2025 Youth “Hidden Histories” Summer Program
ART. HISTORY. RACIAL JUSTICE.
Celebrating the African Spirit (CAS) recognizes the importance of teaching others about Poughkeepsie’s history of enslaved Africans and their descendants. Since 2021, we host a three-week program to teach Poughkeepsie High School Students about these stories, and the voices that have gone unheard in our community. Together, we unearth the true histories of slavery in the Hudson Valley, and connect them to the present moment.
This program was built for students of the diverse Poughkeepsie community to learn more about where they come from. Participants become grounded in historical research and work with local historians, graphic designers & printers to develop visual memorials - posters. At the end of the summer sessions, the posters are displayed in downtown Poughkeepsie with a celebratory reception to show their work.
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This program is led and organized by Celebrating the African Spirit, 501(c)3 and is open to high school students of the Poughkeepsie area interested in history, art, and racial justice.
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The summer program will meet across various locations in Poughkeepsie, including but not limited to the Family Partnership Center and Vassar College. Students are encouraged to have their own transportation but if not possible, students may be provided transportation from CAS.
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Participating students will receive a $200 stipend for their completion of the 2-week summer program. They will learn local history while being exposed to graphic design concepts, and research. They will build relationships with other young historians and prominent community members.
In the past, this three-week program has consisted of:
Presentations by The Dutchess County Historical Society, The Mid-Hudson Anti-Slavery Project, DNAWorks of Fort Worth, TX, MASS Design, Colloqate Design of the New Orleans Paper Monuments Project and other CAS members
Walking tour of Poughkeepsie from slowPOK members Susan Grove, Kafui Attoh, and Muriel Horowitz
Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center Tour of the Hudson Valley History Reimagined Exhibit as well as a drawing/education workshop
Workshops focusing on art-making, collaging, design, and graphic design concepts using Adobe Illustrator and Canva for students to design and create their poster memorials
Viewing Black artists’ art in prestigious spaces through the Met, MoMa, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Participants will use their learned knowledge of different art making techniques to create artwork about local Poughkeepsie history regarding enslaved Africans and their descendants. Participants will have access to digital art making tools, as well as physical materials for hands-on art making. Check out CAS’s first year summer program.
