May 19, 2025 Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

 

 UPDATE

A SPECIAL OUTING

JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE REFUGE 

BIRD WATCH AND SKETCHING

If you have never been to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Preserve this is your chance to fix that!

Visitor's Center

It is amazing that between one of the busiest airports and one of the world's largest cities, is a 12,600 wildlife refuge with salt water marshes, freshwater ponds and hundreds of species of wildlife.  Walking through this serene setting you would think you were far, far from the city until you see its skyline rise up on the horizon.  Join us for a day in one of NYC's (not so)  hidden treasures for a guided bird walk and day of sketching.  

UPDATE:   Some funding has been restored and the visitor's center and bathrooms will be open on Monday for our visit.   If you were thinking about going and were not sure,  this is you chance to sign up.  See information below about contacting Diana Berchan to join the group. 

The guided bird walk is led by Don Reipe, naturalist and manager of the National Park System Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.  For informant about Don, click here: https://www.littoralsociety.org/don-riepe.html

For information about Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, click here: https://www.nps.gov/gate/learn/historyculture/jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge.htm

Thanks to Diana Berchan for making these arrangements!

DATE:  MONDAY May 19, 2025

           

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE REFUGE 

                                CROSS BAY BOULEVARD, QUEENS

TRANSPORTATION: Check the website for driving and public transit information:https://www.nps.gov/gate/learn/historyculture/jamaica-bay-wildlife-refuge.htm

While the site is accessible by public transportation, using a car is the most expedient way to get there.  If you are driving, please let Diana know if you can accommodate people for a car pool or if you would like to hook up for a ride.  A list of people who can provide rides and those looking for rides will be sent to those people. It will be up to those individuals to make the arrangements. 

Thanks to Diana Berchan for arranging a private bird walk and sketching day! 

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Diana Berchan at dberchan@me.com
• Looking for us? Call or text Diana at 917-608-8262
• There is no fee for this outing or birdwalk.  A suggested donation is $5.00
• Bird walk is optional. You can join us at any part of the day. 
• Water and bathrooms are available at the Vistor's Center
• There will be a considerable amount of walking on flat sandy surfaces, please wear appropriate shoes.
• There is no food service in the park. Please make sure to bring whatever you need with you.
• Bring a hat, binoculars, stool  and sunblock 
• Bring a bottle for drinking water
• See note above for car pool arrangements 

Sketch Saturday May 10, Verdi Square

 

MEETING SPOT, LUNCH, AND SHOW AND TELL: Verdi Square 

Verdi Square sits on Broadway between 72nd and 73rd, right above the 1/2/3 subway station. The park itself has greenery and statuary, but it's also wedged into the heart of the Upper West Side, where grande dame apartment buildings sit beside glassy new high-rises, and crisscrossing streets create a spindly web around the above-ground subway headhouses. 

Within Verdi Square there are benches and chairs, but if you want a different vantage point bring your own stool or be prepared to stand.

Lunch: there are a few bistro tables in Verdi Square and lots of food options nearby, from hot dogs to groceries to sandwich shops

Show and Tell: 2 pm in Verdi Square

Host: Kate Aguirre (832) 606-0101

May 7, 2025 Weekday Sketchers at Harlem Meer

 Weekday Sketchers at the Harlem Meer Wednesday

With a name that harkens back to the time of the Dutch in NYC, the northern end of Central Park offers wonderful sketching opportunities at the Harlem Meer.  The Meer ( lake in Dutch) is crowned with a beautiful boathouse and surrounded by lush hills.  We will also have views of the newly opened Davis Recreation Center, just off the Meer.

DATE: WEDNESDAY MAY 7, 2025

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  HARLEM MEET BOAT HOUSE

                                CENTAL PARK NORTH AT 110TH STREET

TRANSPORTAIION: 2, 3 TRAIN TO 110ST

NOTES

• Please RSVP to Raylie Dunkel at President@NYCurbansketchers.org
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445
• Bathrooms and water are available 
• There is very limited food service in the park. Bring your lunch
• Bring a stool

Rescheduled - NJ sketchers 5/15 at Verona Park

 NJ sketchers 5/15 at Verona Park

Swan boats are bobbing in the lake, fountains, bridges, stone walls, and bocce courts. Plenty of good subject matter. Benches throughout the park, but bring a stool. 

 

DATE: Thursday, May 15, 2025

STARTING TIME: 10:00 AM

LOCATION:  

https://maps.app.goo.gl/zVbgy7hzXi6mGxtZA

Parking in the center of the park in front of the kids' playground and tennis courts.
Meet up at the stone boathouse center of park. That's where the bathrooms are

RSVP to: Julia Bazaz 

jazaz7658@gmail.com

(551) 206-1273

All welcome, no fees to attend

Tuesday, May 6, 2025: Westchester Sketchers at Hopper House in Nyack

 Sketch The Hopper House

and

Celebrate International Urban Sketchers Week 

NOTE: This event falls within International Urban Sketchers Week. 

All are invited to share your sketches using the hashtag #uskweek2025 and show the world what this community means to you. To learn more about this global celebration, go to this link.

The Edward Hopper House Museum, located in Nyack, NY, was built in 1858 by his maternal grandfather. It is is a 2-story, side hall, mid-19th-century Greek Revival–style dwelling with a 2+1⁄2-story, Queen Anne–style addition. It was the home of noted artist Edward Hopper (1882–1967) from the time of his birth until he moved to Manhattan in 1910. He held title to the house until his death. The house features one gallery dedicated to Hopper's life and work, and other galleries for changing exhibits.

Current exhibit: PORTAL: THE WINDOW IN AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY
This exhibit features twenty three images by seventeen nationally and globally esteemed photographers drawn from the collection of the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY.

DETAILS:

DATE: TUESDAY, May 6, 2025

LOCATION: Edward Hopper House Museum and Study Center, 82 N Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960. Phone: 845-358-0774.

DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps/dir//Edward+Hopper+House+Museum+%26+Study+Center,+82+N+Broadway,+Nyack,+NY+10960

START TIME: 10 AM

LUNCH: 12:30 PM

SHOW and TELL: After lunch. This is the social part of our day where we share our drawings, tips, and stories.  

NOTES:

• Special admission is $5.00 for Urban Sketchers.
• The Museum is normally closed on Tuesday. It will be open especially for us.
• There is a charge for street parking on Broadway in front of the Museum but you can find free parking on the side streets.
• Pencils only - no pens or markers.
• Bring a stool if you have one. 

Please RSVP to Cathy (westchester@nycurbansketchers.org)

Looking for us? Call/text: Cathy at (914-625-0766 or Marianne at (914) 355-2420.

Saturday May 3, 2025 Woodlawn Cemetery Arboretum

Sketch The Trees of Woodlawn Cemetery

Celebrate International Sketch Week #USkWeek2025

Join us to sketch the "Great Trees of New York City.” Woodlawn Cemetery houses 5 of them, including the magnificent Weeping Beech

• We’ll meet inside the front entrance at 11 am, lunch and show and tell at the picnic tables to the right of the entrance at 1pm and 3pm, respectively. (Note slightly later start due to location at a further destination)

• To get there, take the number 4 train to the last stop, Woodlawn; it’s just across the street

• Tree guides are located at the front entrance. For those interested, there are official tours also being given that day at noon and 2pm. https://www.woodlawn.org/conservancy/tours-events/. Maps of the cemetery with the great trees identified are at https://www.woodlawn.org/tree-map/

  
  

NOTE: This event falls within International Urban Sketchers Week. 

All are invited to share your sketches using the hashtag #uskweek2025 and show the world what this community means to you. And to learn more about this global celebration, go to this link.

Looking for us or lost the event host is Frieda Christofides 917 747-6060

You can park inside for free

Bring food and a stool

TUESDAY, April 29, 2025: Westchester Sketchers at the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation in Mt. Kisco

 

William Louis Dreyfus

The late businessman William Louis-Dreyfus spent his life amassing a gigantic trove of more than 3,000 artworks, starting with a Wassily Kandinsky watercolor in 1965, and the passion for collecting ran through him until he died in 2016, at the age of 84. He had a special interest in Outsider Art.

The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation's art collection is made up of pieces by self-taught and contemporary artists such as James Castle, Rackstraw Downes, Red Grooms, Bill Traylor, Thornton Dial, and Nellie Mae Rowe. Over 200 artists are featured in the Foundation's collection, all collected by its benefactor.

DETAILS:

DATE: TUESDAY, April 29, 2025

LOCATION: William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation, 211 Kisco Avenue, Mt. Kisco, NY.
The entrance to the facility is located via a short path at the far side of the parking lot.
Before our visit, you may like to familiarize yourself with the collection by visiting http://www.wldfoundation.org/.

DIRECTIONS 

By Car: https://www.google.com/maps/dir//211+Kisco+Ave,+Mt+Kisco,+NY+10549/

By Train (From NYC): Take Metro North Railroad from Grand Central Terminal to the Mt. Kisco Station via the Harlem Line. The Foundation is a short walk from the train station.

START TIME: Please arrive by 10:45 AM, so we will be ready to start our tour at 11:00 AM. If you are running late, please notify the Foundation by calling 914 864-1425.

A staff member will meet us at the main entrance at the designated start time. There will be a short introduction to the collection followed by a tour highlighting some of the key works and artists. We will have time at the end of the tour for independent viewing and sketching.

SHOW and TELL: We will do show and tell at the end of our sketching time. This is the social part of our day where we share our drawings, tips, and stories.  We will do show and tell either at the Foundation or outside if weather permits.

LUNCH: Food and drinks are not permitted in the Foundation so lunch will be on our own.

NOTES:

• Admission is free.
• Parking, while ample, is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• If possible, secure coats and personal items in your vehicle prior to entering the building.
• Coats, and other personal belongings brought into the building will be stored in the coatroom before the start of the tour.
• Pencils only - no pens or markers.
• Limited seating available. Bring a stool if you have one. 

Please RSVP to Cathy (westchester@nycurbansketchers.org) as soon as possible. We will be providing an attendee list to the Foundation.

Looking for us? Call/text: Marianne at (914) 355-2420.

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