I know, I know, it's been a decade or two since my last post, and I understand if you have given up anxiously checking my blog, but I promise that I have something good to share with you that you'll totally be willing to trek out for in this Siberian weather.
It only takes a few thousand dollars and time off from work to go see Signori Botticelli and Alberti at the Uffizi in Florence. But if you are anything like me, a student with a school tuition bill twice as much as what a lawyer makes in a year, then it's time to figure out some other ways of seeing good art without having to break into the money you were planning on saving for groceries.
If you live in New York and have a Metro Card, then I expect a full report of all the wonderful things you see in the coming month after reading this post (Valentine's day is a great time to dazzle your date with divine Donatello).
The cheapest museum year round, and spot that you can visit a dozen times before you finish its works on display is the famous, the fabulous, the forever, Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum's policy is 'pay what you wish,' in other terms, you can give them the change in your pocket for access to some of the most famous art in the world. Located on 5th Avenue and 82nd Street, the museum's sprawling halls will make you dig out that jar of change you've had in your room since junior high. Can't get enough? Your museum ticket includes same-day admission to the Cloisters, the Met's Medieval collection located uptown. Hop across Central Park and take the A to 190th St. and you find yourself amongst the best collection tapestries and illuminated manuscripts.
Want something a little more contemporary? Perhaps a little more snobby, without the extra admission fee? Saunter into the Museum of Modern Art, located on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Recently redesigned, the MoMA will satiate your craving for art since the 19th century. Don't forget to check out their awesome objects collections, filled to the brim with utensils, furniture, and technology of the past and future - a perfect time to take notes for your dream apartment. The best part is, if you are an I.D.-carrying student, it's free all year round. Want to take your freeloading cousin who has been out of a job and crashing on your couch for the past month? Take him out on Friday between 4:00 and 8:00 pm, and you'll both get in for free.
If you want to take in some legendary architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright while being a contemporary art connoisseur, then walk up a few blocks from the Met, and absorb the magnificence of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Fridays beginning at 5:45 pm have the same pocket change policy as the Met. Tune into the museum's podcasts for free, or pay $2 for audioguides, and then enjoy swirling around the halls of the Gueggenheim.
Now, let's get a little bit out of the ordinary. Perhaps you'd enjoy a museum with a little less canvas, and a little more computer. Located at 5th Avenue and 92nd St., the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum will open your eyes to art that you may not find in history books. The museum covers product design, graphic design, drawings, prints, and textiles, among other things. If you have $8 to spare, head over before March and you'll catch a show on Chinese housing design, and children's wallpaper design.
Want to know what American arists are up to these days? Check out the Whitney Museum of American Art at Madison and 75th St. 6:00 to 9:00 pm is 'pay what you wish!' If you trek there soon, you'll experience the mobiles of Alexander Calder and photography of the 20th century.
Need more? Want to make this a weekend hobby? Here are some other fabulous museums to check out:
Features the newest of the new. Students are $8, and free if you are under 18. Located on Bowery, between Prince and Rivington Streets.
Get in touch with edgy, Germanic art if you are willing to splurge. Located at 5th Avenue and 86th Street, show a student I.D. and get in for $10. Not bad for one of the snobbiest museums (they don't allow children under 12!).
Get out of the city! Everything is cheaper in Brooklyn, including art! Go see this fabulous collection for 'pay what you wish' pricing. Located at 200 Eastern Parkway.
Stuffy museums not for you? Maybe gallery hopping is the cup of tea you crave. Check out Chelsea, New York's very own delicatessen of contemporary art. Most galleries are free so you can peer into as many as you can handle. Stay tuned next week for a more complete guide to gallery hopping.
Now that you've gotten to the end, don't x out of the browser and check your Facebook account. While the weather is still frightful, go enjoy the art that's so delighful!
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