The State Centre of Contemporary Art in Nizhny Novgorod (the Arsenal) is one of the leading regional institutions dealing with the development of contemporary art in the wider context of contemporary culture. From 1997 the Arsenal implements multiple exhibition and interdisciplinary projects, and educational, children’s, and inclusivity programmes. From 2012 the Centre is housed in the building of the Nizhny Novgorod Arsenal, an architectural moment of the mid-19th century. Thanks to the building the institution received its name the SCCA Arsenal.
In 2020 the SCCA became a branch of the A. S. Pushkin State Museum of Visual Arts. This merger had the purpose of preserving the heritage and chief achievements of the SCCA, making and sustaining the new creative environment in different regions of Russia, working with the unique identity of each region and integrating the new Russian art into the international context.
We see our mission as follows: The Arsenal is a space of artistic interaction targeted at the development of human and territory.
The Branch is part of the federal network of the State Centres of Contemporary Art represented in eight cities of the country: Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg, Vladikavkaz, and Tomsk. Each of the branches of the SCCA works on development of the social and cultural environment, supports artists and local creative projects, and conducts educational and training programmes.