The State Center for Contemporary Art is a research and museum-exhibition organization established by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation in 1992.

The Nizhny Novgorod branch of this center was founded in 1997 based on the public organization "Nizhny Novgorod Center for Contemporary Culture 'Karyatida'". In 2007, with the opening of branches in Samara, Izhevsk, Kirov, and Kazan, the branch was renamed to Volga Federal District. After the registration of the Middle Volga branch in Samara at the end of 2014, it was named Volga-Vyatka to more accurately reflect its territorial location. Since January 2020, the branch has been part of the A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

The Volga-Vyatka branch of the State Center for Contemporary Art is the only museum-exhibition organization in Nizhny Novgorod that focuses on the development of contemporary art within the context of modern culture. The mission of the branch is formulated as creating a space for artistic communication to foster human and territorial development.

The branch actively supports contemporary art and cultural initiatives, contributes to the development of the cultural environment in Nizhny Novgorod, improves the quality of life for residents, organizes diverse cultural leisure activities for people of all ages and interests, invests in the human capital of the region, and promotes intellectual and creative development for children and youth.

The Volga-Vyatka branch of the State Center for Contemporary Art is located in the city center, within the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, in the Arsenal building, constructed in 1843 and recognized as a federal architectural monument. Since 2011, the building occupied 1,700 square meters, and after restoration and full opening in 2015, its total area increased to 7,000 square meters.