Arts of Albany

While an oft-discussed “Smallbany” mentality may lead locals and visitors alike to conclude that Albany’s culture is lacking or provincial when judged against that of New York City or other large metropolitan areas, the city does indeed possess an active and fruitful artistic community which may be rated as being of equal or superior quality when compared to cities of similar size, despite its not being well known outside its inner core.

Over the past decade, the City has invested effort and advertising resources to cultivating venues and municipal zones that can attract after-hours business once the large commuting worker population has left Albany for the day. Pearl Street, Broadway and Lark Street now serve as the most commercially active arts and entertainment areas in the City, and summer concert series are sponsored by the City and local businesses at the Corning Preserve, Tricentennial Square and the Empire State Plaza.

Albany’s independent and underground artists, musicians and writers actively work in a variety of clubs, bars and coffee houses located throughout the City, many of them outside of those more commercially active areas. Metroland, the alternative newsweekly of the Capital Region, has generally provided a central focal point for previewing, reviewing and interviewing independent local artists and performers for much of the past quarter century.

The Albany Symphony Orchestra , Capital Repertory Theatre and Albany Insitute of History and Art provide major outlets for both locally composed, created and curated works, as well as traveling exhibitions and shows. The recently renovated Palace Theatre and the The Egg both provide mid-sized forums for music, theatre and spoken word performances. The Pepsi Arena serves as the city’s largest musical venue for nationally and internationally prominent bands, as well as trade shows, sporting events and other large-scale community gatherings.

The New York State Museum is a major regional cultural draw, focusing on fine arts, natural history, and the economic, political and social histories of New York State. Additionally, there are several small, private art galleries and antiquarian book shops in Albany, mainly clustered around Lark Street between Washington Avenue and Madison Avenue. Albany also has two independent film theatres, as well as performing and fine arts venues associated with the University at Albany and College of St. Rose.