Get ready to unleash your creativity and step into your artistic journey, right here in NYC! It’s no secret that our city is full of culture…from art exhibits and museums to even outdoor public art on view! But if you want to take things into your own hands, we have some places you can do it! From serene studios tucked away in charming neighborhoods to renowned institutions, here’s where to find the best painting classes in NYC right now!

1. Unarthodox’s Immersive Painting Experiences

Unarthodox offers “painting experiences” rather than painting classes, which are immersive experiences using the arts. Their most popular one, A Night With Picasso, allows visitors to create their own paintings inspired by Picasso. Surrounded by music, aromas, and moving visuals of Picasso’s incredible works, you’re able to create a masterpiece of your own.

Their other painting experiences include Intuitive Art, a sensory painting experience as well as a traditional Paint and Sip.

Buy tickets to A Night With Picasso here!

Buy tickets to Intuitive Art here!

Where: 547 W 27th St #300

2. Happy Medium

data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Csq1-jDMN3R/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Happy Medium (@gethappymedium)

This unique art cafe located in the Two Bridges neighborhood of Manhattan is not your typical cafe. Once you arrive, they’ll hand you a menu of art experiences that you can choose from, ranging from $15-24! Customers can pick from all sorts of classes, including late night “Art Noir” sessions and still life watercolor classes…among many more! It’s open on weekends only (Friday and Saturday 12-11pm/Sundays 12-9pm) and requires a reservation through their Instagram DMs. Learn more here.

Where: 49 Market St

3. The Arts Student League of New York

The painting classes at The Art Students League of New York are one of the most affordable opportunities for artists to have access to studio space in the heart of NYC. Their 100+ studio classes offer flexible arrangements for all skill levels, with variation in instructors and curriculums. Some instructors even very well-known, like Sharon Sprung who painted the official White House portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama or James Little who was included in the 2022 Whitney Biennial. If you’re looking to master the craft with regimented programs, this is your best bet. Check out all of their classes and workshops here!

Where: 215 W 57th St

4. Paint ‘N Pour

Paint ‘N Pour in the Lower East Side takes paint parties to a whole new level. They’ve taken the “drink and paint” class concept and stepped it up another notch. With their boozy painting classes, you can enjoy booming playlists, chef-curated bites, and an open bar all while you go to town on your canvas! Classes are 2 hours long and private sessions for large groups are available too. Learn more and see classes here.

Where: 53 Delancey St

5. RESOBOX

This cultural center and studio in the East Village is a hub for Japanese culture, and it’s reflected in their painting classes. Their Japanese Ink Painting Class in particular is one of their most popular because you’ll learn how to ink paint using the ancient art of Sumi-e. However, they offer all kinds of Japanese classes here too like sushi-making and origami.

Buy tickets to the Japanese Ink Painting Class here!

Where: 91 E 3rd St

6. The Art Studio NY

Many highly regard The Art Studio NY as the best in NYC and it’s because of their limitless range of classes! Their classes aim to have customers “explore authentic self-expression, creativity and artistic techniques”…whether they are picking up a brush for the first time or the thousandth. This art school does it all, including adult classes, children art birthday parties, corporate event classes, private lessons, virtual classes, and more! Plus, the sessions range in style from watercolor to acryllic and beyond. See classes and learn more here.

Where: 145 W 96th St #1B

7. Painting Lounge

Painting Lounge’s classes are BYOB and hours of fun and laughs! With the help of an instructor, you can sit back, relax, and learn how to paint the evening’s featured work. It’s stress-free, therapeutic, and an easy way to tap into your creative side. Plus, whether you want to plan it as a date night or just go solo, it’s great for just about any occasion. Sessions are typically 2 hours but can run up to 3 hours depending on the booking. See classes and learn more here.

Where:

Chelsea – 39 West 14th St, Suite 401

Midtown – 40 West 38th St, 2nd Floor

Harlem – 15 West 116th St

Williamsburg – 309 Roebling St, Brooklyn

8. The Paint Place

The Paint Place on the Upper West Side is another studio that has a little bit of everything! No matter what kind of painting class you’re looking for in the city, they probably have it. From casual paint and sip options to family painting excursions, you can surely find some entertainment here. Check out their calendar of upcoming happenings here.

Where: 243 W 72nd St

The post 8 Best Painting Classes In NYC You Should Sign Up For appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

If you’re a lover of literature and cocktails, you’re not going to want to miss this unique Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy. Coming to NYC for a limited time, the interactive show and cocktail experience will retell four of Poe’s most infamous works of literature in a captivating, spine-chilling manner. The experience will only be at J Loft in Brooklyn from September 21st to September 23rd, so be sure to grab tickets here before it vanishes!

Reserve your seats today for a hauntingly good time!

Signature cocktails, such as the “Pale Blue Eye” and “Edgar’s Twisted Brandy Milk Punch” will accompany each tale.

Edgar Allan Poe historians will bring Poe’s Gothic horror works to life through captivating retellings of The Raven, Masque of Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat — complete with libations, of course. Throughout the evening, a skilled mixologist will shake up four signature cocktails to pair with each tale, such as “The Raventini,” making sure that each drink is as deliciously decadent as the next.

The shows will be held at J Loft on 1055 East 45th Street in Brooklyn from September 21st to September 23rd, making it the perfect event to kick off spooky season. With 16-foot-tall ceilings and 5,000 square feet of event space, the venue provides the perfect backdrop for this pop-up Poe speakeasy. 

Let Poe historians guide you through four of Edgar Allan Poe’s iconic works at this sinister speakeasy. Save your spot here!

Attendees will enjoy four complimentary cocktails during the engaging 90-minute show. Ticket prices begin at $55 and are limited to guests age 21 and over.

Event details

Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy NYC

September 21-23, 2023

J Loft (1055 E 45th St, Brooklyn, NY 11203)

$55.00

Tickets

The post ​​This Pop-Up Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Is Making Its Way To A Spacious Venue In NYC appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

The past 50 years have had their share of valley lows regarding hip-hop culture. As we celebrate, let’s also reflect on how and if we’ve grown. It’s fo’ sho’ needed, but are we moving in that direction? Is there a proverbial adult in the room? If someone had injected thought, hindsight, and vision into that volatile cocktail of ego, greed, wealth, and ignorance, maybe, just maybe, some of the biggest travesties for some of the biggest artists in hip-hop could have been averted. 

Fans still lament the senseless deaths of Scott La Rock, Freaky Tah, Jam Master Jay, Pac, Big, Nipsy, XXXTentacion, and Pop Smoke amongst an ever-expanding list whose passings are met with a huge question mark—mainly, what would they have gone on to do and how would artistry have been altered had they were still with us? 

Imagine what the night of August 11 at Yankee Stadium could have been. What if that date had been the second part of a bicoastal two-night affair that, with Dodger Stadium being the other host, saw a VS-type battle between the Deathrow Records crew and Bad Boy Records? Team Pac vs. Team Big, pitting music and swag against each other? How crazy would that have been? Topping of the night would be headliners D and Run, with Jay manning his spot behind the wheels of steel. 

The unfortunate fact is that the streets have no heart, and the beat goes on. Just a thought…now back on brand. 

This weekend—Friday, July 28 through Sunday, July 30—marks the inaugural presentation of the Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC). The lofty long-term goal of the three-day music festival, taking place on Randalls Island, is to become the premiere celebration of Black music and Black culture. It will be hosted in year one by hip-hop legend MC Lyte, celebrating the heritage and vibrant cultural mosaic of Harlem. The star-studded line-up will showcase live performances by musicians, artists, and performers hailing from the iconic neighborhood and beyond.

Thus far, the projected lineup is:

Day 1: Friday, July 28

Bell Biv DeVoe

Cam’ron

Doug E. Fresh

Ferg

MA$E

Estelle Presents “The LinkUp” featuring Patra, Lumidee, Max Glazer, Mr. Killa, Nadine Sutherland, Nina Sky, Rupee, Serani, Wayne Wonder

Day 2: Saturday, July 29

Jozzy

Major

Muni Long

Teyana Taylor

Tink 

Day 3: Sunday, July 30

Adam Blackstone

Coco Jones

Eric Bellinger

Fat Joe

Remy Ma

Ro James

Wyclef Jean

In addition to the music, the festival will include a curated food experience featuring the taste of Harlem and other cultural delights, and the Mart 125 experience, featuring local Harlem-owned businesses. On paper, it looks like we may have something else to bring to the world of Harlem. Team support is of the essence, however, so cop your tickets at Ticketmaster.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

The post Celebrating the Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC) appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

The long wait is over, as undefeated unified WBC, WBA, and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence will take on undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will be broadcast on Showtime PPV. Spence and Crawford have been on a collision course since Crawford moved up to 147 lbs in June 2018.

Spence, who has been the IBF welterweight champion since May 2017, said he would face Crawford when he captured the WBC and WBA titles, which he did by defeating Shawn Porter in September 2019 and Yordenis Ugás in April 2022..

Now, boxing fans have the most compelling fight in quite some time. The fight is a tossup; either boxer could emerge victorious. What would be unexpected, however, is an early knockout. The fight is likely to be as entertaining as the first Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury clash in December 2018 or the Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin bout last September. Both had boxing fans and media alike debating who won, with Wilder and Fury ending in a draw and Alvarez defeating Golovkin by a 12-round decision.

On Tuesday, Japanese pugilist Naoya Inoue handed Stephen Fulton the first loss of his career, capturing the WBC and WBO junior featherweight world titles. Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) floored Funton (21-1, 8 KOs) in the eighth round, and finished the fight in front of his home crowd in Japan. What’s next for the man nicknamed ‘The Monster?’ We will have to wait and see, but if there were any doubts about his abilities, he answered them resoundingly.
   
There was controversy this past Saturday in Shawnee, Oklahoma, as former unified lightweight world champion George Kambosos Jr. avoided a three-fight losing streak by edging Maxi Hughes in a majority decision. Many boxing pundits and fans believed Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) won and were dumbfounded by a 117-111 scorecard in favor of Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs). The other cards read 115-113 and 114-114.

“We won the fight by many rounds,” said Kambosos Jr.. “That’s no discredit to Maxi Hughes. He had a couple good rounds. But a couple good rounds don’t win you the fight. We won a majority of the rounds.

“That’s the reason we chose him,” the Australia native continued.  “He was a hard test. A lot of guys coming off losses wouldn’t want to take a test like him. This was a hard challenge.”

Hughes expressed his deep disappointment in the outcome. “I’m absolutely devastated,” he acknowledged. “Nobody thought I was supposed to be in George’s league. Tonight, I came and I showed that I should have had my hand raised.”

Hughes then pointed out why he thought he was victorious.

“I used my footwork,” he said. “I made him miss and pay. I landed the cleaner shots. I don’t want to sound like a sore loser, and I will watch it and assess it, but everyone here now knows who Maxi Hughes is.”

The post Errol Spence and Terence Crawford set for long awaited battle appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here