Menashe Kadishman’s sculpture, “Suspended,” at Storm King Art Center in New Windsor. Photo by Matt Moment
Love exploring art both new and old? Plan a day trip to one (or more) of the Hudson Valley’s top art centers and museums.
Whether you’re a longtime Hudson Valley resident or a newcomer or visitor to the region, chances are high that there’s a lot you haven’t seen in our region. Among those bucket list destinations are these magnificent art galleries, which tempt guests with an abundance of history and culture. So, regardless whether you’re planning you’re first visit to the Albany Institute of History & Art or your fifth visit to Dia Beacon, here’s what you’ll need to know before you venture off to explore the world of art in the Hudson Valley.
Albany County
Albany Institute of History & Art
Albany
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Established in 1791, it’s one of the oldest museums in the nation. With a focus on the art, culture, and history of Albany and the upper Hudson Valley from the late 17th century onward, many objects in its collections were created or collected by families in the Capital Region or elsewhere in the state.
Empire State Plaza Art Collection
Albany
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First envisioned by former Gov. Nelson Rockefeller as an indoor/outdoor showcase for prominent artists working in New York State during the 1960s and ’70s, art historians have dubbed it “the greatest collection of modern American art in any single public site that is not a museum.”
New York State Museum
Albany
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The art, history, and natural science of the Empire State are the focus of the museum’s 100,000 sq ft of exhibition space. Established in 1836, it’s distinguished as the oldest, largest state museum in the U.S. Top-rated collections include a vast selection of cultural artifacts and more than 16 million scientific specimens. The museum boasts ongoing exhibits such as “Minerals of New York,” “Adirondack Wilderness,” and “Harlem in the 1920s.”
University Art Museum, University at Albany
Albany
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This SUNY museum was designed by architect Edward Durell Stone, a modernist icon. It contains more than 3,000 objects, including paintings, prints, and drawings, as well as photographs and sculptures by prominent 20th- and 21st-century artists. Its three galleries provide more than 9,000 sq ft of exhibition space for several changing exhibitions each year. The permanent collection includes work by artists like Josef Albers, Vito Acconci, and Andy Warhol.
Columbia County
Art Omi Sculpture & Architecture Park
Ghent
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Visitors can savor outdoor works of art while strolling through Art Omi’s scenic, 120-acre grounds. Along with a selection of intriguing, avant-garde sculpture, the center offers art workshops for kids and grownups, exhibits and lectures, and residency programs for painters, sculptors, and other creative types.
Related: Art Omi Day Trip: Where to Eat and Explore Around Ghent
Olana State Historic Site
Hudson
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One of the few intact artist’s estates in the nation, Olana was the home of Frederic Edwin Church, a key figure in the 19th-century Hudson River School of landscape painting. His uniquely designed villa is a National Historic Landmark, with examples of Church’s work throughout; it’s the centerpiece of Olana’s 250-acre landscaped grounds.
Related: What to Do During a Day Trip to Olana State Historic Site
The School
Kinderhook
Housed in a former public school building, Manhattan gallery owner Jack Shainman’s vision resulted in the site’s transformation into a 30,000 sq ft exhibition space and cultural center. Large-scale works by noted American and international artists, plus up-and-coming creators, fill the expansive galleries. The School property includes five outdoor acres where sculptures and installations are also displayed.
Dutchess County
Arts Mid-Hudson
Poughkeepsie
All manner of cultural activities take place at this arts service organization. It features a gallery and presents workshops and numerous public events, along with providing technical services and advocacy for individuals and groups involved in the arts.
Dia Beacon
Beacon
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This acclaimed museum of contemporary art, located in an enormous former Nabisco box factory, specializes in works reflecting late-20th-century art movements — from abstract expressionism to pop art. Permanent and temporary exhibits, lectures, cultural events, and educational programs are all part of Dia Beacon’s extensive slate of offerings. On the last Sunday of each month, Dia offers free entry for residents of the following counties: Albany, Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Sullivan, Ulster, Washington, and Westchester.
Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College
Poughkeepsie
This 36,000-sq-ft museum presents rotating shows by a variety of artists, as well as ongoing exhibits from its collection of more than 22,000 artworks that include drawings, paintings, prints, sculptures, and photos. Its top-notch selection is comprised of old master prints, Hudson River School paintings, and creations by key international and American 20th-century artists.
Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College
Annandale-on-Hudson
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The school’s Hessel Collection boasts more than 3,000 artworks from the 1960s to the present with paintings, drawings, sculptures, and video installations by more than 500 artists. Exhibitions rotate frequently, so check online to see what’s currently on display.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
Hyde Park
A presidential library isn’t quite the same as a traditional museum, but we’d be remiss not to mention this hub of art and history in Dutchess County. The museum exhibits an incredible range of artifacts and materials related to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt as well as the social, diplomatic, and cultural life of the early 20th century.
Greene County
Athens Cultural Center
Athens
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Housed in a renovated 19th-century building, the center offers solo and group art exhibitions. In addition, it presents video programs and cultural programming that includes arts workshops for kids and adults, along with performances and readings. In the summertime, be sure to check out the free outdoor film screenings.
Thomas Cole National Historic Site
Catskill
The home and studio of Thomas Cole, founder of the renowned 19th-century Hudson River School of American painting, has been painstakingly preserved and refurbished. Also known as Cedar Grove, it’s now a National Historic Landmark with trails, gardens, and gorgeous views of the landscapes that Cole cherished and depicted in numerous paintings.
Orange County
Orange Hall Gallery, SUNY Orange
Middletown
This is a dual-level exhibition space for paintings, drawings, multimedia, and sculpture by college students, faculty, and Valley artists. Exhibits change throughout the school year; the gallery also hosts the popular annual North East Watercolor Society members’ show.
Storm King Art Center
New Windsor
Enjoy a taste of art “en plein air” at this world-renowned, 500-acre outdoor museum. Large-scale sculptures and site-specific commissions are sprinkled throughout gorgeous scenery, and programs and exhibitions of smaller artworks are presented in the indoor gallery. Permanent exhibitions include work by artists like Louise Bourgeois, David Smith, Alexander Liberman, and Menashe Kadishman.
Related: What to Do During a Day Trip to Storm King Art Center
Wallkill River School of Art & Gallery
Montgomery
Situated in a stately brick historic building, this artists’ collective focuses on exhibitions by regional artists; its emphasis is on celebrating the beauty and variety of the Valley’s unique landscapes. The school offers classes for all ages, as well as resources and support for local artists.
Putnam County
Magazzino Italian Art
Cold Spring
A nonprofit museum and research center that highlights postwar and contemporary Italian art, it’s housed in a 20,000-sq-ft space that opened in 2017 (“magazzino” means “warehouse” in Italian). The center includes a research center and scholar-in-residence program, plus lectures and other cultural programs that are open to the public. The museum is free and open to the public, but there is limited capacity, so be sure to book your tickets in advance.
The Russel Wright Design Center, or “Manitoga”
Garrison
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The former home of American industrial designer Russel Wright, who died in 1976, Manitoga is a living museum of architecture. Its buildings and surrounding 75 acres, including a lovely woodland garden, are a National Historic Landmark. Guided tours and exhibitions, along with varied programs exploring design and architecture, draw visitors from near and far.
Rensselaer County
Crailo State Historic Site
Rensselaer
Built in the early 18th century and formerly part of an estate owned by Dutch settler Hendrick Van Rensselaer, Crailo now serves as a museum that’s chock-full of colonial New York history. Its offerings include archeological exhibits, community programs, and museum guided tours.
Hart Cluett Museum
Troy
Run by the nonprofit educational group Historic Rensselaer County, art and exhibits exploring the region’s heritage comprise the core of this museum in the heart of the Second Street Historic District of downtown Troy. The three-building complex also contains a research library brimming with historical information about Rensselaer County. Visitors can also take a guided tour of the adjacent 1827 Hart-Cluett House, noted on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rockland County
Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center
Nyack
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Built in 1858 by a grandfather of noted American realist artist Edward Hopper, this Nyack residence was Hopper’s home until he was 28; he continued visiting family there until his death in 1967. A selection of Hopper’s early drawings, paintings, etchings, and personal memorabilia are on display at the museum, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021. If you’re looking for even more Edward Hopper inspiration, the museum offers a “Hopper’s Nyack” walking tour, where one can see sites and scenes that influenced Hopper’s work.
Garner Arts Center
Garnerville
Housed in a former 19th-century textile mill complex, the Garner Arts Center promotes the creation and display of contemporary art in a multitude of styles. The center also features exhibitions, workshops, and community events, as well as studio space for hands-on creative exploration.
Rockland Center for the Arts
West Nyack
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This regional hub for the visual and performing arts was founded in 1947 by a group of renowned artists, including composer Aaron Copland and actress Helen Hayes. RoCA offers exhibitions, workshops, and a school for the arts, plus literary, dance, and theater events, day camps for kids, and community outreach programs. Its 10-acre grounds also include a sculpture park, which is free and open daily from dawn to dusk.
Ulster County
Opus 40 Sculpture Park & Museum
Saugerties
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The manifestation of sculptor, painter, and earth artist Harvey Fite’s personal vision, the nonprofit Opus 40 site features stone craft created by Fite, who died in 1976. He carved and stacked his unique creations throughout the 50-acre grounds that consist of meadows, trails, and bluestone quarries.
Related: What to Do During a Day Trip to Opus 40
Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz
New Paltz
The Dorsky offers over 9,000 sq ft of exhibit space spread over six galleries. Its collection includes paintings, drawings, sculpture, and other work spanning almost 4,000 years. The museum contains nearly 7,000 objects, such as Pre-Columbian artifacts, Asian art, 20th-century prints and paintings, decorative arts, and photos. Its American art collection emphasizes work centered on and created in the Hudson Valley and Catskills.
Woodstock Artists Association & Museum
Woodstock
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Dubbed “the local Louvre,” WAAM has been showing artwork in a variety of media since its launch in 1919. The nonprofit offers solo and group exhibits, as well as art programs for all ages. Its permanent collection totals more than 2,000 paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photos, and crafts. The main gallery hosts group exhibitions that rotate monthly. If you’re a creative, the museum regularly has open calls for anyone within a 50-mile radius of Woodstock to submit work.
The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild
Woodstock
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This regional arts center presents art exhibits, classes, and workshops in crafts such as ceramics, weaving, and jewelry making. Based on a 250-acre mountainside campus, The Guild carries on the legacy of the renowned Byrdcliffe Arts Colony dating back to 1902. The Guild’s permanent collection features nearly 200 pieces of its signature arts-and-crafts-style furniture and decorative arts. Its Byrdcliffe Kleinert/James Center for the Arts in the village of Woodstock features a performance space, plus exhibitions of work by Hudson Valley, national, and international artists.
Westchester County
The Gordon Parks Foundation
Pleasantville
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This nonprofit is dedicated to preserving the work of noted Black photojournalist Gordon Parks, whose work is displayed in top museums, including the Smithsonian. The foundation makes the work of Parks, who died in 2006, available to the public through exhibitions, books, and archived photos that can be viewed online.
Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden
North Salem
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Artwork from the museum’s collection is on display, as well as rotating shows by regional, national, and international artists merging East and West. Music, theater, and dance programs for all ages are also offered at the site, with an intention of sharing experiences of Eastern art and culture while fostering global unity. The museum also features a lovely seven-acre oriental-style garden to explore.
Hudson River Museum
Yonkers
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This riverside museum in southern Westchester has everything under the stars — and beyond. Its permanent collection and exhibitions showcase American art from the 19th century to contemporary art. Gilded Age decorative arts can be viewed at Glenview, the historic home on the property that is on the National Register of Historic Places. A state-of-the art planetarium has shows throughout the year, and events and programming for all ages are plentiful. The permanent collection contains more than 18,000 objects, and the Glenview House was recently featured in HBO’s The Gilded Age.
Hudson Valley MOCA
Peekskill
Nonprofit HVMOCA displays multimedia works by established and budding contemporary artists in its 12,000-sq-ft exhibition space. Experimental projects and site-specific installations are also a focal point of the organization, with an emphasis on performances and programs that involve the community.
Jasper Cropsey Home and Studio
Hastings-on-Hudson
This historic home situated on a bluff overlooking the Palisades, houses the work, writings, and papers of Jasper F. Cropsey, a Hudson River painter (1823–1900). The home, Ever Rest, is a Gothic Revival-style villa that is on the National Registry of Historic Houses. It has been maintained to reflect how it looked during Cropsey family’s time there and is furnished with selections of furniture from their former home, Aladdin, in Warwick. The Gallery of Art building, opened in 1994, houses the bulk of the paintings of the Newington-Cropsey Foundation’s collection.
Katonah Museum of Art
Katonah
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With a focus on changing exhibitions — the museum’s founders opted to forgo a permanent collection — it mounts several shows each year that feature notable art reflecting multiple cultures. The KMA also presents lectures, workshops, and other events in its 10,000-sq-ft building and adjoining sculpture garden, plus vibrant programs for more than 100 schools.
Neuberger Museum of Art, SUNY Purchase
Purchase
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The museum’s permanent collection boasts more than 6,000 pieces of modern, contemporary, and African art in a building designed by noted architect Philip Johnson. The Neuberger also hosts wide-ranging special exhibitions, programs, and lectures. With a sprawling 25,000 sq ft of gallery space, it’s one of the 10 largest university museums in the nation.
