SUNDAY: Sketch the Morris-Jumel Mansion

 

​The Morris-Jumel Mansion

The mansion was built in 1765 as a country retreat for Roger and Mary Morris.  It's the oldest surviving residence in Manhattan.  

Fun Fact:   The two-story octagon at the rear of the house is believed to be the first of its kind anywhere in the colonies.

It has quite a history.  The mansion actually served as a headquarters for both sides in the Revolutionary War.   General George Washington first occupied the house with his officers and domestic staff on September 15, 1776.  After the war Aaron Burr married the owner of the mansion in the mansion's parlor.

Sylvan Terrace was originally the carriage drive of the 18th century Morris-Jumel.  The cobblestone street is one block long and has wonderfully restored wooden townhouses built in 1882.  The street is a popular film set location.

“Despite the incredible pedigree of the Morris-Jumel Mansion, ... it has been left to deteriorate. On a hill above Coogan’s Bluff, it looks ghostly from whatever direction you approach. The paint on the exterior is peeling on all sides. Last winter, one of the four columns on the front porch collapsed, leaving that portion of the building to be propped up by scaffolding and necessitating a study about what caused the fall.”  If you’re curious you can read more in the latest issue of ArtDaily  https://artdaily.cc/news/163602/Why-has-this-258-year-old-mansion-been-left-to-fall-apart-

Thanks to Pat Gaignat for pointing to the article and suggesting this Great Neighborhoods of NYC location - in Washington Heights.

DETAILS:

WHAT:  We’re sketching at the Morris-Jumel Mansion and Sylvan Terrace, in Washington Heights

WHEN:  We’ll meet at 11:00 AM SUNDAY, November 5th 22nd - 

Remember: this is the first day of Daylight Savings Time so the time will have changed overnight.

WHERE:  We will meet at the Mansion. 

HOW:  

-   By Subway:  

• C Train to 163rd St.  Use exit marked 161 and St Nicholas Ave . Walk past CTown market and walk up the stone stairs.  Museum entrance is ahead of you at the end of Sylvan Terrace
• It's a longer walk but you can also use the #1 train to 157th Street

-   By Car:  There is no alternate side of the street parking on Sunday.

LUNCH:  12:30 PM  - We'll select a likely spot so we can eat together.  Bring your own - or rely on the local stores and shops

AFTERNOON:  1:30 PM  Back to sketching.

SHOW AND TELL:  3:00 PM  Location to be determined. This is the social part of our day where we will share our sketches, tell stories, and probably talk about art supplies.

NOTE:

-  Bring a stool - it gives you more options.  

Click to enlarge

​

Can't find us?  

Call or Text Mark - 973-809-9128

There are no fees or attendance taken. All drawing skill levels are welcome

THURSDAY, November 2, 2023: Westchester Sketchers at the Katonah Museum of Art

 

Thank you to Naomi Leiseroff for making the arrangements for us to sketch at KMA.

The Katonah Museum of Art is a non-collecting institution geared towards visual arts, located in Katonah, New York.  The Museum presents changing exhibitions that cross a spectrum of artistic disciplines, cultures, and historical periods.  Housed in an elegant building designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Katonah Museum of Art originates three to four major exhibitions annually.

Current Exhibits on view include:

Stories of Syria's Textiles: Art and Heritage across Two Millennia 

October 15, 2023 - January 28, 2024

This exhibit illuminates the important role that textile production has played in Syrian culture from antiquity to the present.  The objects in the show, which include textile fragments, men and women’s clothing, limestone relief sculptures and a series of contemporary photographs related to silk production, draw a thread across time.   

Rhonda Khalifeh: Immortal Stitch

October 15, 2023 - January 28, 2024

Experience a unique fabric installation and experiment with various textile arts activities in the Pollack Family Learning Center.  Immortal Stitch grapples with shifting notions of identity and loss of place.  Using a combination of repurposed aghabani tablecloths and hand-dyed silk and wool, Rhonda Khalifeh's installation explores material heritage and her past and present relationship with Syrian craft. Khalifeh is a Syrian-American artist, dyer, and print designer based in New York.

The Haas Brothers: Jungle Fool

March 12, 2023 - June 23, 2024

Jungle Fool, a 7-foot-tall sculpture, exhibits otherworldly, anthropomorphic features which, despite being fiendishly freaky, feel welcoming and blissfully unconnected to the harder, earthier problems we mortals all experience. It represents self-expression and individuality and speaks to more significant social issues such as race, gender, and women's rights, with the undercurrents of humor, compassion, and true humanity. Humorously animalistic, with a comical nod to sexuality, it creates opportunities for people to think differently about the world and its future.

 

DETAILS:

DATE: THURSDAY, November 2, 2023.

Start time: 10:30 AM  Please arrive on time as someone will be giving us an introduction to the exhibition at 10:45 AM.
  

LOCATION: Katonah Museum of Art 134 Jay Street - Route 22, Katonah, NY 10536
Phone: (914) 232-9555 https://www.katonahmuseum.org/visit/

DIRECTIONS: https://www.katonahmuseum.org/visit/getting-here.php
From NYC: Take the Harlem/Metro North Line to White Plains. Please contact Marianne (914) 355-6507 if you would like a ride from the station.  Alternately, board the Anderson Hill Road bus No. 12 or take a taxi to campus.

LUNCH:  Please bring a snack/lunch to have if you get hungry. There are no food options at the Museum.  If the weather is okay we can meet and have lunch in the sculpture garden.  This is the museum’s preference. If it is raining they will allow us to meet and eat in the Learning Center.  There are tables and chairs in both locations

SHOW and TELL: 1:00 PM. We will share our drawings and tell stories. This is the social part of our day and is not to be missed.

NOTES: 

• Admission: We can buy tickets on November 2nd.  Seniors $6, others $12.
• Reciprocal Admission: Fairfield Westchester Museum Alliance (FWMA), North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM), American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Members.  Also check check your local Library Pass Program.
The museum does have stools and we should use them.
• Food, drink, chewing gum and tobacco products are not allowed in the galleries.
• PENCIL ONLY in the galleries, and we have to be sitting down when we draw, not walking or standing with pencils out. We can use watercolor and non messy materials in the Learning Center and outside, of course. There is a sink in the Learning Center for washing up.

Please RSVP to Cathy Gutterman at cathygutterman@verizon.net

Looking for us? 

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

Weekday Sketchers Program Canceled Due to RAIN!

Watch for next week's announcement!

 Weekday Sketchers Visit the Women of Central Park

Women's Rights Pioneers Memorial

There are so many statues in Central Park: patriots, authors, politicians, literary heroes, animals and many fictions characters And, among them, only a handful of women.  Join us this week as we visit some of the women that "reside" in Central Park: real, fictitious and imagined. 

 

Alice in Wondeland

We will meet, and start our journey, at the first sculpture of real women erected in the park: The Women's Rights Pioneer Memorial depicting Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth.  From there we will visit two fictional women, Mother Goose and Alice in Wonderland and finish at the Bethesda Fountain with the Angel of the Waters gracing its top. 

Angel of the Waters

DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2023

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:   WOMEN'S RIGHTS PIONEER STATUE 

                            Located on the Mall at approximately 68th Street on the east side of the park

                            See map below for directions

TRANSPORTATION: 6 TRAIN TO 68TH STREET/ HUNTER COLLEGE

Mother Goose

                                        

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at Rayliedunkel1@gmail.com
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-273-0445
• We will meet at the  Women's Rights statue.  You can follow the group or sketch anything you like in the park.  We will meet at the Bethesda Fountain for lunch at 1:00 PM 
• Bathrooms and water are available in the park
• Limited food service is available in the park
• Bring a stool
• You can work in watercolors

REVISED

Weekday Schedule for November and December

The weather has cooled down making it uncomfortable to be sketching outside.  Here is a revised schedule for November and December with a few added extras.    

Our December schedule has a number of special events.

• On Wednesday  December 6 we will revisit Cast Hall, one of our favorite drawing venues. 

• On THURSDAY December 14, we have been invited to go to Bay Ridge Brooklyn to see and sketch the incredible Christmas lights.  We will be meeting in the afternoon, touring and sketching the neighborhood then visiting a local artist's studio where we can have a bite to eat.  Afterwards we will go out in the dark and see the houses fully lit.  If you want you can capture the evening spectacle in your sketchbooks or just stroll along and enjoy the view. Thanks to Meryl Greenblatt for making the arrangements.

• On Wednesday December 20 we will be visiting the American Museum of Natural History with complementary tickets to the new show on Elephants as well as a selection of other specialty venues.  Thanks for Muriel Applebaum for making the arrangements. NOTE: there are a limited amount of tickets that will be given on a first come, first served based to those that RSVP when the announcement is posted.  Watch for instructions. 

Wednesday November 8, 2023            Canstruction at Brookfield Place 

Wednesday November 15, 2023         Asia Society

Wednesday November 22, 2023          HAPPY THANKGIVINIG

                                                             No event scheduled

Wednesday November 29, 2023          Pier 57

Wednesday  December 6, 2023            Cast Hall. (join meeting with Westchester Sketchers) 

Thursday December 14, 2023              Bay Ridge Holiday Lights 

Wednesday December 20,  2023          AMNH Christmas Tree

Wednesday December 27, 2023            MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR

                                                                No event scheduled 

SATURDAY: Sketch a Modern Masterpiece?

 

An Architectural Masterpiece, or a Sore Thumb?

We'll all have an opinion after a day of sketching New York City's newest public library, located at one of the most scenic spots in our town.



The New York Times architecture critic said, "Why Can’t New York City Build More Gems Like This Queens Library?  The Hunters Point Community Library is one of the finest public buildings New York has produced this century. But it cost more than $40 million, took a decade and almost died."

The weather report suggests this day in October might be summer's last hurrah.  In addition to the library we'll have the NYC skyline, the fall foliage and the east river to contemplate.  (The library is located opposite the UN.)  

DETAILS

WHEN: This Saturday, October 28, 2023 starting at 10:00 AM. 

WHERE:  Hunters Point Queens Public Library - 47-40 Center Blvd.  Long Island City, NY 11109 (718) 990-4150.  Let’s meet by the front entrance..   (see map below).

HOW:   7 train to Vernon Blvd–Jackson Avenue.  Or the  G to 21 Street.

-   LIRR Montauk, Oyster Bay, and Port Jefferson lines.

-   NYC Ferry: Astoria Route to Long Island City; East River Route to Hunters Point South.

-   Bus: Q103, B32, B62

-   Driving?  Parking can be tough in LIC. There is an Icon parking at 45-45 Center Blvd about a four block walk from the library.

LUNCH:  12:30pm – We will select the lunch location in the morning.  There are several supermarkets and restaurants ½ block away, or bring your own. The #7 subway stop has tons of eateries nearby, maybe pick something on your way in.

AFTERNOON:  1:30 PM - Back to sketching..

SHOW and TELL:  3 PM. We will scout out a space either in or near the Library (possibly our lunch spot) where we can share our drawings, and talk about art for the social part of our day.

NOTE:
-  Bring a stool if you have one.  It increases your options

click to enlarge

 If you can’t find us

call or text ​M​ark at ​9​73-809-9128

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

WEDNESDAY, October 25, 2023: Westchester Sketchers at the City Island Nautical Museum

 AHOY SKETCHING MATES!

All drawing hands on deck as we visit the City Island Nautical Museum for a day of sketching.  Thank you to Marylou Mooney and Alice Strinsky for suggesting this site.

City Island is well known for leisure boating and great lobster meals.  It is also a small community on the edge of New York City in the Bronx that has a rich nautical history.  The island was purchased by Benjamin Palmer in 1761.  Palmer had the vision of developing the island into a port that could rival New York City.  Ships passing north and south passed City Island using Long Island Sound as a safe waterway.  Palmer’s vision never fully materialized as the timing just before the American Revolution halted all progress and the war depleted Palmer and his investors of capital.  It would be another 60 years before the Island again started to be developed when oystermen, pilots of Hell Gate, a set of nearby narrows, and eventually shipbuilders arrived and introduced these industries.

In the museum we will find galleries with photographic essays featuring maps, the America’s Cup, models of City Island’s most beautiful boats, the City Island bridges and historic buildings as well as a historical timeline, models of a minesweeper and several rum runners built during prohibition and a handsome wooden kayak built in the 1930s.   Also featured are display cases with antique shipbuilding and sail making tools.

And don't miss the boat-building exhibit, the photographs by Morris Rosenfeld, renowned maritime photographer, and paintings by City Island artist Liz Alderman.

DETAILS:

DATE: WEDNESDAY October 25, 2023

LOCATION: City Island Nautical Museum, 190 Fordham Street, City Island, NY, 10464.  718-885-0008 https://www.cityislandmuseum.org/

DIRECTIONS:  https://www.cityislandmuseum.org/contact

PARKING:  On the street.  This should not be a problem on a weekday.            

TIME: 10:00 AM 

NOTE:  A tax deductible donation of $8 is requested to cover the cost for the Museum to open the Museum during the week for us.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• Bring your own snack or lunch and water or purchase from nearby eateries.  
• We may use watercolors (just please be neat).  
• Stools are not needed as there are plenty of chairs. 
• We will not eat lunch together in the Museum.  Please plan to eat lunch following show and tell (plenty of good eateries on City Island) or snack discreetly. 

Please RSVP to cathygutterman@verizon.net, so we will know who to expect.

Looking for us? Call Cathy (914-625-0766) or Marianne (914-355-6507).

 

 Weekday Sketchers in Victorian Brooklyn

Just south of Prospect Park, there is a neighborhood that harkens back to England, with street names like Argyle, Beverly, Westminster and Rugby Roads.  The neighborhood was developed during the Victorian building boom and then added to over the early part of the 20th century with large estate type house in fanciful styles.  This is our playground on Wednesday.

Thanks to member Amanda Kavanaugh, for opening her beautiful home to us for the day.  We will gather there and then start of our sketching. The neighborhood goes all out for Halloween with lights, action figures and plenty of witches and ghosts.  

In preparation for the day, here are some articles about the neighborhood.

https://untappedcities.com/2021/09/28/mansions-victorian-flatbush-brooklyn/?displayall=true

https://secretnyc.co/brooklyn-halloween-house-ditmas-park/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_Park_South#:~:text=7%20External%20links-,History,the%20country%20in%20the%20city

DATE:  WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 25, 2023

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATION:  VICTORIAL BROOKLYN

MEETING LOCATION:  HOME of Amanda Kavanagh 

                                        155 Argyle Road, Brooklyn Between Beverly and Albemarle Roads

TRANASPORTATION:   Q Train to Beverly Road 

NOTES: 

• We will meet at Amanda's house at 10:30 AM.  We will then go around the neighborhood and sketch the scenes that are of interest.  We will gather back at Amanda's house for lunch at 1:00 PM
• Bring your own lunch or purchase something along the way. Church Ave has a number of food outlets as does Cortelyou Road. Amanda recommends the deli counter at C-Town on Church and Argyle Roads for takeout sandwiches.
• PLEASE RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at raylie@verizon.net that you will be coming.  If you come later than the meeting time, text or call Raylie at 201-273-0445 for current locations.
• This is a residential neighborhood. Please be mindful of the property lines, foot and car traffic.  
• Amanda has Kindly offered her home for use of bathrooms.  

Direction from Subway to Amanda's house. 

New Jersey Sketchers at the Blauvelt Art Museum 

Join us for a day of sketching at The Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum.

Established in 1957 to promote the need for wildlife conservation and habitats, this unique institution offers us plenty to sketch, either inside or out. 

Originally a carriage house,  this turreted building has woods and interesting sculptures around it. Inside, is a beautiful room with the original paddocks, chandeliers, sculptures and the desk of Mr. Blauvelt. The Blauvelt is a natural history museum with 

wildlife art and big game collections (taxidermy, a museum with wildlife artifacts and an art gallery for contemporary wildlife art. 

Date: Thursday, 10/26

Time: 10:30am

Where: The Hiram Blauvelt Museum 

705 Kinderkamack Rd, Oradell, NJ 07649

Water and bathrooms are available. No food service. Bring your lunch and stool. Dry materials inside.

The Blauvelt is easily accessible from NYC by public transportation via NJ Transit within walking distance from the Oradell Station 

Rsvp to: margaret.casagrande@gmail.com

646-515-9913

WEEKDAY AND WESTCHESTER GROUPS AT WOOD LAWN CEMETERY

Cemeteries are great sketching sites: large open spaces, interesting architecture and wonderful landscapes. And Wood Lawn has it all! Join us for a day of sketching in this historic yet contemporary landmark of NYC.   

For more information about Woodlawn Cemetery, click here: https://www.woodlawn.org

Grand Mausoleums

Woodlawn Cemetery was opened in the mid - late 1800's at the time of the Victorian Era which had a deep culture of funeral architecture and customs.  The mausoleums built during this era remain as monuments to the families whose loved ones are buried here. 

The landscape is designed by Frederick Olmsted, who attracted the top architects at the time to create the mausoleums for the wealthy families who owned plots in the cemetery. 

Watch this episode of The Worlds Greatest Cemeteries for a tour of the cemetery and information about some of the notablesburied here and their monuments: 

.https://www.thirteen.org/programs/worlds-greatest-cemeteries/woodlawn-cemetery-bronx-ny-s6vt8r/

Notable People 

Established in 1863 as a final resting place for New Yorkers of means, it now has over 320,000 interments with many notables in politics, industry and the arts and is designated as a  National  Historic Landmark.  Some of the interments of note:  Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, W.C. Handy, Fiorello La Guardia, Bat Masterson, Herman Melville and F.W. Woolworth,

For more information about this: https://www.woodlawn.org/conservancy/notable-residents/

Great Trees 

The New York City Parks department has a program that identifies the great trees in the city.  Woodlawn Cemetery house 5 of these trees, with the Weeping Beech being extremely magnificent.  Be sure to find this tree and walk through the umbrella of leaves to the trunk to examine how large this tree is. 

For a map of the cemetery with the great trees identified, click here: https://www.woodlawn.org/tree-map/

Weeping Beech

DATE: WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 18, 2023

STARTING TIME: 10:30 AM

LOCATAION: Woodlawn Cemetery

                          4199 Webster Ave Bronx, New York 10470. 

                           We will meet at the Chapel near the Jerome Ave entrance

DIRECTIONS: 

By Metro North 

Metro North Railroad From Grand Central Station: Take the Harlem Line local train (North White Plains). Exit at Woodlawn Station. At top of stairs, turn right. Cemetery Webster office is to the left across the street.

By Subway

Subway: Take the #4 train (Lexington Avenue express or local) to the end of line – Woodlawn Station. At base of station, walk about ½ block. Jerome Avenue entrance is on the right. Or, take the #2 or #5 train to 233rd Street Station. Walk 3 blocks along 233rd, downhill. Cross over Webster Avenue. The cemetery entrance is on the left.

By Car:  Please check a map program.

NOTES

• Please RSVP directly to Raylie Dunkel at Rayliedunkel1@gmail.com or Cathy Gutterman at cathygutterman@verizon.net
• Looking for us? Call or text Raylie at 201-24-0445 or Cathy at 914 625 0766
• We will meet by the chapel near the Jerome Street Entrance.  See map below.
• Bathrooms and water are available 
• There is no food service in the cemetery.  Bring your lunch and snacks with you
• You can work in watercolor
• Bring a stool
• As a reminder, be respectful of the grave sites. If using a stool, please do not set it up on a grave. Use the walkways or ground that is not a grave site. 
• We will gather for lunch and a show and tell at 1:00 PM