DUTCHESS ARTS CAMP
Children ages 4 – 14 will join us all summer for our 32nd summer of Dutchess Arts Camp in Poughkeepsie, Beacon, Red Hook, and Millbrook.  Our weekly day camp offers visual and performing arts, claywork, singing, animation, and so much more.  Themes include:

•    Rainforest Retreat
•    Wacky Inventions
•    Hero’s Quest
•    Surf City
•    Magical Journeys

Make memories to last a lifetime as your child dances, sings, makes new friends, and discovers their best creative selves!

JUNIOR ART INSTITUTE
For students ages 11-14 who are already arts-focused, the Junior Art Institute is a place for aspiring artists to learn more about the foundations of great art.  Explore shape, color, line, and texture with a staff of professional artists.  In one week, your young artist will create work to amaze and astound…a great way to build confidence and skills in talented young people.

This year, the Junior Art Institute will take place at VASSAR COLLEGE, in the same studios as the Summer Art Intensive…a wonderful opportunity for your child to be inspired by older students while having the experience of working on the historic and beautiful campus of one of the country’s great colleges.

SUMMER ART INTENSIVE
Students ages 14 – 19 immerse themselves in art for two weeks, creating life-long friendships with like-minded artists.

A serious adventure for serious artists, the Summer Art Intensive offers a semester of art in 10 days.  This year, we have expanded our digital photography component; we’ll be exploring different paints and media, including  acrylics, oils, and encaustics; and we continue our work with traditional dark room photography.

Students learn from successful, working artists on campus at Vassar College.  Enrichment courses in figure drawing are available in the evenings.

JOIN US and create YOUR perfect summer.

Emily Adamo, Claire Burden, and Noah Towne will be featured in a three-person show at the Wolfgang Gallery in Montgomery, May 3 – June 1.  The opening reception will take place on Saturday, May 11th from 6 – 9 PM.  The gallery is owned by Michael Teutul from the hit TV show Orange County Choppers.

Claire, 16, Noah, 17, and Emily, 18, met as students oat the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft, where they have each become artists with their own specific and compelling points of view.

Noah’s art is focused on storytelling, engaging his viewer in a dialog while creating sequences of imagery.  Claire is an avid painter, creating compelling, graphic digital pieces.  Emily uses everyday surfaces, including doors, windows, old floor boards, and  scraps of wood to create images of great emotional resonance.

Emily had a successful solo show at the Wolfgang Gallery in 2012.  When the gallery owner asked her to solo again this year, she instead requested a group show with her two friends.  After being introduced to Claire and Noah’s work, the gallery happily agreed.

“It’s astounding for students of this age to be given a show at a professional gallery,” says Todd Poteet, Director of the Art Institute.  “It speaks to the maturity and quality of their work, and the great strides they’ve taken in becoming professional artists.”

MILL STREET LOFT HOSTS MUSIC AND ARTS CELEBRATION AT POUGHKEEPSIE GALLERIA

Mill Street Loft’s Dutchess Arts Camps will be offering arts activities and music for children and families on Saturday, April 6th, from 1 – 4 PM at the Poughkeepsie Galleria’ Center Court. This afternoon of celebration will feature award-winning musicians, dancing, drumming, and a host of arts activities for children ages 4 – 14.  The event is free to all participants.

Sponsored by Mill Street Loft and graciously hosted by the Poughkeepsie Galleria, the afternoon offers a taste of the Dutchess Arts Camp experience, which takes place at four locations in Poughkeepsie, Millbrook, Red Hook, and Beacon, throughout the summer.

The day will feature art demonstrations, including use of the ‘potter’s wheel’ to create clay bowls, mask making, printmaking, paper marbling, and much more. Children will have the opportunity to make a “cosmic parade hat” which they can use during an afternoon ‘sharing’ at 3pm. The ‘sharing’, a Dutchess Arts Camp tradition, is a culminating group sing-along and impromptu performance in which all students have an active part.

Says Ann Teed, Director of the Millbrook Dutchess Arts Camp, “This is a glimpse into our summer magic.  We are taking our fantastical, fun-filled camp experience to the public.”

In 2013, Dutchess Arts Camp celebrates its 32nd year of serving the Mid-Hudson Valley community and making an impact on children through the arts.  In fact, Dutchess Arts Camp was the first Mill Street Loft program.  The organization now serves thousands of children and adults throughout the year.

Participating musicians include past and present artists from Dutchess Arts Camps:  Bonga Jean Baptisti, Thomas Workman, the Shooting Star Express, Turtle Frog Music, and Jeffery Roberts.  These musicians, all past and present artists working at Dutchess Arts Camp, are award-winning children’s performers and teachers.  To view the full program line-up, visit dutchessartscamp.blogspot.com.

ABOUT MILL STREET LOFT: Mill Street Loft changes lives through the arts.  For more than 30 years, Mill Street Loft has served the Hudson Valley, using the arts to bridge cultural and economic differences and empower children and adults of all ages.  Our programs include our award-winning Outreach Programs for Youth, Arts for Healing, a year-round Art Institute, our four regional Dutchess Arts Camps, and monthly art exhibits.  All of our programs foster self-expression and support economic development, offering inspiration and opportunity to our ever-expanding audience. For more information about Mill Street Loft, please visit millstreetloft.org.

Poughkeepsie, NY — The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft is proud to announce the achievement of student Emily Adamo at this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Ms. Adamo was awarded more singular awards than any other competitor in the nation, garnishing seven individual awards and one portfolio award. Emily has been attending the Art Institute since she was 11 years old.

Says Art Institute Director Todd Poteet, “Even at a young age, Emily exhibited a drive to create powerful works of art far beyond her years. Scholastic’s acknowledgement is a welcome confirmation that she is on the path to artistic success. This outstanding accomplishment speaks to the dedication she has to her craft and artistic vision.”

Emily was awarded a Silver Medal for her Painting Portfolio; the American Visions Medal for her piece “Peek”; a Gold Medal for her piece “Exposure”; a Gold Medal for her piece “Room 338”; a Silver Medal for her piece “Drowsy”; a Silver Medal for her piece “Reflection”; a Silver Medal for her piece “Positive”; and a Duck Tape Mixed Media Award Winner for her piece “Exposure”.

“Mill Street Loft opened up doors for me I didn’t even know existed,” says Ms. Adamo. “Signing up for classes was one of, if not the most important decision I’ve made in my young adult life. My growth in the program technically, creatively, and emotionally will affect me forever.”

A Ceremony for the Scholastic Awards will be held in at Carnegie Hall in New York, May 30-June 1, 2013. 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.

ABOUT MILL STREET LOFT: Mill Street Loft changes lives through the arts. For more than 30 years, Mill Street Loft has served the Hudson Valley, using the arts to bridge cultural and economic differences and empower children and adults of all ages. Our programs include our award-winning Outreach Programs for Youth, Arts for Healing, a year-round Art Institute, our four regional Dutchess Arts Camps, and monthly art exhibits. All of our programs foster self-expression and support economic development, offering inspiration and opportunity to our ever-expanding audience. For more information, please visit millstreetloft.org or call 845.471.7477.

DATE: March 20, 2013
CONTACT: Todd Poteet, Director of the Art Institute, tpoteet@millstreetloft.org

Here I Was by Alex Hammerschmidt. Best of Show

See the amazing photographic works of High school students from around the region and 5 states nation wide. Cash prizes are given out for Best of Show, 1st Place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place and 3 honorable mentions. 68 works were chosen from almost 500 entries.

Opening Reception:  Saturday, March 16, 2013, 5-7pm
Exhibition dates:  March 16 — April 13, 2013

Jury
Al Nowak, On Location Photography
Michele Muir, Michele Muir Photography

Accepted Students

• Alexis Agnew Arlington HS, NY
• Olivia  Arcuri Spackenkill HS, NY
• Erica Arslanigan R. C. Ketcham HS, NY (Honorable Mention, In the Fire)
• Brenna Barkstrom Red Hook HS, NY
• Jacquline Casas Arlington HS, NY
• Mike Clemente Pawling HS, NY
• Allison Cerniglia Oakwood Friends School, NY
• Katie Court R. C. Ketcham HS, NY
• Michelle Devlin Spackenkill HS, NY
• Gabbi Feilen Oakwood Friends School, NY
• Nina Friesen Lawrence HS, KS
• Max Ginesin Eldred Jr-Sr HS, NY
• Tanner Glazer Lawrence HS, KS
• Anna Guiliano Monroe Woodbury HS, NY
• Alex Hammerschmidt Lawrence HS, KS (Best of Show, Here I was)
• Jacquline Harlow New Paltz HS, NY (1st Place, I See You)(Honorable Mention, Grandmother)
• Abby Higgins Red Hook HS, NY
• Ashley Hocking Lawrence HS, KS (Honorable Mention, Inner Fire)
• Alice Kelsey Lawrence HS, KS
• Ji Min Kim Oakwood Friends School, NY
• Abigail Kolvenbach Eldred Jr-Sr HS, NY
• Cameron Kucera New Paltz HS, NY
• Sarah Little Oakwood Friends School, NY
• Anja Loughman Eldred Jr-Sr HS, NY
• Honghao Lu Oakwood Friends School, NY
• Ryan Luna Lawrence HS, KS
• Tyler Magee Highland HS, NY (2nd Place, The Golden Age)
• Megan Mantaro Our Lady of Lourdes HS, NY
• Tyler Margotta Eldred Jr-Sr HS, NY
• Elizabeth Meyer Homeschool, NY
• Kearston Mohney Lawrence HS, KS
• Ashley Murray Raymond HS, NH
• Haley Powers Lawrence HS, KS
• Gracie Rinke Lawrence HS, KS
• Kaila Roffman Irondequat HS, NY
• Olivia Rugen Chatham HS, NY
• Zachary Shaw F.D. Roosevelt HS, NY
• Jonathan Stafford R. C. Ketcham HS, NY
• Sarah Sutterfield Lawrence HS, KS
• Tamar Towne Home, NY
• Brian Townsend Highland HS, NY
• Matthew Velardo Home School, NY (3rd Place, Gemütlichkeit)
• Gerald Warhafting Spackenkill HS, NY
• Rachel Woolery Lawrence HS, KS
• Xuan Ye Zhang Oakwood Friends School, NY
• Tony Zon Oakwood Friends School, NY

Contact Director Todd Poteet at tpoteet@millstreetloft.org or 845.471.7477 if you have any questions.

“Lighting the Way” honors Jon Handman, Mary Madden, and Andrew & Lila Meade

Have you bought your tickets yet? Don’t get caught in the dark!

Join us at 5:30 PM on March 7th for an evening honoring some of the most BRILLIANT members of our community…those who LIGHT THE WAY, and who are BEACONS to young people in everything they do. We’ll heap them with GLOWING praise, while raising funds for Mill Street Loft’s Outreach and Scholarship Programs. Please, join us so we can stop making light puns already…

While at the event, sit for a “Painted Light” Portrait, an original art piece and keepsake you can take home that night. Portraits will be created by photographer John Rizzo, with the assistance of Mill Street Loft’s Art Institute students Katie Court, Alexis Agnew, and Tyler McGee.

The night will feature a Silent Auction with some very exciting items:

• Landscape oil painting by Keith Gunderson
• Handmade Basket from Botswana
• Limited edition art books “The Drawings of Miles Davis”
• Tickets for the Hudson Valley Philharmonic
• Haitian Art from the Vassar Haiti Project

…and so much more, including some very special surprises for the evening’s raffle.

Please join us to support Mill Street Loft, and enjoy an evening of light, love, art, and just a little bit of magic.

For more information, please call Mill Street Loft at 845.471.7477.

Poughkeepsie, NY: Two professional artists from Mill Street Loft, a not-for-profit community arts and educational organization based in Poughkeepsie, NY, will lead creative workshops for people with Early-stage Alzheimer’s on four successive Saturday mornings at The Fountains in Millbrook beginning March 2nd. This series is a three-way collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association of the Hudson Valley, which will offer caregivers informational sessions during the workshops for people with Alzheimer’s, The Fountains and Mill Street Loft. Workshops will provide opportunities for people to engage in self-expression, relaxation and to learn tools for dealing with and understanding memory loss.

Workshops are open to area families coping with the challenges of dementia and caregiving. The artists, Joan Henry and Nina Tantillo-Elton, both experienced artist/therapists, will use paper, paint, story and song to inspire participants to uncover the power of the arts to enhance, educate and expand lives while having fun with others. The workshops are scheduled for 10:30am-Noon on March 2, 9, 16 and 23 and will be followed by a complimentary light lunch during which participants can share their creations and ideas. Registration for non-residents is $15 per session (sessions are FREE for Fountains residents). Reservations are requested as space is limited. For reservations and information, please call Teressa DelCampo, Community Life Director at The Fountains at 845-677-8550 x 8014, or Michele Muir at the Alzheimer’s Association at 471-2655. For additional information about this and other Mill Street Loft Outreach Programs, please call Joan Henry at 856.471.7477 or email.

Contacts:
For Mill Street Loft: Joan Henry, 325-8521;
For The Fountains, Teressa DelCampo, 677-8550 x 8014;
For Alzheimer’s Assoc., Michele Muir, 471-2655

MILL STREET LOFT’S FRIEND OF THE ARTS AWARD GALA
CELEBRATES “LIGHTING THE WAY”

Mill Street Loft will hold its 16th Annual Friend of the Arts Award Gala on March 7, 2013, at 5:30 PM at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie.  Tickets for the event are $125 and are available at millstreetloft.org or by calling (845) 471-7477.  The celebration will acknowledge four individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts in the Hudson Valley.  The theme of the evening is “Lighting the Way”, and will feature “Painted Light Portraits”, as seen attached here featuring our honorees.

The “Painted Light Portraits” feature a photographic technique taught in Mill Street Loft’s digital photo courses by professional photographer and instructor John Rizzo, who will be taking photos at the event.  Mr. Rizzo will be assisted throughout the evening by students from the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft. Every attendee will have the opportunity to create a “Painted Light Portrait” which can be taken home that evening, both a keepsake and an original art piece.

This year’s Friend of the Arts Award honorees are certainly beacons of light in the Hudson Valley community:

Mary Madden, President and CEO of the Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, is an arts advocate, an active community leader, a champion for local economic growth, and an inspiring role model for young women.

Jon Handman, as Conductor of Arlington High School’s Philharmonia and Artistic Director of Stringendo Orchestra School of the Hudson Valley, has won national awards and brought recognition to a generation of talented young musicians.

Andrew and Lila Meade are co-founders of Vassar’s Haiti Project. Their vision and use of the arts as a viable means of support for individuals and communities has transformed thousands of lives.

The Friend of the Arts Award Gala benefits the Scholarship and Outreach Programs of Mill Street Loft, enriching the lives of adults and children throughout the region.

Tickets to the Event

ABOUT MILL STREET LOFT: Mill Street Loft changes lives through the arts.  For more than 30 years, Mill Street Loft has served the Hudson Valley, using the arts to bridge cultural and economic differences and empower children and adults of all ages.  Our programs include our award-winning Outreach Programs for Youth, Arts for Healing, a year-round Art Institute, our four regional Dutchess Arts Camps, and monthly art exhibits.  All of our programs foster self-expression and support economic development, offering inspiration and opportunity to our ever-expanding audience.

For more information about Mill Street Loft and the Friend of the Arts Award Gala, please contact Carole Wolf at  (845) 471-7477.

To Support Poughkeepsie Youth Challenge Initiative
Grant is one of Four to Arts Organizations in Mid-Hudson Valley

Poughkeepsie, NY — In an announcement from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, the 2012 Regional Economic Development Council Awards have been announced and include a $60,000 award for Mill Street Loft supporting the new Poughkeepsie Youth Challenge initiative.

Poughkeepsie Youth Challenge creates a specialized curriculum for high school students with limited economic means to study at the Art Institute at Mill Street Loft at no cost. This four-year program prepares students for careers in the visual arts, with 100% of its graduates receiving merit-based full or partial scholarships to prestigious schools including the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), the School of Visual Arts (SVA), the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and others. Over the past 12 years, graduates have been offered over $27 million in merit-based scholarships.

The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft is a year-round, pre-college portfolio development and skills building program for talented and motivated teens. Participants gain skills, knowledge, and confidence to express themselves through several visual arts media, to discuss arts concepts, and to prepare a competitive portfolio to win college scholarships.

ABOUT THE AWARD:
Awards for Regional Economic Development Council funding were divided into numerous categories to meet the goals set forth by each Council’s members. Locally, the Mid-Hudson EDC, comprised of local CEOs and County Executives, has created a strategy that builds on our region’s strengths while meeting the challenges faced by new economic realities (the complete plan is available at http://regionalcouncils.ny.gov/content/mid-hudson). Funds were allocated to state organizations who reviewed applications and will be monitoring the grants, including the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).

Mill Street Loft is proud to be one of four organizations receiving EDC funding in the Mid-Hudson Valley through NYSCA. Other recipients of this award are the Bardavon, Dia:Beacon, and Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts.

Mill Street Loft changes lives through the arts. For more than 30 years, Mill Street Loft has served the Hudson Valley, using the arts to bridge cultural and economic differences and empower children and adults of all ages. Our programs include our award-winning Outreach Programs for Youth, Arts for Healing, a year-round Art Institute, our four regional Dutchess Arts Camps, and monthly art exhibits. All of our programs foster self-expression and support economic development, offering inspiration and opportunity to our ever-expanding audience. For more information, please visit millstreetloft.org or call 845.471.7477.

High school students from the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft have been awarded twenty-four 2013 Regional Scholastic Gold Key Art Awards, in an annual competition sponsored by Scholastic, Inc. honoring students for creative excellence. Additionally Art Institute students have been honored with over 20 Silver Key and Honorable Mentions. Students receive Gold Keys, Silver Keys, or Honorable Mentions in several categories, based on individual works and portfolios submitted to the competition.

Emily Adamo, age 18 and a Senior in the Art Institute was an exceptional winner this year, receiving two separate Gold Key Portfolio awards, a rare accomplishment. In addition, every piece submitted by Ms. Adamo – twenty pieces in total – received Gold Key awards, an honor in this prestigious national competition.

Art Institute students received 2 Gold Key Drawing awards, 3 Gold Key Mixed Media awards, 5 Gold Key Photo awards, 12 Gold Key Painting awards, and 2 Gold Key Portfolio awards. These regional Gold Key winners will now travel to Manhattan to compete in the National Scholastic Arts Competition. Since 2008, Art Institute students have won National Gold Keys, exposing their work to a national audience and allowing them to become part of a larger artistic community. The student award winners this year, ranging in age from 14 – 18, are Emily Adamo, Alexis Agnew, Jaime Briscoe, Claire Burden, Emily Kofsky, Diedre Leo, Abigail Lowenstein, Liana Miro, and Anna Russell. Winning this regional award puts our students in the company of Scholastic Award alumni such as Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Kay WalkingStick, and a host of others.

According to the Scholastic Awards website (artsandwriting.org), “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.”

Says Todd Poteet, Director of the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft, “I am so proud of the hard work, determination, and professionalism exhibited by these students. Their successes in competitions like this and in receiving merit-based scholarships to the nation’s top colleges validate the work to which our outstanding teachers have dedicated themselves.”

The hard work of Art Institute students is further evidenced by the Art Institute’s alumni, whose professional careers include theater design, industrial design, fine artists, book illustration, window design, and fashion design. At Mill Street Loft, we know that artists can have economically and creatively successful careers. This is at the heart of our work: The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft is a year-round, pre-college portfolio development and skills building program for talented and motivated teens. Participants gain skills, knowledge, and confidence to express themselves through several visual arts media, to discuss arts concepts, and to prepare a competitive portfolio to win college scholarships.

ABOUT MILL STREET LOFT: Mill Street Loft changes lives through the arts. For more than 30 years, Mill Street Loft has served the Hudson Valley, using the arts to bridge cultural and economic differences and empower children and adults of all ages. Our programs include our award-winning Outreach Programs for Youth, Arts for Healing, a year-round Art Institute, our four regional Dutchess Arts Camps, and monthly art exhibits. All of our programs foster self-expression and support economic development, offering inspiration and opportunity to our ever-expanding audience.

For more information about Mill Street Loft, The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft, or our Scholastic Award winners, please contact Todd Poteet at 845.471.7477 or tpoteet@millstreetloft.org.