Museums • Public Displays • Artist Profiles • Art Galleries • Art Events
Sure, Manhattan has some of the most renowned museums in the world. There’s the Guggenheim, MoMA, and, of course, The Metropolitan Museum of Art to name just a few. And there are just as many galleries dotting the busy streets that attract artists and collectors from around the world. The city may seemingly get all the attention, but savvy connoisseurs know that just north of NYC—a quick train or Uber ride away from the hustle and bustle—is an art scene that should not be underestimated.
While there was a time when the cultural options may have left a bit to be desired, Dr. Livia Selmanowitz Straus, founder of Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), says that Westchester is now seen as a “vibrant hub for the arts.” And what’s more, patrons can enjoy art in bucolic settings that can’t be found in New York City.
To that end, Westchester is home to many sprawling historic estates filled with impressive collections as well as museums that display noteworthy paintings by the greats including Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, and Milton Avery—and that’s all just at the Neuberger Museum of Art in Purchase.
Those looking for the latest offerings will find a number of galleries sprinkled throughout the county’s villages and towns that showcase established and emerging artists, both from the area and afar. Art is all around us, you just need to know where to look.
Must-See Museums
Westchester offers a variety of options that can add a bit of art and culture to your day. Modern, contemporary, impressionist—you name it, we’ve got it all.
ArtsWestchester
White Plains
Once a bank, a nine-story neo-classical building now houses ArtsWestchester, the driving force behind much of the vibrant creative community in Westchester. The not-for-profit serves more than 150 arts organizations, 43 school districts, and hundreds of artists, helping them bring their visions to the masses. While the organization works all over the lower Hudson Valley, they also host events, exhibits, and offer gallery space for a variety of artists and curators in their headquarters.
Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden
North Salem
The museum’s spring exhibition focuses on traditional and contemporary Chinese works exploring the imagery and meaning of depictions of bamboo, peonies, and lotus, and will run through July 20. Many of the plants and flowers featured also grace the property’s tranquil Japanese Stroll Garden. The museum’s Hayes Gallery will house an inaugural exhibition of work produced by artists and educators from the Adams School of Art, through May 25.
Hudson River Museum
Yonkers
With sweeping views of its namesake, the Hudson River Museum is home to an evolving collection of art, a planetarium, an outdoor amphitheater, and the historic Glenview, the museum’s Gilded Age home. This season, Smoke in Our Hair: Native Memory and Unsettled Time, will be on view through August 31. The exhibition explores the nuanced layers of the past, present, and future within contemporary art by Native American, Alaska Native, First Nations, and Métis artists. Meanwhile, Bill Viola: Moving Stillness, an installation that features a calm pool of water reflecting a projected video of Mount Rainier accompanied by an immersive soundscape will also be on display through April 2026.
Hudson Valley MOCA
Peekskill
Now in its 20th year, Hudson Valley MOCA is a 12,000-square-foot contemporary art exhibition space established by avid collectors Marc and Livia Straus. Through the years they have featured renowned artists early in their careers including Jeffrey Gibson and Anne Samat. This summer, highlights include an exhibition from V.L. Cox (June 28 to September 20th), which will feature performances, panel discussions, and a youth film festival in August.
Katonah Museum of Art
Katonah
Focused primarily on visual arts, the Katonah Museum of Art presents changing exhibitions that cross a spectrum of artistic disciplines and historical periods. On display until June 29, Ali Banisadr: The Alchemist features nearly 20 years of densely populated paintings from the artist, drawing on his childhood experiences during wartime in his native Tehran.
Lyndhurst Mansion
Tarrytown
Designed in 1838 by architect Alexander Jackson Davis for William Paulding Jr. in a romantic gothic revival style, Lyndhurst Mansion looks a bit like the setting for a fairy tale. Once taken over by Jay Gould, it was adorned with windows from Louis Comfort Tiffany and paintings from the Knoedler Gallery. Those who tour the site are sure to enjoy a step back in time as well as sweeping views of the Hudson River from the property’s 67 acres, which include trails and manicured gardens. There are plenty of edifying exhibitions on offer as well, such as Alexander Jackson Davis: Designer of Dreams from May 23 to Sept 23, highlighting the architect’s transformation of Lyndhurst.
Neuberger Museum of Art
Purchase
Located on the campus of SUNY Purchase College, the Neuberger Museum of Art is home to nearly 7,000 works including modern, contemporary, and African art. Visitors will likely recognize many names on the walls including Rothko and O’Keeffe. This summer will feature the exhibition, Janet Langsam: Improbable Feminist, from April 2 to June 29, which investigates the former ArtsWestchester CEO and acclaimed artist’s outsize impact.
Pelham Art Center
Pelham
The Pelham Art Center offers visitors 5,000 square feet of creativity, featuring a gallery, workshop studios, and a media lab. With community at its core, the center acts as a vibrant, inclusive arts space that fosters connections and provides unique opportunities to develop creative skills. This summer, the center will be featuring two exhibitions: the 13th Biennial Alexander Rutsch Award Winner Solo Exhibition (May 22 to July 13) and the Artist Collective Exhibition (July 24 to September 7).
The Aldrich Cotemporary Art Museum
Ridgefield
Founded in 1964 by art collector and fashion designer Larry Aldrich, this Ridgefield institution is one of the oldest contemporary art museums in the country. It is also one of the few independent, non-collecting institutions in America, and the only museum in Connecticut solely dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art. Visitors will find Zak Prekop’s solo exhibition of 13 recent paintings inspired by the concept of time, titled Durations, on show from June 8 to January 11 in the museum’s Balcony and South Galleries.
The Bruce Museum
Greenwich
This community-focused institution highlights the arts, sciences, and natural history through more than a dozen annual shows. The museum, which recently had a $67 million expansion, will be exhibiting On Thin Ice: Alaska’s Warming Wilderness through October 19, Isamu Noguchi’s minimalist steel sculptures through November 16, and Jeremy Frey’s visionary woven baskets June 5 through September 7. The exhibition The Art of Work: Painting Labor in Nineteenth-Century Denmark has been extended through November 30.
The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens
Purchase
Located on the verdant grounds of PepsiCo’s Purchase campus, this sculpture garden features 45 large-scale works by masters including Alexander Calder, Auguste Rodin, Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miró, and more. The collection started in 1965 and is named after the company’s former chairman of the board and chief executive officer. The garden is free and open to the public on weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 30 through November 16.
The Peekskill Museum
Peekskill
Founded 79 years ago, the volunteer-run Peekskill Museum is focused on preserving and displaying artifacts from in and around Peekskill. Housed in the unique Herrick House, which was constructed in the late 1800s, the museum offers visitors a glimpse at some of more than 1,500 historical photographs and negatives on hand, recreations of Victorian-style living areas, and maps. They also host special events like a Victorian Tea Party (check the website for dates).
Public Displays
Our county has recently become a hotbed of creative installations thanks to a few pioneering organizations. – By Paul Adler
While murals have always dotted our area, five years ago public art went into overdrive largely thanks to ArtsWestchester. “Since completing ten major public art commissions in partnership with the New York Thruway Authority for the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in 2020, ArtsWestchester has become the region’s leader in advocating for and managing significant works of public art,” says CEO Kathleen Reckling.
Also in 2020, ArtsWestchester teamed up with developer LMC, now known as Quarterra Multifamily, to have six street murals painted in White Plains construction zones. Two years later, New Rochelle Council on the Arts and the city’s Industrial Development Agency worked with the organization Street Art for Mankind to commission 12 murals to honor New Rochelle’s culture and history, including pieces by acclaimed artists Lula Goce and Belin.
“Murals are a great way to impact and transform spaces as well as the people within them,” says Yonkers-based mural artist, Victor A. Saint-Hilaire, known as Vash. “When done with intention, murals can be great conversation pieces that give voice to communities who may often be overlooked or disregarded.”
This sentiment is echoed by mural artist Na’Ye Perez, who in 2024 painted “From the Source.” The New Rochelle mural is 20 stories tall. Perez attests that public art is important because it demonstrates “the pride and culture of our communities.”
In 2023, ArtsWestchester partnered with the development team behind 42 Broad, a residential property in the Fleetwood neighborhood of Mount Vernon, as well as Alexander Development Group, The Bluestone Organization, and J.P. Morgan Global Alternatives to unveil a site-responsive sculpture by Brooklyn-based artist Eto Otitigbe entitled Peaceful Journey, says Reckling.
“The elegant and visually layered sculpture is also a tribute to Mount Vernon and its famous resident Dwight Arrington Myers, better known as Heavy D, an artist who inspired a generation with his sound and lyrics,” Reckling adds. “What started as a project to commission an iconic work of sculpture at the gateway to a neighborhood transformed into something bigger—an opportunity to celebrate and commemorate the contribution of a Black man and Jamaican immigrant to the American story.”
Additionally, acclaimed sculptor Vinnie Bagwell created five life-size bronze sculptures that comprise the “Enslaved Africans’ Rain Garden.” Unveiled in 2022, the sculptures at 20 Water Grant Street in Yonkers honoring locally enslaved people took Bagwell 13 years to complete.
For Reckling and the artists who bring their talents to Westchester, public art is all about improving the world in which we live. “Public art is a proven tool for shaping more livable, inclusive, and resilient communities,” says Reckling. “Murals, outdoor sculptures, and artist-designed functional objects like benches break down barriers to arts experiences and offers moments of joy in our built environment.”
-Artist Profile-
Rachel Sydlowski
Installations, Prints, Sculptures, Yonkers
Rachel Sydlowski makes the past come alive. “My artwork is a mix of printmaking, installation, and digital processes layered with historical and contemporary imagery,” says the Yonkers artist, who holds an MFA and MA, both from the City University of New York. “I use ornate patterns, archival visuals, and sculptural elements to construct immersive, hybrid spaces where past and present collide. Through a mix of traditional and experimental techniques, I create work that feels simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic, exploring how history is preserved, manipulated, and repurposed in the modern age.”
Sydlowski, who in 2023 created a long-term installation at the Bronx Children’s Museum titled Invisible River, is also a Tufts SMFA Travelling Fellow.
And when it comes to new art, Sydlowski has plenty of fodder. “I have a growing wish list of museums and historical sites I’d love to collaborate with, many of them right here in the Hudson Valley: Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, with its dramatic Gothic Revival architecture, or Kykuit: The Rockefeller Estate, which has a strong tradition of integrating art into the landscape,” says Sydlowski. She has open studios on May 17 & 18 at YoHo Artists on Nepperhan Ave in Yonkers.
-Artist Profile-
Katie Reidy
Murals, Illustrations, Paintings, Clothing, Poetry, Ossining
For Katie Reidy, community and art are always intertwined. A painter, illustrator, mural artist, poet, and mentor, Reidy has educated thousands of students both locally and internationally, many through her White Plains gallery This Heart Contains, which closed its physical location in 2023 when its home, The Galleria Mall, shuttered. With Reidy’s hand-painted clothing, canvas art, framed illustrations, sculptures, and accessories now on thisheartcontains. square.site, Reidy continues her work through public art stretching from Westchester to Mexico, and classes such as a recent course on street art at The Banksy Museum New York in February.
Early on, Reidy was inspired by street artists. “It still blows my mind what graffiti artists do, so that was my first intrigue. I fell in love with a bunch of different artists, like Alex Pardee, Crayola [whose real name is Greg Simkins], and the German artist Hera of Herakut. I loved their freeform character development.”
Reidy describes her style as whimsical. “It’s fun, it’s imaginative, it’s bright, it’s flowy, it’s dynamic—those are some terms that have been used for my work. But once you really sit and look at it and you start to piece things together, there is poignancy to it,” she says, pointing to homelessness and the fight for inclusion as common themes of her work.
People can spot Reidy’s murals at several Westchester locations. “I have a piece in Kings Point Park in Sleepy Hollow. I also planned the sprawling 520 foot wall named The Wishing Wall with two other artists, Erin Carney and Tim Grajek. That mural won ArtsWestchester’s 2021 Community Award.”
-Artist Profile-
Barry Mason
Paintings, Sculptures, Photography, Mount Vernon
Former President Jimmy Carter was one of the first people to see Mount Vernon artist Barry Mason’s exhibited work. “In 1979, I had just transferred from Indiana State University to the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC.,” recalls Mason. “During this time, I took a ceramics class. Two of my works, as well as works from fellow classmates, were chosen to be on display at the White House. It was very motivating for me—I was only 19 or 20 years old.”
Mason hasn’t let up since, becoming a lauded artist whose work has been exhibited at both the Hudson Valley MOCA and the Harlem Fine Arts Show this year, as well as at the ArtsWestchester Triennial in 2018 and in a 40-year retrospective at the Greenburgh Public Library in 2015.
“My paintings are very gestural,” says Mason. “Weaving colors, forms, lines, and words in and out of the painted surface. For me, it’s like looking at vines and how they move around trees and branches in a forest. In my studio, nothing is out of bounds.” Mason refers to his work as Lyrical Abstractions. “It’s my formation of jazz, graffiti, mirror-writing, and Afrocentric expressionism,” he says. Mason has also become known for his exceptional shots of celebrities. “I’ve been honored to photograph many legends—Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Denzel Washington, Venus and Serena Williams, Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Laura Bush, and Bishop Desmond Tutu.”
Ahead, Mason plans to maintain this impressive output. “First, I hope to continue to create strong works of art,” he says. “My goal is to obtain mainstream gallery representation, as well as to continue exhibiting my works in various venues and having my works acquired in additional private and public collections around the world.”
Art for Keeps
Looking to add the perfect new piece to your collection? Check out these five Westchester galleries.
Ai Bo Gallery / Rye
Ai Bo Gallery once began as a space to promote works from artists from Vietnam, China, and Southeast Asia. Today, the by appointment-only gallery showcases works from dozens of creators from around the globe offering a variety of mediums including glass, sculpture, photography, and paintings.
Jill Krutick Fine Art / Mamaroneck
Practically hidden in plain sight above a restaurant, this unsuspecting gallery is owned and operated by its namesake Jill Krutick. The space showcases her own abstract expressionist pieces as well as curated exhibitions for emerging and established artists.
Madelyn Jordon Fine Art / White Plains
With more than two dozen artists, this gallery offers a diverse inventory of secondary market works and is focused on 20th century and contemporary pieces.
One Martine Gallery / White Plains
One Martine Gallery opened in 2021 with a focus on post-war contemporary art. “We have art in all mediums and at all price points,” says Walker Manzke, the gallery director.
Upstream Gallery / Hastings-on-Hudson
Upstream is artist-owned and operated, embracing all fine arts media and styles.
Art Around Town
Summer Art Walk / Katonah
Katonah’s annual Art Walk takes place on June 21. Visitors can enjoy live music in the gazebo as nearby galleries and shops hold special art-focused events as well as art-inspired pop-ups along Katonah Avenue. There is also a food truck on site in case you work up an appetite doing all that walking.
Weekend of Creativity / North Salem
From June 27 to 29, the Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden will offer discussions, demonstrations, and displays. While you’re there, enjoy the garden featuring meandering paths and rare plantings.
Westchester Craft Crawl / Croton
Art lovers can bop from spot to spot and visit a mix of private residences and arts-supporting businesses for the Westchester Craft Crawl. Each area features eight to 15 different artists, so you’re likely to find something that suits your style. This year’s event takes place May 17-18 and to add a bit of extra appeal, many of the nearby restaurants, galleries, and shops are planning to welcome visitors with unique offerings.
White Plains Outdoor Arts Festival / White Plains
Knock a few names off that holiday gift list or just pick up some truly unique pieces of art and décor at this outdoor event with free admission on May 31 and June 1 in White Plains’ Tibbits Park. Visitors will find paintings, ceramics, photography, glasswork, jewelry, textiles, and home goods along with a free children’s art workshop to entertain the little ones as well as fabulous food vendors.
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