This summer, the New York Times declared that the best art shows of the season were found in the Hudson Valley and Catskills at Upstate Art Weekend, the self-guided festival that now spans more than 150 artists, galleries, and institutions across the region. The year before, the internet buzzed about The Campus, a joint endeavor in which six New York City galleries transformed an abandoned high school in Claverack into an annual must-visit exhibition.

The region’s art scene has matured into one of the country’s creative epicenters, with high-profile projects earning national recognition and the tourist traffic to follow. But for the small, independent galleries that have long anchored the cultural landscape, success is still hard-won. “It’s sad to know that there are fewer galleries here on Warren Street now than when I started almost 15 years ago,” says Linden Scheff, co-director of Carrie Haddad Gallery. “It is a difficult business. You have to find a way to strike a balance, because at the end of the day, you’re running a for-profit business and you have to make money in order to stay open.” 

At Carrie Haddad Gallery, Scheff and Petersen view their roster of acclaimed, regionally based artists as long-term partners. “Some artists we’ve shown for 34 years since the gallery opened.” Petersen says.

Petersen and Scheff have also noticed that sales are beginning to mostly happen in person again. “People spend so much time in the digital world for work and entertainment that now we’re seeing people coming back into the gallery,” Scheff says. “The meaningful sales and continued relationships we have are coming from those connecting with us directly through the space, which is a bit of a relief.”