THURSDAY, February 22, 2024: Westchester Sketchers at the New Dawn Foundation, New Rochelle

 

"The New Dawn Foundation is a hidden gem so close to New York City, yet so calm and serene with old-world elegance that is hard to find." -- Anonymous Guest

The New Dawn Foundation is located in “The White House,” which is also known as The Oaks.  It was built in 1900 and served as a school for girls before being privately purchased in 1919 by Charles and Magdalene Klingenstein.  The Klingensteins often invited nurses and nursing students from Mount Sinai to come to The Oaks for rest and relaxation.  In 2008 the property was donated to the New Dawn Foundation. 

The historic estate house is located on the exclusive waterfront peninsula of Davenport Neck in New Rochelle, NY.  Today this beautiful haven in Westchester overlooking the Long Island Sound offers the space for healing, growth, and general respite from the pressures and challenges of everyday life.  

DETAILS:

When: Thursday, February 22, 2024

Location: The New Dawn Foundation

590 Davenport Avenue, New Rochelle 10805 

http://www.thenewdawnfoundation.org

Phone: (914) 632-8084

Time: 10:00 AM 

Directions by Car: 

http://www.thenewdawnfoundation.org/directions.html

NOTE: The New Dawn Foundation is easy to get to but you could pass it by as the entrance is small. Most directions will tell you to go to Pelham Road.  If you come to Pelham Road from North Ave., make a right onto Pelham Road, then make a left at Church Street (Trinity Elementary School is on the corner).  Drive down to light and make a right onto Davenport Ave.  Take this road down past the beach and catering halls.  After the Greentree Club, you will see a VERY SMALL entrance on the left.  (There is a boat yard on the right).  It will say New Dawn Foundation and also "The Oaks" which was the former name of the estate.  Drive slowly down the very curved and narrow road.  There will be a fork.  Go to the left where there is a small white mansion.  Marianne and Cathy will be there to guide your parking.

If you are coming from Weyman Ave., make a left onto Pelham Road and take a right on Church Street by the elementary school and follow the above directions.

Transportation from NYC: Take the Metro-North New Haven Line to the New Rochelle Station.  The 9:08 AM off-peak train from Grand Central arrives in New Rochelle at 9:41 AM.  Call Marianne (914-355-6507) to arrange for pick-up and ride to the Foundation.

Lunch: Bring your own lunch/snack/water.  We'll be lunching together.

Show & Tell: After lunch, we'll share stories and sketches during this social part of our day.

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman at westchester@nycurbansketchers.org
 
Looking for us? Call Cathy at 914-625-0766 or Marianne at 914-355-6507


NOTES:

• We will be sketching inside the mansion.
• If it is a nice and comfortable day, you can sketch outside so you might want to bring your stool.
• Restrooms are available in the mansion.

 

Weekday Sketchers at Fire Museum Wednesday

It is said that every kid wants to be a fireman. Perhaps you did or perhaps you didn't but being a fireman is a serious business with evolving technology and lots of nostalgia about the lore of fire fighting  Join us this week for a trip back in time and a fun look at a serious subject. 

From their website: 

Our two exhibit floors trace the development of firefighting in New York from the early bucket brigades to the present day. Displayed are objects that document the history of the volunteer and paid departments, from painted leather buckets to early motorized apparatus. A separate memorial exhibit honors the 343 members of FDNY-EMS who made the Supreme Sacrifice on September 11, 2001.

DATE:  WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2024

LOCATION:  FIRE MUSEUM 

                        278 Spring Street btw. Varick and Hudson Streets

STARTING TIME:  10:30 AM

TRANSPORTATION: C or E TRAIN TO SPRING STREET 

                                     Walk west 1 1/2 blocks to Museum

NOTES: 

• PLEASE RSVP directly to Margaret Casagrande at margaret.casagrande@gmail.com
• Looking for us? Call Margaret at 646-515-9913
• There is an admission charge of $10 for adults $8 for Seniors.  They accept various memberships as well 
• Bring a stool and be prepared to work in dry materials if necessary
• For more information about the museum click here: https://www.nycfiremuseum.org/

 

SATURDAY: Sketch the Essex Street Market

 

This event was planned by Shawne Cooper for 

this Saturday, February 17, 2024

We'll be sketching inside Essex Market

The 37,000-square-foot space houses 

loads of sketch-able shops,

tons of food vendors, groceries, and more.

We know that our city changes all the time. It’s exciting when new spaces are created and a bit sad when old places close.  Shawne has shared that the Essex Street Market, a  venerable sketching location, will be closing.

Essex Market has been a fixture on the Lower East Side since 1818.  The city-owned food hall and market went from a dingy, low-ceilinged building to a state-of-the-art, award-winning-architect-designed space that has floor-to-ceiling windows, an impossibly high sloped ceiling, and all-new kitchens and stalls. It’s three times the size and even has a shortened new name: Essex Market.

DETAILS

What:  We'll be sketching at the Essex Market.  We'll be indoors with the option to explore outside if it feels warm enough.

Where:  The Essex Market is located at 88 Essex St,  it's easy to get there. Let's linger for a while by the main door when we first arrive. We'll be using What'sApp to stay in touch.

When:  We're starting at 10 AM on SATURDAY, February 17th.  Sleeping late?   Come anyway - we'll be there.

How:  Take the F or M train to Delancey St. / Essex St.  The market is across the street.  (see map below)

Lunch:   We'll break for lunch together at 12:30 PM

Afternoon:   More sketching

Show and Tell:  At 3 PM we'll get together, probably in the eating area to share our drawings, tell stories and talk about art supplies

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128,

or Shawne at 917-880-9249

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome.

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WEDNESDAY, February 14, 2024: Weekday and Westchester Sketchers at MOMA, NYC

 Spend a Day with Picasso at MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Joint event hosted by Cathy Gutterman and Marianne Milzoff

This week we will venture to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) to see and sketch Picasso in Fontainebleau in the museum's current exhibition due to end on February 17th.  Pablo Picasso spent much of the summer of 1921 in a garage in a rented villa in Fontainebleau, France.  In this unlikely studio he created "Three Women at the Spring" and "Three Musicians" that are on view at the museum along with other paintings, drawings, pastels, etchings, photographs and archival documents.

Come and explore the Picasso in yourself or take to drawing the other rich art housed here.  If it is nice, we can sketch in the famous sculpture garden.

DETAILS:

DATE: Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Where: Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, Manhattan, NYC.  Learn more about MoMA and the current exhibitions, click here: https://www.moma.org.

When: Meet at 10:30 AM in the lobby.

Show and Tell: 1PM.  Weather permitting we can meet in the Sculpture Garden.

Transportation: #6 local to 51 Street. E or M train to 5th Ave./53rd St.

NOTES:

• Bring your lunch or grab a bite at the museum's Cafe 2, located on the second floor of the museum.
• Cost: $30 non senior, $22, for Seniors.  2 people may enter on one AAM (American Alliance of Museum) card. 
• Check your local library for free passes or here for other discounts https://www.moma.org/visit/discounts.
• Be prepared to use dry media if necessary. 

Please RSVP to Cathy (westchester@nycurbansketchers.org).

Looking for us? Call/text: Cathy at (914) 625-0766 or Marianne at (914) 355-6507

There are no fees. All drawing skill levels are welcome.

SATURDAY: Sketch the Museum of Natural History

 

SATURDAY:  February 10, 2024

For me, no winter would be complete without a visit to the Museum of Natural History.  Without a question it is my second  favorite museum - and that's no slight in a city that is rich with museums.  

Growing up in the city I think we visited the museum almost every year. I ​also saw it with my parents as a little kid​ and went there with friends when I was older.   ​T​he "Museum is NYC​"  for me. And it has so, so many things that are great to draw.

It ​c​an also ​be quite crowded.  

There are two new details that will make this visit different from some of our previous sketching outings there:

1)  The museum asks that we preregister.   It ​i​s pay-what-you-wish.  ​(See ​registration link below.​)

2) It’s easy for us to get separated, once we're there, with no way to communicate.  We have a solution for that and will be linked, as a group, using the What’s App application (runs on IOS and Android phones).  It’s not necessary, but if you want to stay in touch download the app and get it setup on your phone.  When we first meet in the morning we'll all join the NYC USk Museum Group and will be able to text one another.

DETAILS

WHEN: This Saturday, February 10, 2024 starting at 10:00 AM.

WHERE: The American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West.  

SUGGESTION:   Enter the museum from the 81st entrance instead of the main entrance on Central Park West.  It is often less crowded, and has shorter lines .

MEET AT:   Upon arriving we will meet by the cafeteria, which is the lower level by the subway entrance.   If you're late we will have scattered - meet us for lunch.  Anyone you see sketching in the museum is likely to be with our group and friendly.

HOW:

By Subway

-  C to 81st Street or 

- 1 train stops at Broadway and West 79th Street, a two block walk to the museum

ADMISSION:

You can reserve your entrance ticket here:

https://tickets.amnh.org/select

The American Museum of Natural History has a pay what you wish policy for residents of NY, NJ and CT.

LUNCH:  12:00  Noon - There is a Cafe in the museum on the lower level. Sit towards the back.  If you're there first,  sit in an area with open available seating - so we can eat together. The food is good but on the expensive side.  Bring your own food if you like.  We've done that many times.

AFTERNOON:  1:00 PM - Back to sketching at the museum

SHOW and TELL:  3 PM. At our lunch spot in the lower level cafeteria. Show and Tell is the social part of the day where we share our day's drawings and tell cool art stories.  We might even talk about art supplies 

NOTES:

-  Bring a stool if you have one.  It increases your options and the museum doesn't mind, but you can't block the walking paths.

-  Mostly the guards are friendly and happy to see us sketching, but always be courteous and friendly. 

If you can’t find us

call or text Mark at 973-809-9128

There are no fees.   All drawing skill levels are welcome.

THURSDAY February 8, 2024: Westchester Sketchers at The Westchester Mall

 

The Westchester is the ultimate shopping destination for the Metropolitan New York Region. This high-end shopping mall is a work of art with spectacular glass skylights and marble columns. With total sky lighting above marble and carpeted floors below, commissioned sculptures, and fantastic customer service, all the amenities of Madison and 5th Avenue, are available under one roof.

This week we will practice sketching people - our fellow sketchers, shoppers in the Mall, the Food Court, etc.  If you prefer, you can try your hand at sketching the many statues, mannequins and upscale storefronts or architecture in the Mall.

DETAILS: 

DATE: THURSDAY, February 8, 2024. 

Start time: 10:00 AM.  Meet at the Savor Food Hall, located on level 4.

LOCATION: The Westchester Mall, 125 Westchester Ave., White Plains, NY 10601.  Phone:  (914) 683-6800.

DIRECTIONS and Parking 

Directions: https://www.simon.com/mall/the-westchester/about

The Westchester is located in White Plains at the corner of Bloomingdale Road and Westchester Avenue, exit 8 or 8W, right off Route 287.

The Parking area for access to the Savor Food Hall at The Westchester is the one on Paulding Street, located on the North side between P.F. Chang's and Nordstrom. This parking garage is located on the right just before the valet parking, as you turn into Paulding Street from Westchester Avenue.

Transportation from NYC: Use the Harlem Line of the Metro-North Railroad to arrive in White Plains.  Please call (800) METRO-INFO or visit https://new.mta.info/schedules for schedule and fare information. Taxicabs are readily available for hire to ride to The Westchester Mall.  

LUNCH: 1:00 PM in the Savor Food Court.  Bring your own or buy from the food vendors.

SHOW and TELL: Following lunch we will share our drawings and tell stories.  This is the social part of our day and is not to be missed.

NOTES:

- Seating areas can be found throughout the Mall, but bringing a stool offers more options.

- Leave your coat in the car so you don't have to carry it.

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman (westchester@nycurbansketchers.org).

Looking for us? 

Call/text: Cathy at (914) 625-0766 

There are no fees. All drawing skill levels are welcome.

Weekday Sketchers at NY Historical Society

TUESDAY!

Kay Walking Stick: Niagara 

Sometimes called the "city's attic" the NY Historical Society is a depository of  all things NYC.  Owned and displayed are furniture, paintings, sculptures, Tiffany lamps and toys.  Then there are the special exhibits: "Kay Walking Stick and the Hudson River Painters" and "Enchanted Imaginations",  are but two of the many special exhibits on view. You can find out more about the museum and the special exhibits here: https://www.nyhistory.org

Enchanted Imaginations

DATE:  TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2024

STARTING TIME;  11:00 (when the museum opens)

LOCATION: 170 CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 77TH ST

TRANSPORTATION:  B OR C TRAIN TO 81St/ Museum of Natural History

Tiffany Gallery

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at President@NYCURbansketchers.org
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445
• There is an entrance fee of $24 for adults and $19 for Seniors.  the AAM membership is accepted for 2 admissions.  If you have a membership, please get two tickets so we can share them with members. 
• Be prepared to work in dry materials
• Water, bathrooms and cafe style food service is available
• You can use a stool