Founded in 2020, Upstate Art Weekend (UAW)  is a connective annual festival created to celebrate the cultural vibrancy of Upstate New York for residents and visitors alike. Designed to bring together creative organizations and the people who form them, UAW centers the Hudson Valley and Catskills as a thriving hub of artistic exchange. 

In 2026, UAW introduces UAW Open Studios, a new dedicated event taking place the weekend of May 16–17, 2026. Held one month prior to the established UAW Festival (June 25–29, 2026), UAW Open Studios spotlights and celebrates artists who call the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains home.

Together, these annual events invite local residents, organizations, and businesses to welcome art lovers from near and far—encouraging exploration of the region’s natural beauty while supporting its creative spirit.

Courtesy of PS21 Chatham

With its official participants and partners, UAW creates a program of public and private events, plus maps, itineraries and tours for the thousands of visitors each year.  

UAW launched in 2020 with 23 organizations and expanded to more than 155 participants in 2025. UAW Festival Participants are local arts organizations, galleries, museums, residencies and creative projects, mixed with temporary exhibitions and events staged especially for UAW.

UAW has been featured in The New York Times, artnet news, The Art Newspaper, Hyperallergic, Chronogram, Cool Hunting and Whitewall, among others.

Please join our mailing list and follow @upstateartweekend to receive updates. 

Land Acknowledgement

The participants of UPSTATE ART WEEKEND are located throughout the region that is now known as the Hudson Valley, the shared ancestral land of the Lenape, Mohican, Schaghticoke, Haudenosaunee, and Wappinger peoples, who were forced from their lands through colonialism and genocide. We acknowledge that these Native peoples were the original stewards of this beautiful land on which we come together and celebrate the region's cultural vibrancy, and that these peoples continue residing on these lands today. We acknowledge, recognize, and honor the indigenous communities of this region from the past, present, and future.

This land acknowledgement is only a starting point and will be updated as we continue to grow and learn about the Native stewards of this land.