. While in Europe, he was a commissioned officer in the US Air Force Reserves, and worked with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. He has also served with distinction as a volunteer and Board member with more than 40 community organizations.
The Art Institute will host its 8th Annual Regional Portfolio Day on November 6, 2008 at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. It is free and open to the public and attended by more than 40 college reps and hundreds of aspiring art students and their parents and teachers. The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft has received continuing support from the McCann Foundation, the Dyson Foundation, the Community Foundation of Dutchess County, the Surdna Foundation, the Dutchess County Arts Council and the New York State Council on the Arts, as well as from hundreds of individuals and corporations.  For further information about the October 2nd Anniversary celebration at Vassar’s Alumnae House, the November 6 Regional Portfolio Day or for the catalogue of Art Courses for Fall 2008, please contact info@millstreetloft.org, check the website at www.millstreetloft.org or call Mill Street Loft at 845-471-7477.      End

Fifty students, ages 11 to 14, worked intensively this summer learning and improving drawing and painting skills at Mill Street Loft’s Junior Art Institute.  An exhibit of their art opens Saturday, September 20 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Mill Street Loft Gallery, 45 Pershing Avenue in the City of Poughkeepsie (off Route 44/55 Westbound).  Their work features an array of subjects from self-portraits to shoes. Students worked in multi media including pencil, charcoal, ink, watercolor and acrylics during the four one-week intensive sessions.  The “meet the artists’ Reception is free and open to the public and the art exhibit is open Mondays through Fridays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The curriculum for this summer’s Mill Street Loft’s Junior Art Institute was developed by Todd Poteet Director of The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft in collaboration with core artist educators Elizabeth Dama and Aliza Driller, chair of the art department in the Highland Central School District. Their goal is to foster each student’s self-discovery and the ability to express themselves and their ideas visually and to connect to the world around them through creativity and art. They believe that artists are not born, but developed through hard work, focus and skill building.

Three Junior Art Institute courses for students ages 11-14 will be offered at Mill Street Loft studios during Fall 2008.  These include:  Animation & Sequential Drawing with Emmy award-winning storyboard artist Will Sweeney; Drawing & Painting Skill Building for Home School Students with Laura Hammond Toonkel and Drawing and Painting with core teaching artist Elizabeth Dama.  Ms. Dama teaches her students that: “Becoming an artist is an act of courage.”  For further information about the Junior Art Institute and/or Mill Street Loft’s other programs for children, teens and adults, please visit the website at www.millstreetloft.org or call for a brochure at 471-7477.  end

The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft in Poughkeepsie, a pre-college portfolio development program for high school art students aspiring to careers in the visual arts, sponsors a series of presentations by college representatives from the nation’s leading art schools.  The first in the Fall 2008 series – “Addressing Portfolio Challenges” will take place Thursday, September 4, 6:30-8:30 pm at 45 Pershing Avenue, off Route 44/55 in the City of Poughkeepsie.  Representatives from the California College of the Arts, Maryland Institute College of Arts (MICA) and Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) will each make a short presentation about his/her school, review student’s portfolios and answer questions.  The event is free and open to the public.  Mill Street Loft is a community-based, multi-arts center providing a wide variety of creative, educational and culturally-enriching programs to Hudson Valley audiences of all ages. The 2008 Fall art courses catalogue is posted on the www.millstreetloft.org website with on-line registration available. For a brochure or additional information, please call 845-471-7477.  End

PASWORD & Project AWARE Alumnae Celebrate with Art & Poetry in Beacon

On Tuesday, August 5, 6:00-8:00 pm, alumnae girls from PASWORD (Program for Adolescent Student Women Of Real Direction-Poughkeepsie) & Project AWARE (Adolescent Women Are Realizing Empowerment -Beacon) will offer a unique program entitled Summer Expressions at the Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main Street in Beacon, NY.  Join them and their families as they celebrate the fruits of their five week journey of adventure, creation and exploration through visual arts and poetry as they offer a sneak peek at a 10th anniversary (of PASWORD) poetry book to be published in 2009.  The artists reception and reading are FREE to the public.  For additional information, please call 845-471-7477 or visit www.millstreetloft.org.  Funding for PASWORD & Project AWARE programs is provided through the Dutchess County Children’s Services Council, the United Way of DC, the Community Foundation of DC –Turk Family Funds, and the Dyson Foundation.

Three art students and their teachers from TIPAV (Talleres de Iniciacion Profesionala las artes Visuales) in Tlaxcala, Mexico are guests at Mill Street Loft’s Summer Art Intensive at Marist College during the final session, July 28-August 8.  Students, Helena Garza Alvarez (18), Emerson Balderas Fernandez (25) and Mariana Perez Rojas (25) and teachers, Rosa MaFucio Parra, Pedro Benitez Moreno and Abel Benitez Figuero arrived in Poughkeepsie Saturday, July 26 from Mexico and promptly began a whirlwind of studies and activities. Hosted by Art Institute families, the artists have a unique opportunity to learn new skills and visit Hudson Valley cultural and historic sites. In addition, time in the United States will allow them to practice their English, make new friends and share their interests and insights. Sponsored by their native Instituto Tlaxcalteca De La Cultura and thanks to special scholarships from the Summer Art Intensive, this is sure to be two weeks that the students won’t forget.

The idea for this summer’s cultural exchange began during Mill Street Loft’s first  international study trip to Mexico in summer 2007, where students and teachers from the Art Institute worked collaboratively with Mexican students and teachers on a mural at their school in Tlaxcala.  Alexandra Baer, the Art Institute’s bi-lingual master sculptor and primary translator Says, “It has been a wonderful experience teaching these young artists in so many mediums! Now more than ever, it is so important to have an inter-cultural dialogue, and what better expression of culture than art?”  Indeed, this is the first time the students have worked on sculpture, although they are continuing their studies in drawing, painting, and photography.

Artworks produced by these and the other thirty five students at the Summer Art Intensive will be on display at the Steel Plant Studio on Route 9, across from the main entrance to Marist College on Friday afternoon, August 8 from 3:00-4:30 pm.  The public is welcome and admission is free.  For further information, please contact Todd Poteet, Director of the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft at tpoteet@millstreetloft.org or call 845-471-7477.

EVENTS SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2009

Mill Street Loft is a community-based, multi-arts center in Poughkeepsie, NY bringing a wide variety of creative, educational and culturally-enriching programs to Hudson Valley audiences of all ages. The 2009 Fall art courses catalogue is posted on the www.millstreetloft.org website and registrations may be made on-line. For a brochure or additional information, please call 845-471-7477.  In addition, Mill Street Loft also hosts art exhibits, educational forums and other special events. Below is the Fall events schedule.  Please note: events take place at Mill Street Loft, 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY, off Route 44/55 westbound, unless otherwise indicated.

Thursday, September 4, 4:30-6:30 PM – Educator’s Forum – “Addressing Portfolio Challenges” featuring representatives from leading college and university art schools and departments, designed to help teens, parents and art teachers prepare for the college application process. FREE Admission.

Saturday, September 20, 5:00-7:00 pm – Junior Art Institute of Mill Street Loft Exhibit Opening Reception - drawings and paintings created by students ages 11-14 during four week-long summer sessions. Meet the artists and enjoy refreshments. FREE Admission. 

Thursday, October 2, 5:30-7:30 pm – A 10th Anniversary Celebration of The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft at the Vassar Alumnae House, Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY.  The event will benefit the Scholarship Fund and includes an art auction, cocktails and hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and special INSIDE/OUTSIDE salute.  Admission:  $35 per person.

Saturday, October 18, 5:00-7:00 pm – Photographer Michael Gallo Farrell Solo Exhibit Opening Reception. The artist/photographer will offer a gallery-talk about his work and experiences. Michael Gallo Farrell is co-director of The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft and noted free-lance photographer and teacher.  FREE admission & refreshments.

Thursday, November 6, 4:00-8:00 pm – 8th Annual Regional Portfolio Day at The Henry A. Wallace Center, FDR Presidential Library and Home, Route 9, in Hyde Park. An opportunity for serious art students to meet with and have their portfolios reviewed by representatives from more than 35 of the most prestigious art schools in the nation. FREE Admission.

Friday, November 7, 6:30-8:30 pm – Educator’s Forum – “Slides, Websites & CD’s…OH MY”. Featuring representatives from leading college and university art schools and departments, designed to help teens, parents and art teachers prepare for the college application process. FREE Admission.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MILL STREET LOFT ANNOUNCES NEW ARTS COURSES FOR ALL AGES FOR FALL 2008

Sketch, stretch, sculpt, pinch, paint, draw, weld, click and create under the guidance of professional artists with expertise in diverse media and disciplines in a supportive and encouraging environment with Mill Street Loft this Fall.  Whether preparing to enter a college level visual arts program, beginning to see the world as a pre-schooler or home schooler, or rediscovering an interest in the arts as an adult, Mill Street Loft provides a wide range of exciting courses to choose from at several different locations.

NEW this Fall - daytime classes for adults in movement and drawing; extended Junior Art Institute classes in Animation and Sequential Drawing; and off-site offerings which include:  a Figurative Clay class for teens at Barrett Clay Works and an intergenerational music experience for ages 4-7 with elders through CPD Music near Millbrook. The Art Institute of Mill Street, a portfolio development program for teens interested in pursuing careers in the visual arts, continues to offer intensive classes and workshops to help prepare students for advanced study in drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and welding.  The Junior Art Institute, for ages 11-14, which was sold out during the summer, will expand its skill development courses in drawing and painting in the Fall. The popular ART EXCEL classes for ages 8-11, Clay Creations for ages 7-11 and Arts Camp Fall Fun for ages 4-8 will also be offered, as well as new courses for adults both during the day and evenings.

Mill Street Loft is a community based not for profit multi-arts center based at 45 Pershing Avenue in Poughkeepsie, NY that provides a wide range of creative, educational and culturally enriching programs to diverse audiences of all ages.  The complete schedule is listed at the Mill Street Loft website: www.millstreetloft.org and brochures will be available in mid-summer. On-line registration is accepted with a VISA or Mastercard charge.  For further information, please call 845-471-7477.
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