Best Art Venues In The Lower Hudson Valley

Storm King Art Center

To commemorate the beginning of the summer season I put together an edited list containing art venues within driving distance or a train ride from New York City along the Hudson River.  Most of these are my personal favorites, although only one I have not yet made it too (HVCCA).  The list is in order from closest to Manhattan to Beacon, NY.  Here is a link to a google map I made showing these locations... http://goo.gl/maps/ucwpy.  If you had to choose only a couple of places to visit, go and experience Dia:Beacon and the town of Beacon (easily accessible by Metro-North) and Storm King Sculpture Park (expect to be there all day).  

***Note: all photos were found on the web and the descriptions of each venue was found on their website.

Wave Hill

www.wavehill.org/arts/exhibits/

"Wave Hill is a 28-acre public garden and cultural center in the Bronx overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades. Its mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscapes, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts." 

Mikhail Zakin Gallery

http://tasoc.org/galleries

"The Art School at Old Church is an art school and fine art gallery in Bergen County, NJ (North Jersey) offering fine art and craft classes for adults, teens, children and families, as well as workshops, art exhibits, outreach programs & much much more!"

The Arts Students League: Vytlacil Campus

http://www.theartstudentsleague.org/ResidencyVytlacilCampus/ElizabethVSullivanGallery.aspx

"The Elizabeth V. Sullivan Gallery at the Art Students League's Vytlacil Campus in Sparkill, NY opened in January 2012 as a dedicated exhibition space. Hosting six exhibitions per year, the Elizabeth V. Sullivan Gallery shows a broad range of established artists including modern masters, with a focus on solo exhibitions by the League’s exceptional faculty.  Set in the historic home of modernist painter Vaclav Vytlacil, these exhibitions serve to educate and enlighten; to broaden the viewer’s understanding of the art making process."

Edward Hopper House

www.edwardhopperhouse.org

"The mission of the Edward Hopper Landmark Preservation Foundation is to preserve and maintain the birthplace and boyhood home of artist Edward Hopper (1882-1967); to maintain an archive of Edward Hopper documents and memorabilia; to serve as a resource for scholars, art historians, and art lovers worldwide; to function as a multi-arts center for artists to display their work in all media, and to encourage and nurture community engagement with the arts."

Rockland Center for the Arts

www.rocklandartcenter.org

"RoCA is a multi-arts center dedicated to creating and promoting art through its School for The Arts, exhibitions, workshops, literary and performing arts events, Summer Arts Day Camp, and outreach programs. [...]  Originally known as the Rockland Foundation, RoCA was founded in 1947 by a group of renowned artists, including Aaron Copland, Paulette Goddard, Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, Maxwell Anderson, and Helen Hayes. Their intention was to create a new cultural center, separate from New York City, taking advantage of the immense creative talent that had recently migrated to the region."

PepsiCo Sculpture Garden

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_M._Kendall_Sculpture_Gardens

"The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens is a collection of 45 pieces of outdoor sculpture at the PepsiCo world headquarters in Purchase, New York. The collection includes work from major modern sculptors including Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder and Alberto Giacometti."

SUNY Purchase: Neuberger Art Museum

www.neuberger.org

"Initiated in 1974 with Roy R. Neuberger's donation of 108 works of art, the permanent collection of the Neuberger Museum of Art has grown to over 6000 works of uncompromised quality and variety. Featuring prestigious examples of modern, contemporary and African art, holdings include the Roy R. Neuberger Collection of American Art, the Aimee W. Hirshberg and Lawrence Gussman Collections of African Art, the Hans Richter bequest of Dada and Surrealist objects, the George and Edith Rickey Collection of Constructivist art, and American, Mexican and European master works from the collection of the late Dina and Alexander Racolin. The Neuberger Museum of Art continues to collect and exhibit its permanent collection, enacting Mr. Neuberger's commitment to supporting the work of contemporary artists who examine and expand the ideas of our day."

Gaga Arts Center

www.garnerartscenter.org

"GARNER Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) not for profit arts organization. We are located in the Garnerville Arts and Industrial Center in the lower Hudson Valley of New York, just 45 minutes from Manhattan. A sprawling old, red brick, pre-Civil War textile mill that is now the home of a thriving arts community including the studios of painters, sculptors, photographers, musicians, woodworkers, and of course, loads of unique performance and exhibition space."

Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Arts

www.hvcca.org/

"The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, located in Peekskill, NY, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and education organization founded by the Marc and Livia Straus family. The Center is dedicated to the development and presentation of exhibitions and interdisciplinary programs that enrich our understanding of contemporary art, its contexts, and its relationship to social issues. HVCCA is also committed to the enrichment of Peekskill, a multicultural community that has recreated itself as a major arts destination. HVCCA operates a 12,000 square foot exhibition space and is the primary sponsor of the Peekskill Project, an annual, city-wide exhibition of site-specific artwork."

Garrison Art Center

www.garrisonartcenter.org

"THE RIVERSIDE GALLERIES at Garrison Art Center consists of three exhibition spaces. Each year the galleries feature a number of exhibitions that include solo shows, curated group shows, juried shows and several educational exhibitions. The Trudy and Henry Gillette Gallery, the largest of our spaces, has recently been completely renovated with support from generous friends of the Art Center. This space accommodates a variety of exhibitions annually that include sculpture, large scale painting, installation, photography and more. It is also suitable for performances, small concerts, gallery talks, lectures and readings.The adjacent Anita Hart Balter Gallery is approximately 300 square feet. It is used for more intimate exhibitions, small installations and digital media."

The Marina Gallery

http://themarinagallery.com

"Exhibits of Contemporary Art by notable Hudson Valley Artists and also houses a Fine Art Restoration shop.  An artist-run gallery that exhibits Contemporary Art and also offers Fine Art restoration work by Marina Yashina."

Storm King Sculpure Park

www.stormking.org/

"Widely celebrated as one of the world’s leading sculpture parks, Storm King Art Center has welcomed visitors from across the globe for fifty years. It is located only one hour north of New York City, in the lower Hudson Valley, where its pristine 500-acre landscape of fields, hills, and woodlands provides the setting for a collection of more than 100 carefully sited sculptures created by some of the most acclaimed artists of our time."

Dia: Beacon

www.diaart.org/sites/main/beacon

"In May 2003, Dia Art Foundation opened Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries, as a museum to house its renowned permanent collection of major works of art from the 1960s to the present. Located on the Hudson River in Beacon, New York, Dia:Beacon occupies a nearly 300,000-square-foot historic printing factory. The galleries are named in honor of Louise and Leonard Riggio for their extraordinary generosity, which has helped make possible the realization of this museum."