For over 10 years, the artists’ club met monthly, critiquing works by one or two member artists, sharing dinner and comradery. Dormant since 2020- the Artist Club is now being re-established.

READ ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

We thank the members of Impact100.   

This generous grant will offer financial support to the Peekskill DRI art component of the NYS grant.  It will support the creation of a trail from Riverfront Green in Peekskill and on through the city with light emitting sculptures and murals that will tout the history and beauty of the region while enriching cultural dialogue in the community. 

Impact100/Westchester benefits communities by annually awarding five grants to fund innovative, meaningful projects. A minimum of 100 women members, age 18 and over, join forces with an annual donation of $1,000 to fund the grants.  

 The process is democratic by design. Nonprofits complete an eligibility form and then may receive an invitation to apply for a grant in one of five focus areas: Arts & Culture, Education, Environment & Recreation, Family, and Health & Wellness.  The proposed initiative must predominantly serve Westchester County. 

Volunteers drawn from the membership serve on committees that conduct intense evaluations of the grant applications, then select finalists in each area.  A representative of each of the finalists gives a brief presentation of their organization's proposal at the annual meeting of Impact100. The entire membership of Impact100 then votes to select the grant recipients.

Peekskill was named a DRI Round 4 winner in August 2019. Key DRI projects include infrastructure, lighting, and pedestrian safety improvements between downtown and the waterfront integrated with efforts to support artists, creative businesses, and bolster Peekskill's identity as an arts center. Investing in strategic DRI projects will promote additional redevelopment and establish Peekskill as the ultimate small city in which to live, work, and raise a family.

Opening on March 14 and on view at HVMOCA in Peekskill through April 30 is “.edu: Art Faculty of the Hudson Valley,” a display comprised of art made by 14 artist/teachers from eight of the region’s institutions of higher education.

April at Hudson Valley MOCA is full of opportunities to jump into engaging programs and events! With discussions between professional artists and curators, a live demonstration of contemporary ceramic technology, and a poetic production, there is something for everyone!

While it may seem that NYC is the wellspring of all area artists, one new show is proving that our region boasts some pretty exceptional talent of its own. Through April 30, .edu: Art Faculty of the Hudson Valley will feature both two- and three-dimensional works by 14 artist/educators from several area institutions, including Nancy Bowen, Janine Polak, Rachel Owen, and Glen Fogel.

Art by 14 artist/teachers from eight higher education institutions in our region—Bryan Czibesz (SUNY New Paltz), Christina Tenaglia (Vassar), Donise English (Marist), to name three—will be on view at HVMOCA beginning March 14, highlighting a vitally important segment of our local art community.

Nixon's photographs take two main tacks. One variety involves selfies in which he wears a crow mask, like an avian Cindy Sherman. This interest led him to a lecture in January at Hudson Valley MoCA in Peekskill by Marcy B. Freedman on art and identity.

Hudson Valley MOCA invites individuals in Peekskill, NY and beyond to take part in creating the Unity Quilt, a community-centered fabric sculpture with collaboration from Peekskill public schools and the vibrant public of the Hudson Valley. Project participation is free for all, and the final product will display in Hudson Valley MOCA’s galleries alongside an annual exhibition of student artwork before it is circulated between the participating schools.

A proposal that would create outdoor public displays of art, including a series of murals and banners, is eyed for downtown, helping connect it to the riverfront.

Just minutes from Manhattan, Westchester County is ideal for a last-minute Leap Day getaway. Catch the How We Live exhibit at Hudson Valley MOCA, hit the trails for a winter hike or cross-country ski adventure.

Join Hudson Valley MOCA in March for a month full of opportunities for all ages and interests, from collaborating on a public art project, talking directly with professional artists and gallerists, and even attending the opening reception of our newest exhibition.

Upon entering the exhibition, How We Live: Selections from the Marc and Livia Straus Family Collection, on view at Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) through December 6, 2020, any illusions of peaceful, domestic bliss are shattered by an overwhelming, ten-foot-tall robot by Nam June Paik, Global Encoder.

Hudson Valley MOCA presents Portfolio Review Day, an exclusive opportunity for artists to receive direct feedback on their art portfolios from renowned gallerists and contemporary art collectors. The event takes place on Sunday, March 22 from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., and will give artists the chance to discuss their artwork through 20 minute one-on-one constructive critiques.

Hudson Valley MOCA would like to shine light on the influencers of the classroom whose own practice lends a critical perspective on the current state of affairs in contemporary art, and an indication of what is yet to come. .edu: Art Faculty of the Hudson Valley features 14 art faculty from 8 higher-education institutions in the Hudson Valley. The artists chosen represent a survey of artistic practice within art education and have been selected by three jurors: art critic and writer Susan Hodara, independent curator Amy Lipton, and contemporary art collector Sue Stoffel.

Art lovers should check out the Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art whose collection is impressive, especially given its small-town location. Add it to an unofficial art tour of contemporary art in the Hudson Valley contemporary art, along with nearby Storm King Art Center & Dia: Beacon.

Experience works by several notables in Contemporary art during this forward-thinking exhibition at Peekskill’s Hudson Valley MOCA. With sculpture and video amassed from the collection of Marc and Livia Straus, How We Live investigates the concept of human production, both artistic and economic, through works by acclaimed artists like Dan Flavin, Claes Oldenburg, and Yu Honglei.

The premise of this exhibition is that artists are at the nexus of change, assimilating the status quo and transforming it through their practices, thereby helping to produce the new reality ad infinitum.

Hudson Valley MOCA is pleased to present How We Live: Selections from the Marc and Livia Straus Family Collection, Part II. The exhibition will be on view from October 12, 2019 to July 19, 2020, with a public reception on October 12th from 4:00 to 7:00 PM.

Hudson Valley MOCA is pleased to present its 1st Annual Juried Exhibition. The exhibition will be on view from August 10 to September 8, 2019, with a public reception on August 10th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM and a closing reception on September 8th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.

August at Hudson Valley MOCA is full of exciting opportunities to experience extraordinary contemporary art. See new works from emerging national artists at the opening of the 1st Annual Juried Exhibition and drop in to a gallery talk about Malaysian fabric artist Anne Samat.

Hudson Valley MOCA, in partnership with the Peekskill Film Festival, will present Block Arty, an evening of experimental video art, outdoor sculpture, live music, and food trucks under the stars. The event takes place on Thursday, July 25 from 6-10 p.m., and will feature 25 short films from national and international artists, curated by artist and curator Ryan O’Hare.

Together, it might trigger a remembrance of “A Serious Art Discussion,” Obrant says in reference to her two-year installation at Hudson Valley MOCA in Peekskill in which mannequins wearing Obrant’s crochet designs studied her paintings on the wall.

An artist whose highly stylized faces and flowing hair are signatures of her work guided students at Peekskill High School in creating a massive mural along the building’s exterior 77-foot wall. The wall served as the canvas where students spray painted and painted images of ‘their’ Peekskill. About 100 students in art classes were asked “What do you want to be represented?” They came up with sketches under the tutelage of Alice Mizrachi who is associated with the Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art on Main Street. Mizrachi has created murals throughout the United States.

Rattan sticks painted black and woven together with thread arc between the “heads” of two weavings like a sci-fi brain-swap tube, facilitating a transfer of knowledge between mother and daughter. The effigies hang next to each other on the gallery wall. Rake and broom heads, trowel arms, kitchen funnel breasts and fruit bowl wombs peek out behind strands woven from store-bought yarn, shower curtain rings, metal washers, and toy soldiers. This mother-daughter pair, Family Lineage 1 (2019) welcomes the viewer into Anne Samat’s first solo show in the US, Greatest Love.

July is heating up with an array of exciting summer events and activities at Hudson Valley MOCA. Hear a recently-named Guggenheim Fellow investigate ties between art and family, party after dark at an evening of art and film, and enjoy life drawing among world class contemporary sculptures.

Until last year, Peekskill's Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art (or Hudson Valley MoCA) was known as the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art. But while the name may have changed, the mission—to bring world-class art and ideas to the region—has not.

The environment in which an artist creates can often set the tone for their work. Anne Samat, a rising star in contemporary woven art, recently traveled from her native city of Kuala Lumpur to work and live in the city of Peekskill. Samat’s exhibition Greatest Love opened last Thursday at Hudson Valley MOCA and marked her first solo show in the United States.

Dive into the month of June with a variety of engaging activities at Hudson Valley MOCA. Whether you turn to the big screen for an exhibition of video art or invigorate your mind and body through martial arts, there are many ways to get your summer off to a bright start.

HVMOCA, Peekskill's own contemporary art museum, will be offering free admission for the entire weekend and will host an opening reception and artist gathering on Saturday night open to all visitors.

The environment in which an artist creates can often set the tone for their work. Anne Samat, a rising star in contemporary woven art, recently traveled from her native city of Kuala Lumpur to work and live in the city of Peekskill. Samat’s exhibition Greatest Love opened last Thursday at Hudson Valley MOCA and marked her first solo show in the United States.

Hudson Valley MOCA is pleased to announce Anne Samat’s first solo exhibition in the United States, Greatest Love. The exhibition will be on view May 9–September 8, 2019, with an opening reception May 9, 6-8pm.

Hudson Valley MOCA invites you to leap into the month of May with a selection of colorful exhibitions and sensational activities. It’s officially spring, so start the season by getting the first look at an exhibition from our international artist-in-residence or engaging with presentations at the intersection of poetry and art.

Coming off his Oscar nomination as director of “First Reformed,” veteran filmmaker Paul Schrader will discuss his celebrated career April 13 at the Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art (Hudson Valley MOCA) in Peekskill.

For the entire month of April, join Hudson Valley MOCA for a variety of captivating activities. From practicing a popular Ukrainian decorative craft to discussing classic films with a Hollywood insider, there are plenty of ways to shake off the winter chill and spring into a new season of art.

At the time, she was busy packing up for her three-month residency at the Hudson Valley MOCA, formerly known as Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, in New York. (She left for the United States in mid February.)

While most of society turns its back on mortality, artists have long grappled with questions about life, death, and what lies beyond. Alluding to "Hamlet," Maya Angelou once said, "the only true escape is death, but even that is that undiscovered country from whose bourn, you know, no traveler returns.”

The former Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art has been a huge driving force behind the artistic renaissance over the past 15 years in Peekskill. Exhibiting over 5,000 artists in those years, the MOCA is the brainchild of former Fordham professor Dr. Livia Straus. Straus and her husband, Marc, opened an arts and education center in an abandoned store in 2003 and have grown it into a massive local center for artistic endeavors, showcasing artists from around the world.

The New Museum’s Kraus Family Curator Gary Carrion-Murayari will join Death is Irrelevant co-curator Tim Hawkinson, as well as collector and curator Sarena Straus in a conversation moderated by Hyperallergic editor and Minerva Projects founding director Yasmeen Siddiqui. This panel will investigate sociopolitical dimensions in contemporary figurative sculpture, with a special focus on Polish artist Paweł Althamer’s The Power of Now (2016).

Hudson Valley MOCA, in partnership with Studio Theater in Exile, will present Writing the Walls 2019, an afternoon of poetry readings, workshops, and conversations celebrating the interplay of visual art and the written word. The event takes place on Saturday, May 11 from 2-6 p.m., and will feature the 13th annual Writing the Walls Poets’ Walk. A selection of poems and theatrical presentations that interpret pieces from the exhibition Death is Irrelevant will premiere.

In an atmosphere with daily headlines tracking potential climate catastrophe, political division and inequality, a new exhibit from Peekskill’s Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art places a spotlight on dystopian contemporary paintings.

If you’re tired of looking at the same old stuff you studied every year in school, visit the Hudson Valley MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) for some of the most current works being created by artists around the world. Boasting both a permanent collection and works on loan in a 12,000-sq-ft exhibition space, the HVMOCA champions Peekskill as a major arts destination. The museum offers an Artist-in-Residence program that gives artists the opportunity to create long-term installations as well as many educational programs, like lectures and varying special events. 

Hudson Valley MOCA is pleased to announce Where is the Madness You Promised Me: Dystopian Paintings from the Marc & Livia Straus Family Collection, an exhibition of contemporary paintings on view February 16–April 21, 2019. There will be an opening reception Saturday, February 16, 5-7pm.

The culturally inclined can attend student- and community-run events at the high school’s 575-seat performing arts center and assorted activities held by the Tompkins Corners Cultural Center at the historic Tompkins Corners United Methodist Church. Hudson Valley MOCA, a contemporary art museum in Peekskill, is a few miles away.

Hudson Valley MOCA is offering engaging activities for visitors of all ages during the entire month of March. From an opportunity to sculpt a one-of-a-kind souvenir to a lecture taking a shrewd look at curation, it’s time to thaw the winter frost and spring into a month of compelling events and activities.

Effective immediately, Hudson Valley MOCA will offer free admission to visitors affected by the partial government shutdown. Furloughed government workers and those working without pay will be offered complimentary admission with one guest when they present a valid federal employee ID.

Hudson Valley MOCA, in partnership with Studio Theater in Exile, presents Writing the Walls 2019, a poetry and playwriting open call asking writers to interpret artwork from the exhibition Death is Irrelevant into original poems and one-page plays.

Hudson Valley MOCA is offering engaging activities for visitors of all ages during the entire month of February. With a new exhibition of contemporary dystopian paintings and a lecture on shocking art subjects, now is the perfect time to experience new, compelling events and activities.

Hudson Valley MOCA will start the new year by offering creative activities for kids, families, and adults. From a screening of a classic film at our monthly Cinema Club to whimsical curatorial discussions of art, make it your New Year’s resolution to delight in new experiences and deepen your engagement with contemporary art.

Through a selection of stark monochromatic photography and video art, Hudson Valley MOCA presents Death is Black and White: Selections from the Marc and Livia Straus Family Collection. The exhibition takes a focused look at how the examination of mortality illuminates what it means to be alive.

The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, a community art space founded 15 years ago, is now HUDSON VALLEY MOCA, with its new name reflecting an expanded mission to bring world-class art and ideas to the Hudson Valley region.

Through a selection of figurative sculptures curated from the Marc and Livia Straus Collection, Death Is Irrelevant looks at how artists consider their existence and how they express their present socio-political and personal situation.

The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art is moving the gallery to the big screen with these short films.

Drs. Marc and Livia Straus, founders of the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art and its Board of Directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Effie Phillips-Staley as the institution’s Executive Director.

From New York City, it is a one-hour road or train trip to Peekskill, home to the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, which brings together works from around the world. Recent shows have featured art celebrating women’s suffrage in the US and the collages of Cey Adams, art director of Def Jam Recordings.

Living Arts is please to share this interview with legendary artist Cey Adams. Cey has a wonderful message for our youth and some great projects coming up.

Why head into the city to check out the MoMA for the umpteenth time when your home county is full of celebrated, innovative, and up-and-coming museums and galleries in New York? Not only do we have the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, but we’ve also got the Katonah Museum of Art, the Neuberger, pretty much half of downtown Peekskill, and for that matter art walks and gallery showings in pretty much every major city and town up and down the Hudson River.

Orly Cogan reinvigorates vintage materials including tablecloths and baby linen through embroidery, crochet, and paint to create unabashed depictions of her experience as a twenty-first century woman.

The Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art will present an installation of illuminated paintings by Peter Bynum, with an additional multimedia component of soundscapes and video projections. This is the first time an artist has been given the largest room at the museum for a solo exhibition.