Art Scene & Culture: New York City

I’ve lived and worked as an artist in New York and the city has forever captured my heart and imagination. Every city has its own distinct history, culture, along with their pros and cons. I thought it would be interesting to write up my experience in the city as a practicing artist including: the opportunities for artists, the galleries, museums and events, and also the practicalities of living there (costs, transport, studios).

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What Makes New York Special?

New York has had many slogans but is best known as ‘The Big Apple’, ‘The city that never sleeps’ and ‘The land of the free and home of the brave!’.

The Culture, History and Ambience?

New York City is a fast-paced rat race and an international hub of diversity. Every wild and wonderful character fits perfectly into the 8 million strong population. As a foreigner I feel at home in NYC because it’s so international. Its iconic skyscrapers make its cityscape one of the most recognizable in the world. Walking around Manhattan, caught within the hustle and bustle, can feel like being within a bubble, apart from the rest of the world. This can be both a pro and con as you really can feel like you are in the center of the universe with life rushing by at juggernaut speed. There is a real sense of history in the older East Coast city that was first named in 1664. I love seeing old photos of the metropolis emerging and evolving – from the dirt roads to the first skyscrapers being erected.

Day to Day Living

NYC was ranked number 7 on 2024’s most expensive cities in the world list. There is no denying that there are drawbacks and compromises for artists in terms of quality of day to day living. This can mean smaller studio spaces, cramped living conditions, working very long hours, higher stress levels and less time in the studio if you have to maintain a day or evening job to support your art practice. Although artists first starting out can find the cost of living difficult to navigate and balance with their productive studio time, there are many reasons why creative professionals still flock to the city. The subway always has a train arriving which gives residents the freedom to get to all corners of the city – this is a huge plus for me. Another thing I love about living in NYC is when the city gets too much there are plenty of accessible day and weekend trips to choose from such as: Bear Mountain, Astbury Park, Beacon, New Paltz, Lake Placid, Hudson Valley, Shelter Island, Cape May, The Hamptons, Fire Island and Newport. The other cities that make the northeastern megalopolis, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC, are also trips worth making.

Arts Scene

NYC is the cultural capital of the US (along with LA). Every creative sector has an international presence including fashion, fine art, theater, design, writing, and architecture. Whatever creative career you want to pursue: gallery curator, museum director, fashion designer, there are opportunities. The city is very competitive though, so you need to have determination, dedication, a special spark and luck, to get a foot in the door.??The network you can build in New York is truly unique. Historically many sites have emerged in the city with a wealth of stories of influential creatives such as the Cedar Tavern, which was frequented by Jackson Pollock and Keraouc; Studio 54 where artists, actors, musicians and models would intermingle in the 70s; Max’s Kansas City, Odeon, Bemelmans Bar, One Fifth and Raoul’s to mention a few. Whether in a bar, club, diner or speakeasy, NYC always has a buzz that you never know who is going to turn up at the next table.?? In the arts having a strong network is essential to becoming successful. Nowadays there are so many places for artists to meet other creative and influential people with openings and events happening around the clock.

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The main neighborhoods that offer bustling art scenes are; Chelsea with regular gallery openings happening on Thursdays and Fridays; Lower East Side; Upper Eastside; Brooklyn which is full of galleries to explore along with regular open studio events in Red Hook (at sites such as Pioneer Works), Bushwick and Greenpoint which are great for networking and coming across artist opportunities. The city has world class museums, cultural institutes and galleries in abundance including: MoMA, the Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, The Bronx Museum of the Arts are just a few of the big names. Delving into different neighborhoods there are cultural and heritage institutes that showcase rich traditions of residents from other cultures such as El Museo del Barrio with work from Latin American creatives, and The Africa Center also in East Harlem with exhibitions from artists of African descent. New York also hosts some of the biggest international art fairs including Frieze, The Affordable Art Fair, Artexpo New York and The Other Art Fair.

NYC Summary

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Pros:

-?????? International buzz where everything goes

-?????? Public transport which spans the city

-?????? Artist opportunities galore

-?????? Many different day and weekend trips to change the pace

-?????? Incredible art scene and cultural events for networking

-?????? Inspiration around every corner

-?????? Events year round

-?????? World class art venues and small independent spaces

Cons:

-?????? 7th most expensive city in the world which impacts the size of art studios and living arrangements

-?????? Not car friendly so materials and work often requires paying and relying on a third party

-?????? Tough competition

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Let me know in the comments below what you think of the art scene in New York and your experiences of living and working there as a creative.