Riverspace is a non-profit cultural center dedicated to building community through the arts. By combining the very best in multi-cultural arts,
education and entertainment with collaborative community involvement, Riverspace strives to enrich the shared cultural life of the Lower Hudson
Valley.
In order to ensure the long-term viability of its mission, Riverspace is committed to the revitalization of downtown Nyack through the creation of a
vibrant cultural complex. This development will include a state-of-the-art theater and green buildings designed to provide a solid economic
foundation for the arts center and the town it calls home.
Arts at Riverspace
Riverspace engages and inspires audiences throughout the Lower Hudson Valley. Our exceptional programming features performers both
world-renowned and emerging, with a special focus on local artists. Innovative theater, dance, music, and film reflect our area’s cultures and
diversity. A week at Riverspace could include a conversation with Meryl Streep, a performance by the children’s choir from Nyack’s Congregation
Sons of Israel, a screening of the Oscar nominated documentary The Betrayal, a fundraising concert for The Martin Luther King Center in Spring Valley
and a rollicking “Milk and Cookies Playhouse” performance.
Education
Our educational programming has provided opportunities for local high school students to take master classes with renowned artists like Marc O’Connor,
Matt Haimovitz, and Bill Miller, for children to study and perform African drumming, for local students to watch, as members of their community, the
historic Inauguration of President Obama, and for school time shows that complement school curricula. Looking to the future, Riverspace is
committed to collaborating with educational institutions in providing ample space for learning in the completed arts complex.
Community Collaboration
Collaborative community involvement is essential to the Riverspace mission. The organization depends heavily on grassroots volunteer power, much of it
on a professional level, and fashions its structure on the model “it takes a village”. Riverspace is committed to forming public-private partnerships
with the Village of Nyack and government at all levels to achieve our mission and serve our community.
Riverspace has become a vital resource for the non-profit community through its collaboration with over thirty local non-profit organizations
including Rockland Conservatory of Music, Rockland Family Shelter, Hospice, The Green Meadow School, Home of Hope and Martin Luther King Center.
Our Vision: A Path to the Future
The Riverspace plan to revitalize downtown Nyack is to create a non-profit arts and education complex that is subsidized by a commercial downtown
development. It will feature a state-of-the-art theater, a large public plaza, a restored street grid, increased parking, a variety of shops and
apartments, commercial space for like-minded educational and artistic non-profit organizations, and architectural design that respects Nyack’s
historic charm.
In essence, the aim is to:
solidify Nyack as a cultural center for the region;
spur economic growth to benefit the entire community;
promote environmentally responsible, green development;
strengthen the entire community by working together to make our home a better place to live, that is, to build community through the arts.
