Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art

Who knew that there was an art museum in Peekskill?! I must have passed this place a thousand times or more and never realized it was there. Even when you do find it and pull in, the outside is deceiving; it looks like a small warehouse, but when you walk in it’s a massive space and it’s absolutely beautiful! The museum has a large main floor divided by permanent gallery walls, allowing adequate wall space for plenty of art and enough separation to provide for multiple exhibits within the same floor space. There is also a research library, large video viewing/​theater room, permanent full room installation (laundromat) and an upper mezzanine gallery space. The museum has a handful of impressive well-​known artists amidst the up and coming newer artists on display, and new exhibits going up approximately every three months so there is always something going on. The sculptures along the Peekskill water front near the train station are also from the HVCCA, as are the other sculptures scattered around the city of Peekskill.

The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, or HVCCA for short, is a really dynamic center which hosts exciting and innovative exhibitions both in its main gallery and its mezzanine gallery. Its expansive gallery space is perfect for quiet contemplation of the art, and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. It’s only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but visitors are encouraged to make an appointment if they want to visit during the week.
I highly recommend the HVCCA if you are looking for an unparalleled art experience outside of Manhattan!