Art clubs in New York.
14 clubs, and when they meet. Most meet on weekday evenings, around Midtown, Financial District, Fort Greene. Most are free to join. The ones without a fixed day are listed below, linked to where they announce. Subscribe to this calendar →
What to expect.
Drawing sessions, craft circles, photowalks and improv groups in New York. Most are drop-in and weekly, most assume you have never done it before, and most are as much about the company as the work.
Each listing shows the day and time the group publishes. Their page says what to bring, which is usually less than you would think.
All 14 art clubs in New York.
A to Z, in each club's own words. Every one links to the club, and every day and time is the one the club publishes.
Free outdoor sketching outings in parks and neighbourhoods around the city, run as three sketching rounds with time to share work between them. All levels, casual.
Roughly monthly Saturday-morning outings; location announced on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →Monthly Sunday-evening knitting circle at the Center for Fiction on Lafayette Ave, running since 2009; bring your own project (no lessons) and a bottle to share. Capped at 15.
Monthly, a Sunday 5pm at the Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Ave · Fort Greene · $3 · meetup.com →Large needlecraft group with several standing sessions a month: Tuesday evenings at a pub in Washington Heights, alternate Thursdays in Queens, Wednesdays in Brooklyn. Exact venues are shown to Meetup members.
Tuesdays 6:30pm Washington Heights, alternate Thursdays 6:30pm Queens, Wednesdays 6pm Brooklyn; venues visible to Meetup members · Free · meetup.com →Monthly Saturday guild meeting in a church basement on E 31st St plus a free fortnightly 'Stitch at the Library' at St. Agnes Library on the Upper West Side. First visit is free; members make charity items.
Monthly Saturday 12:15pm at Church of the Good Shepherd, 240 E 31st St; also alternate Tuesdays 11am at St. Agnes Library · $5/visit · meetup.com →Saturday-afternoon cold readings of a different contemporary play each week at 875 3rd Ave; the script link is provided, no theatre background needed, and you can just listen.
Saturdays, 1pm · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Photo-walk group that runs several outings a week, notably an early-morning series at 7:30am starting from spots like the Oculus, the DUMBO Archway and Astor Place. Any camera, any level.
Several walks a week, often 7:30am weekday mornings; start point changes, announced on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →Monthly stitch night for hand embroidery, cross-stitch, needlepoint and other slow fibre work, currently at Wild East Brewery in Gowanus. Beginners and experienced stitchers alike.
Monthly weekday evening 7pm; recently Wild East Brewery, 623 Sackett St · Free · meetup.com →After-work crafting happy hour at Brookfield Place: knitting, crochet, cross-stitch and needlepoint over a drink, roughly monthly on a weekday evening. Beginners welcome.
Roughly monthly weekday evening 5:30pm at Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey St · Financial District · Free · meetup.com →Weekend photo walks around the city, roughly monthly, with a mix of street, waterfront and off-season beach outings. All skill levels.
Roughly monthly Saturday photo walks, announced on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →The New York chapter of Urban Sketchers: several on-location drawing outings a week (weekend and weekday groups), each ending with a show-and-tell. No fee, no registration, just turn up with a sketchbook.
Several outings a week, often Saturday 10am-3pm; locations posted on the blog each week · Free · nycurbansketchers.org →Uninstructed life-drawing session on the second Tuesday at the Old Stone House in Washington Park: an hour of gestures and short poses, then one two-hour pose. Fee covers the model.
Monthly, second Tuesday · Park Slope · $13 · meetup.com →Free weekly paper-folding meetups: Tuesday evenings at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on 5th Ave, Thursday evenings at the Whole Foods cafe on Madison Ave. Models are taught, paper is shared.
Tuesdays, 6pm · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Brooklyn Comedy Collective's weekly Tuesday improv jam at Eris on Graham Ave: anyone can put their name in the bucket and get put into a scratch team. Free, 21+, sign-ups at 8:15pm.
Tuesdays, time varies · Williamsburg · Free · brooklyncc.com →Bring whatever you are making and work alongside other artists on Monday nights at Spritzenhaus33 beer hall on Nassau Ave. Regular meetups are free; occasional group shows are ticketed.
Mondays, 7pm · Greenpoint · Free · meetup.com →
Questions people actually ask.
Do I need to be any good?
No. Life drawing sessions, craft nights and improv drop-ins are built for beginners and regulars sitting side by side. Nobody is looking at your page.
What do I bring?
Drawing sessions want a sketchbook and something to draw with. Craft circles usually say bring your current project. Photowalks want a camera, and a phone counts. Improv wants nothing.
What does it cost?
Life drawing sessions charge for the model, typically ten to twenty dollars. Most craft circles and photowalks are free. Improv drop-ins vary. It is in the listing.
Every listing links straight to the club. Know a art club in New York we don’t? Add it.