Discover New York

Hudson River School, Ashcan and American Impressionism (4 Hour Experience):

• Explore Galleries
  What art movements started in America? What important events happened at the turn of the century? Visit established galleries that specialize in American Impressionists as well as the Hudson River School, Luminists, Ashcan group, still life painting, and academic figurative painting. Gain insights into recognized American artists while taking a private peek at these treasured uptown galleries.
  
• Museum Exhibition
  How did New Yorkers help to keep Impressionism alive? Why is New York considered the center of the art world? Look closely at brushstroke, texture, and color as you see the most significant Impressionism exhibition that is making its way through New York. Whether it is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, or the Museum of Modern Art, see first hand why these exhibitions are so riveting. Take a private tour and ask questions.
  

Include a Second Museum Visit (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
• 2nd Museum Exhibition
  Explore the second museum that you wish to visit for a private tour.

Art, Architecture and Design (4 Hour Experience):

• Galleries and Studio Visit
  How is SoHo changing? Who is new to the area and who is leaving? What significant galleries and studios are in SoHo? What's the difference between SoHo and Chelsea? Visit several prominent galleries and meet with an artist in his or her private studio. Go inside an artist's mind as you listen to an artist talk about his work and see works in progress. See first hand how the art market works and learn about contemporary art.
  
• Architecture and Design
  Why did artists develop SoHo? Why do designers call SoHo home? How did these manufacturing spaces and warehouses become stylish boutiques, galleries and restaurants? Take a private look at where new design, performance, high-end furniture, fashion, and art intersect. Examine the 19th century cast iron architecture as you explore the streets of this popular area.
  

Include Specialty Shopping (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
  
• Specialty Shopping
  Explore the combination of merchandising and the merchandise and how architects design intriguing spaces. What new stores are opening in SoHo, TriBeCa and NoLita? Why are architects like Frank O. Gehry designing them? What is the latest fashion trend to hit New York? Check out the Prada store designed by architect Rem Koolhaas along with other design stores and stylish boutiques.

4 Hour Experience:

• Art Galleries
  How do New York galleries find artists? What criteria do they use? How do artists find galleries? What's art? Who decides? What's in the back room? Several prominent gallery directors give you their personal viewpoints during this quick survey. Visit several prominent commercial galleries, peek in the "back room", and learn how the gallery business works.
  

Include a Visit to an Artist's Studio (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
  
• Studio Visit
  What does it mean to be an artist? What does it take to be an artist? Can you learn more about art by seeing where it was made? See works in progress, discuss various art practices, and hone your eye. Visit an artist's studio, where the group will have the opportunity for one-on-one discussions with the artist, hear about his/her methods and see works in progress.

4 Hour Experience:

• Major sights in Harlem
  Visit many of the major sights in Harlem (as much as traffic allows during the allotted time). Some of our visits include: the Apollo Theater, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Mother AME Zion Church, the oldest black church in New York State founded in 1796, City College founded in 1847, and located in 1907 in its current location, Strivers Row, originally developed as a middle class enclave, has been home to the Black upper middle class families since the 1920’s and 1930’s, Hamilton Heights, home to the Hamilton’s, Bleecker’s and Schuyle’s, see the French colonial style homes along Sylvan Terrace, Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan's oldest house which was headquarters to General Washington in September and October of 1776.
  
• Artist Studio Visit
  Visit a Harlem artist's studio, where you have the opportunity for one-on-one discussions with the artist. Hear about his/her methods and see works in progress. What does it mean to be an artist working in Harlem? What does it take to be an artist in New York? Can you learn more about art by seeing where it was made?

Include the Studio Museum of Harlem (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
  
• Studio Museum of Harlem
  What was the Harlem Renaissance? Does it still exist? How did the Great Depression affect Black artists, musicians, writers, and intellectuals of Harlem? Visit the Studio Museum of Harlem, where you will enjoy a private tour of African American art. Gain insights into recognized artists and learn about African culture.

The New Frontier (4 Hour Experience):

• Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, Socrates Park, or Dorsky Curatorial Programs
  Find New York's best kept sculpture secrets while taking a personal tour through the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, Sculpture Center, Dorsky Gallery Curatorial Programs or Socrates Park. Explore answers to questions such as: What defines sculpture? How does a landfill turn into an exhibition space? What does an independently curated exhibition have to offer?

Include a Museum Visit (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
  
• Depending upon the day you choose, you can consult with your DNY Destination Specialist to choose one of the many museums located in Queens including: PS1 Contemporary Art Center, Fisher Landau Collection, or Museum of the Moving Image
  What does art offer its community? Combining both indoor and outdoor exhibition space, PS 1 shows innovative and experimental works by emerging contemporary artists. The American Museum of the Moving Image is the only institution in the United States devoted to the art, history, and technology of motion pictures, television, and digital media. Look at a private exhibition and study a facility devoted to contemporary art. Take a private tour through one of these unique cutting-edge exhibition spaces and experience first-hand how the art world is changing.

An Artist's Demonstration and Gallery Visits (4 Hour Experience):

• Paint Demonstration
  Participate in a hands-on painting demonstration by a working artist, to help gain insight into the different properties of the paint media, and why an artist might choose one over another. The presentation gives an informative, practical approach to materials and techniques that are of interest to all. How is oil paint different from acrylic? Is watercolor difficult to use? Is Renaissance-era egg tempera still in use? What is encaustic painting?
  
• Galleries
  We're off to explore the galleries that are showing a variety of works on canvas and paper in either Chelsea or Williamsburg and see the different techniques that are being used.

Include the Museum of Modern Art (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
• The Museum of Modern Art
  Take a private tour of the new MoMA space and see old favorites and new acquisitions.
  (except Tuesday)

Explore Glass Secrets and Galleries (4 Hour Experience):

• Revealing Glass Secrets
  Has the art of glass changed in the last hundred years? What are contemporary artists creating with glass? Who are these artists? Visit an immense glassblowing facility where a special guest expert will give an introduction to the medium, accompanied by a glassblowing demonstration and a guided tour. Go to an artist-access glass center that specializes in the creation and appreciation of new art, design, craft, and architecture made from glass.
  
• An Inside Look at Glass Galleries
  What's inside glass galleries? Who is buying and who is selling? What prices can these pieces command? Take a guided look through these remarkable galleries. Visit several premier glass galleries to gain insights into the recognized artists in the field, and the market for contemporary glass.

Include Additional Galleries (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
• A Closer Look at Seeing: Gallery Visit
  How do Frank Lloyd Wright, Chihuly, and Dino Martens use glass? Explore and understand the different ways that artists use glass by viewing unusual, unexpected, and traditional works. You have the opportunity to see the latest exhibition focusing on artists doing extraordinary work in glass. Ask questions while you take your private look at this glass focused exhibition space.

Newest Galleries with a Studio Visit (4 Hour Experience):

• Chelsea Galleries
  Why is Chelsea the hotbed for artistic activity? Where are the new galleries and who are the emerging artists? What's in the private viewing room? We will explore some of the established contemporary galleries and new gallery spaces as well as visit some of the younger up and coming dealers. Find out who is hot and who's not.
  
• Artist Studio Visit
  What is an artist's studio like? How does an artist start a painting or sculpture? Choose acrylic or oil? Why does an artist prefer one method to another? Take a look behind the art market and visit an artist in their studio. Speak one-on-one with the artist, hear about his/her methods, and see works in progress.

Include shopping in the Meatpacking District (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
• Shopping in the Meatpacking District
  Are you are ready to purchase the most fashionable stiletto boots or just want to try them on? Shop among models, artists, fashion editors, socialites, and celebrities as you visit the newest downtown fashion mega boutique – Jeffrey New York, home of hot designer duds. Also see Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garcons boutique, a 5,000 square foot space which one enters through a strange tunnel with curved aluminum walls.

The Active Subway and Public Art (4 Hour Experience):

• Art of the Active Subway: Graffiti to Galleries
  Take a ride and explore the art of New York's famous subway system. Ever wonder how graffiti made its way into the galleries and auction houses? Adventure above and below, as we look at faceted glass, bronze, steel, ceramic tile and mosaic subway commissions by well-established and emerging artists. Spray paint or oil paint? Discover some of New York's most coveted treasures; see which famous artists have left a lasting impression on New York. Discover some of New York's most coveted treasures; see which famous artists have left a lasting impression on New York.
  
• Public Art and City Gardens
  Examine New York's ever-changing parks and public sculptures from above ground. You'll see a Subway Map that floats on a New York Sidewalk in SoHo and examine the sculptures in Wagner Park and Battery Park that includes a view of the Statute of Liberty. Why does some public art go unnoticed while other pieces are obvious? What makes public art successful or ineffective? Learn what public art means to New Yorkers

Include a Visit to Grand Central Terminal (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
• Grand Central
  Which architects designed Grand Central? Why did Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis fight to preserve Grand Central as an historical landmark? Discover Grand Central, the world's largest and busiest transportation building. Take a private tour through this magnificent and historic building containing 75-foot arched windows, fluted columns, and recently restored hand painted ceilings.

Printmaking Demonstration and Print Galleries (4 Hour Experience):

• Printmaking Studio
  At this private print making demonstration: silk-screen, lithographs, etchings, and monoprints; learn the differences, see the techniques, and speak to the experts. How does an etching differ from a lithograph? What is a printmaking studio like? Why does an artist prefer one method to another? How does printmaking benefit artists?
  
• Print Galleries
  Visit several leading galleries that concentrate on the buying and selling of prints. Gain insights into recognized artists in the field and the market for contemporary prints. Chat with dealers and directors; see first hand what makes a rewarding collection. Which artists are working with prints? Who is collecting? Which artists are most collectable? What do dealers do? How can you tell the condition of a print?

Include Shopping in the Meatpacking & West Village District (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
• Shopping in the Meatpacking District and West Village
  This afternoon will include fun neighborhood shopping.

The Artists Community, Studios, Galleries, Art and Architecture (4 Hour Experience):

• Artists' Studio
  Why is Williamsburg so densely populated with artists? Many of today's most exciting young artists have crossed the East River to make Williamsburg, Brooklyn their home. Explore the newest hotbed of artistic activity in the New York art world, situated in what seems at first glance to be a sparsely populated area in Brooklyn. Visit studios for an insider's look at this lively industrial loft neighborhood. Go behind the scenes to see artists in their studios, hear about his/her methods, and see works in progress.
  
• Art Galleries, Art and Architecture
  What makes Brooklyn galleries unique? How has Williamsburg developed? What was Williamsburg once like? How is it changing? Walk along the streets of this historic neighborhood and see the ever-changing community. Peruse through galleries and shops including the Williamsburg Art Historical Center, Pierogi, and Momenta galleries.

Include Lunch & Shopping (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
  
• Shopping
  We’ll have a chance to explore the fun boutiques in the hit new area of Williamsburg.

Drawings, Prints, Handmade Paper (4 Hour Experience):

• Making Handmade Paper
  Witness a hands-on demonstration of how paper is made, allowing participants to actively engage directly in the process. How is paper made? What materials make up paper? How is paper embossed? What is a watermark? What does cold press mean?
  
• Paper Galleries
  Visit a non-profit institution and galleries whose mission is to preserve and promote these art-making methods. Ask questions and see first hand how works on paper are playing an important role in the contemporary art world. What artists are working with paper? Where are the newest galleries and who are the emerging artists? What's being exhibited? Who decides? Together, we explore the intimacy and immediacy that drawing and printmaking can offer the artist.

Include a Studio Visit (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
  
• Studio Visit
  What is a printmaking studio like? How does an etching differ from a lithograph? Why does an artist prefer one method to another? Visit a working printmaking workshop and studio, and see first-hand how prints are made. Create a dialogue on issues of art and culture as you ask the artist questions while having a private look at proofs and prints.
  (Program limited to twenty people, not offered on Sundays)

Who is Photographing What and Why? (4 Hour Experience):

• Galleries
  What is being exhibited in New York's top photography galleries? What's a vintage print? What's an edition? How has the digital camera changed the scene? Visit several prominent photo galleries where the directors speak about the current exhibits as well as photography today. Gain insights into recognized artists in the field and the market for contemporary photography. Find out what artists are most collectable while you are chatting with dealers and directors.
  
• Photographer's Studio Visit
  Meet a professional photographer, hear about his/her methods, examine works in progress and find out what photography means to the artist. Learn what is an “Artist's Proof”. Is the magic in the eye, or in the developer's hand? Who needs a dark room anyway? Find out who is taking pictures and why.

Include a Visit to the International Center for Photography (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
  
• The International Center for Photography
  Visit the International Center of Photography, housing over 55,000 photographs. It is one of the most prominent museums of photography in the world. Take a private tour while you have a dialogue on issues of art and culture. How has photography changed? What is the difference between iris prints and daguerreotypes?
  (Program not offered on Mondays)

The Navy Yard and a Visit to an Artist's Studio and Brooklyn Heights (4 Hour Experience):

• Brooklyn Navy Yard
  Visit an artist in his/her studio at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Navy Yard was America’s premier shipbuilding facility - producer of the USS Maine, Robert Fulton’s Steamship and the awesome battleships Arizona and Missouri. This 300-acre water front property retains a feel for its history, and is again a dynamic home to a new industrial community of movie studios, architectural designers, furniture manufacturers, and artist studios.
  
• Brooklyn Heights
  Late in the nineteenth century Brooklyn Heights was an aristocratic neighborhood whose residents set the tone in manners and customs for the elite of the entire city. Today it is a wonderful village with a strong feel of its history. Come explore the charming homes dating from the 19th Century and the fabulous views from the Promenade over looking Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Include Lunch and a Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
• Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge
  Depending upon the weather, take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, talking about its construction and seeing the wonderful views of Manhattan.

Newest Galleries with a Studio Visit (4 Hour Experience):

• Lower East Side
  One of the newest areas where galleries have opened up with new condos, restaurants, and a mixture of old and new architecture; this is fast becoming the latest artists’ destination.
  
• Artist Studio Visit
  What is an artist's studio like? We might take a look in a carriage house and see pastels and paintings of wonderful flowers.

Include the New Museum and/or Shopping (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
  
• Your Choice of either a visit to the New Museum or Shopping
  The New Museum is home to very contemporary and experimental art. It is recommended to have an expert with you to explain the vision of the artist and the material chosen. The shopping is the Lower East Side Boutiques and Bargain District Outlets.

The Hispanic Society of America and the American Academy of Arts and Letters (4 Hour Experience):

• Audubon Terrace
  Home to the largest collection of El Greco outside of Spain, this collection of Spanish treasures also include historic and ceramics. We’ll visit the American Academy of Arts and Letters and go downstairs to see where the members of the Academy met. You can sit in Mark Twain’s chair and feel like you can hear the discussions that went on during their meetings concerning the arts.

Include Lunch with a Visit to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (6 Hour Experience - Above experience plus):

• Optional lunch at a neighborhood restaurant chosen during your consultation with one of our Destination Specialists
  
• Cathedral of St. John the Divine
  The Cathedral of St. John is the largest gothic cathedral in the world and the seat of the Episcopal Diocese. The cathedral has been under construction for over 100 years and has recently been renovated after the fire of 2001.