A Musical Night to Remember at the Grandview!

Mill Street Loft’s

2012 Annual Friends of the Arts Awards Fundraiser - a Musical Night to Remember at the Grandview!

Mill Street Loft, the award winning multi-arts educational center located at 45 Pershing Avenue in Poughkeepsie held their 15th Annual Friends of the Arts Awards Dinner at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie on Thursday night, March 8th.  This festive fundraiser, benefiting  Mill Street Loft Youth Outreach,  Scholarship,and Arts for Healing programs honored organizations and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the arts, education and youth in our community over the past year .  This year’s event recognized The Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Clearwater and Marist College.   Each of these honorees has consistently provided support to Mill Street Loft Arts programs and to many other organizations throughout the Hudson Valley.

The 15th Annual Friend of the Arts fundraiser was well attended and a huge success thanks to many generous supporters and volunteers.  Executive Director, Carole Wolf, along with event co-chairs Elayne and Hal Seaman of Poughkeepsie and Chair of Design and Decorations Diana Salsberg of Poughkeepsie (a professional set designer formerly with Jim Henson and the Muppets) produced an artistic and uplifting event with a musical theme that will be remembered!

Lisa Morris, Director of Marketing for Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, served as Master of Ceremonies – she did an outstanding job of making the event entertaining for everyone!  Together with a wonderful variety of music supplied by world renowned Saxophonist and musician Salvo, Soprano Amy D. Pender accompanied by Pianist Gabriella Fryer, and First Violin of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Carole Cowan and First Cello of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Susan Seligman, the audience was treated to fine sampling of some of the greatest music the Hudson Valley has to offer.

Thanks go out to all who attended this event!

2012 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Announced

Mill Street Loft Arts located at 45 Pershing Avenue in Poughkeepsie, NY is pleased to announce that several students enrolled in the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft have received important awards in the 2012 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for the Hudson Valley Region – which includes the counties of Sullivan, Dutchess, Ulster and Orange.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have an impressive legacy dating back to 1923 and a noteworthy roster of past winners including Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates. The Awards are an important opportunity for students to be recognized for their creative talents. Teens in grades 7 through 12 can apply in 28 categories of art and writing for the chance to earn scholarships and have their works exhibited or published.  Submissions are juried by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.

The following Art Institute of Mill Street Loft students, who have all studied with Art Institute Director Todd Poteet or Mill Street Loft  faculty members Michael Farrell and Rick Price have received recognition; Nicolina Acampora, who attends Arlington High School received a Gold Key Award for her drawing  “Self Portrait”.  Emily Adamo, who attends Valley Central High School won both Gold Key and American Visions Awards for her mixed media piece “Important Things” and also a Gold Key award for her painting “Father’s Day”.  Kanika Gupta who attends John Jay Senior High School won Gold Key Awards for her drawings “Candlelight” and “Donny”.  Alexis Hill who attends John Jay Senior High School won a Gold Key Award for her photograph “the Dragonfly” and Jessica Jones who also attends John Jay Senior High School won a Gold Key Award for her drawing “the Bicycle”.  Suzanne Knop of Arlington High School received a Gold Key award for her painting “Cupcakes”.  Isabella Starvaggi of Lagrange Middle School won a Gold Key Award for her Photograph “Suzanne, I’ll get in the Tree” and Helen Sywalski of Monticello High School took several Gold Key awards for her portfolio, two designs “Steve Jobs Brochure” and “Emigration,” her print “Pharmaceuticals” and three mixed media pieces – “the Black Hole, “Knitting” and “Physics Class”.  Arlington High School student Alexis Volpe was also awarded a Silver Key Award for her Portfolio.

Students who win at the regional level are celebrated at local ceremonies and have their work showcased in exhibitions, publications and at public readings. National Medalists are celebrated at a prestigious Carnegie Hall ceremony and have their work showcased in reputable galleries in New York City. This years Hudson Valley Affiliate Art Awards Ceremony took place at SUNY New Paltz’s McKenna Hall on February 10. The work exhibited in this year’s scholastic show in New Paltz demonstrates the high level of work that high school students are capable of and that the arts are alive and well in our beloved Hudson Valley.

The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft is designed for motivated, artistically and career-minded teens ages 14 – 19 to help develop their ideas and build skills in the visual arts. Mill Street Loft believes that every student should be given a firm foundation to build upon. They each explore the depth of shape, color, line, texture, space and movement and the importance of conceptualism in developing scholarship-level portfolios. Every course is taught by working professional artists in the field who approach teaching from a mentor position. In the last 12 years graduates of the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft have received offers of more than $24,000,000 in merit based scholarships to college. For more information on the Art Institute and other Mill Street Loft programs please call 845-471-7477 or visit  www.millstreetloft.org.

Friend of the Arts Award