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Best of New York 2012 • Kids

Best Art Classes

  • Art Students League

    215 W. 57th St., nr. Seventh Ave.; 212-247-4510; theartstudentsleague.org

    Who can argue with an old-school institution that smells of paint, turpentine, and inspiration and has the patina of history, with alumni like Thomas Hart Benton, Maurice Sendak, and Cy Twombly? At the Art Students League, children—ages 8 to 12, though teens can register for adult weekend classes—are treated like artists from the start. Materials aren’t preschool-level; parents get a list of must-haves like Ebony pencils, detail brushes, and top-grade pastels. Neither is the faculty, made up of pros trained to teach kids how to hone their vision. Since the institution is committed to accessibility and affordability, fees are kept shockingly low. Three-and-a-half-hour weekend workshops in painting, mixed media, and sculpture are $75 a month; summer sessions that run four half-days a week are under $200 a month.

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From the 2012 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine

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Other Best Of Guides

So what exactly does “best” mean in a city with thousands of pizza joints, hundreds of celebrity masseuses, and museum-worthy concept shops on every corner? Well, in the case of this, our annual “Best of New York” roundup, there’s a heavy emphasis on what’s new or what has somehow remained virtually unheard of (until now, of course).

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