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The Bantam Tools Machine Arts Gallery is proud to present Peekskill Change-Makers & Icons, a new exhibition celebrating the lives and legacies of individuals who shaped the course of social justice and leadership in America and who share a connection to Peekskill.

The exhibition features original portraits accompanied by concise biographical texts, highlighting how national figures touched the Hudson Valley and how local leaders rose to state and national prominence.

  • W. Haywood Burns

    civil rights lawyer who began his career fighting segregation at a Peekskill Pool.

  • Richard E. Jackson

    the first Black mayor in New York State, elected in Peekskill.

  • Hawley and Harriet Green

    local landowners whose home served as part of the Underground Railroad.

  • Harriet Beecher Stowe

    author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, with family ties to Peekskill’s abolitionist tradition.

  • Frederick Douglass

    whose fiery speeches here linked local audiences to the abolition movement.

  • Harriet Tubman

    abolitionist, freedom fighter, and women’s rights activist who spoke in Peekskill.

  • Abraham Lincoln

    who stopped in Peekskill on his way to the presidency.

  • Paul Robeson

    whose 1949 concert in Peekskill became a national flashpoint in the struggle against racism.

  • George Pataki

    former Governor of New York, born and raised in Peekskill, remembered for his leadership after 9/11, environmental initiatives, and advocacy for gay rights.

  • Pete Seeger

    folk singer and activist who lived along the Hudson and brought music to movements for peace, justice, and the environment.

“Peekskill has always been more than a river town,” said Bre Pettis, curator of the exhibition. “It has been a place where history, justice, and culture intersect and where ordinary people stood up and extraordinary leaders found their voice. This exhibition honors both the change-makers who fought for freedom and equality and the icons who carried Peekskill’s name onto the national stage.”

The portraits were created by transforming photographs into digital drawings that were physically drawn with the Bantam Tools ArtFrame Art Machine System. The biographies invite visitors to reflect not only on the legacies of these figures but also on how Peekskill’s spirit of resilience and justice continues to shape the present.

Exhibition Details:

The Bantam Tools Machine Arts Gallery
107 S. Division St., Peekskill, NY
September 27th - October 12th 2026
Gallery Hours: Saturdays and Sundays from 10-6

Opening Reception October 3rd from 6:30-9PM


For press inquiries, images, or interviews, please contact: z@bantamtools.com