Saturday 6/27/26: Special Event: Weekend and Westchester Sketchers co-hosting at Van Cortlandt Park

 

Van Cortlandt Park boasts more than a thousand acres in the Bronx and is New York City's third largest park. The park is home to the country's first public golf course and the borough's largest freshwater lake.

The Van Cortlandt House Museum, the oldest house in the Bronx, will be our home base for the day. The 18th-century fieldstone and brick Georgian style manor house is both a New York City Landmark and a National Historical Landmark.

Not far from the Museum, the Grand Central Stones are another interesting and sketchable part of Van Cortlandt Park. In the early 1900s, Grand Central Terminal’s architects, Reed & Stem and Warren & Wetmore, tested 13 stone mockups in Van Cortlandt Park to determine the most durable materials, ultimately selecting Stony Creek granite and Indiana limestone- choices still evidenced by the surviving test monoliths today.

HOST: Frieda Christofides (917) 747-6060
DATE: Saturday 6/27/26
TIME: Sketching 11am-3pm | Show and Tell beginning at 3pm.
SKETCHING LOCATION: Van Cortlandt House Museum- 6036 Broadway, Bronx, NY

MEETING SPOT: There will be a kickoff meeting in front of the The Van Cortlandt House Museum at 11am.
SHOW AND TELL LOCATION: We will meet at 3pm in front of the Museum. Check with the host day-of for the exact show-and-tell location.
FOOD, DRINK, RESTROOMS, SEATING: There are restrooms near the museum. There is food in the neighborhood, but not in the park. Bring a stool, it will give you more options.

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event. #nycurbansketchers.

Workshop: July 18 • Loose Colored Lines. Discovering a new way to draw with Santi Sallés

Practice drawing in a different way, painting with watercolor and making marks on top with colored pencils in a loose and casual style.

Santi Sallés is a great lover of fresh, emotional, colorful drawings and especially ones that could have been created by a child. He is currently teaching urban sketching at a private university in Barcelona and he regularly participates in travel sketchbook festivals. Join this workshop to experience his exciting approach to urban sketching.

No experience is necessary for this workshop - all are welcome.

Every attendee will receive a free Stillman & Birn beta series sketchbook, containing 180 pound natural white paper in a soft cover.

Saturday July 18

Tickets and more information is available on Event Brite.

 Sitting in the middle of the East River, Roosevelt Island offers us wonderful views of both Manhattan and Queens. Choose the view of the United Nations, the Queensboro Bridge on the west side, or the iconic Coca Cola sign on the East side.  Wander to the south end of the island to capture the Roosevelt Memorial or the old hospital complex. No matter what, you will have a great time sketching the sites and leaving with wonder pictures in your sketchbooks. 

DATE: Wednesday June 24 , 2026

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

MEETING SPOT:  We will meet on the plaza in front of the Cafe at Cornell Tech.  Walk south from either the subway or tram station. Pass under the bridge.  Cornell Tech will be on your left.  The plaza is on the east side of the building. 

TRANSPORTATION: M train to Roosevelt Island or the Tram at 59th St and 2nd Ave

HOST: Mila Genkin 718-909-3606

NOTES: 

Water and bathrooms are available 

There is limited  food service in the park.  Please bring your own lunch and snacks, or purchase something on the island

Bring a stool 

Saturday 6/20/26: Weekend Sketchers at Green-Wood Cemetery

 

Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery, in a time of rapid urbanization when churchyards in New York City were becoming overcrowded. Described as "Brooklyn's first public park by default long before Prospect Park was created", Green-Wood Cemetery was so popular that it inspired a competition to design Central Park in Manhattan, as well as Prospect Park nearby.

The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a National Historic Landmark. In addition, the 25th Street gates, the Weir Greenhouse, and the Fort Hamilton Parkway Gate & Green-Wood Cemetery Chapel were separately designated as city landmarks by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. So there’s lots to sketch at Green-Wood!

HOST: Susan Toplitz (631) 948-3233
DATE: Saturday 6/20/26
TIME: Sketching 10am-3pm | Show and Tell beginning at 3pm.
SKETCHING LOCATION: Green-Wood Cemetery- 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY. The Main Entrance is at 5th Avenue and 25th Street in Brooklyn (not in Manhattan, for any out-of-towners). The R train stops one block away from the entrance on 25th Street.

MEETING SPOT: There will be no official meeting to kick off the day, join your fellow sketchers and just start sketching. If you are new, look for people with sketchbooks and say hello, we are a friendly bunch.
SHOW AND TELL LOCATION: We will meet at 3 just inside the main Gothic entrance. Check with the host day-of for the exact show-and-tell location.
FOOD, DRINK, RESTROOMS, SEATING: There are restrooms on the premises, and parking, although be mindful if there is a burial that day. There is food in the neighborhood, but you can picnic on the grounds.

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event. #nycurbansketchers.

SATURDAY, June 20, 2026: WESTCHESTER Sketchers at the Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Gardens

A visit to The Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden is a chance to experience the peace of nature and the wisdom of Eastern culture, right in Westchester County. These weeks are the most colorful in the Japanese Stroll Garden with the many azaleas, Japanese primrose, yellow iris, and water lilies all blooming brightly.

Located in North Salem, New York, The Hammond Museum serves visitors worldwide with Japanese art and a beautifully-preserved 3.5-acre Japanese stroll garden. Come take a walk and sketch in the gardens, or see the art on show in the museum's galleries. The museum offers changing exhibits, lectures, and programs that reflect the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures.

Currently on exhibit in the main gallery: 

Threads of Connection: Traditional Forms, Contemporary Stories. Featured Artists: Mohamed A. Yakub and Jane Wilson-Marquis. AND Falling from the Floating World: Tattoo Art by Geoff Horn.

HOST: Cathy Gutterman (914) 625-0766 

DATE: Saturday, June 20, 2026

Start time: 11 AM (Note: Later start time)

LOCATION: The Hammond Museum and Japanese Stroll Garden28 Deveau Road, North Salem, NY 10560-2115 Phone: 914-669-5033

DIRECTIONS: Take I-684 to Exit 7. Take Route 116 East to Salem Center. Follow signs for the Hammond Museum on June Road north until reaching Deveau Road. https://www.hammondmuseum.org/visit

Transportation from NYC: Take METRO NORTH Harlem line trains to Croton Falls. From the Croton Falls station, the museum recommends taking a Taxi or Car Service to the museum.

LUNCH: Since we will be starting later, we will not stop for lunch, please bring your own lunch/snack and water.

SHOW and TELL: 3:00 PM. We will share our drawings and tell stories. This is the social part of our day and should not be missed.

NOTES:

- Museum hours: 11-5 PM   

- Admission: Adults $12, Seniors $8.

- Bring a stool if you have one.  It gives you more options.

- Dress for sunshine and warm temperatures.  

- Bring a hat and sunscreen.

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman at westchester@nycurbansketchers.org

About NYC Urban Sketchers Events: All are welcome–no fee, no registration. Just look for folks with sketchbooks at the meeting spot and say hello. If you have trouble finding us, contact the host; their contact info is in the NYC Urban Sketchers blog post for this event. #nycurbansketchers.

At the lower end of Manhattan, in Battery Park, is a carousel that seems to be part of a dream: Pastel hued glass fish “swim” past huge windows, making it seem that the people inside are riding in an aquarium. Join us this week and capture this fantasy in your sketchbook.  Then wander through the rest of the park to sketch the statues, playgrounds, trees and Fort Clinton. 

DATE: Wednesday June 17 , 2026

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

TRANSPORTATION: 1 train to South Ferry or the R, W to Whitehall/South Ferry

HOST: Lorraine Smith. 929-614-1930

NOTES: 

Water and bathrooms are available 

There is no food service in the park.  Please bring your own lunch and snacks

Bring a stool 

6/20 Saturday NJ Sketchers at Verona Park

 

We welcome you to join the NJ Urban Sketchers at Verona Park. Located at the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Lakeside Drive, this 54-acre public park features a 13-acre lake, a boathouse, swan boats, tennis, pickleball and bocce courts, a children's garden, and an arched pedestrian bridge, popular for taking special occasion photos. The park was originally designed by the Olmstead Brothers and has many lovely features to sketch or paint. It also has plenty of shade trees.

Please meet at 10:30 at the boathouse, which is where the restrooms are. You can park near the children's playground or the tennis courts. There is overflow on the street parking as well.
Bring a stool for more options and your lunch or a snack. We will sketch for two hours, then eat, show & tell at 12:30, and talk about favorite art supplies.

RSVP or any questions, e-mail Julia - jazaz7658@gmail.com or (551)206-1273.

Date: Saturday, June 20, 2026
Time: 10:30am
Location: Verona Park, Verona, NJ 07044

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YCFoHfbuvppTH5kC7

All skill levels welcome, free event