A List: Supporting Local Artists

Living in NYC provides the perfect opportunity to surround oneself with plenty of talented people.  Here’s a short list of some fun and inexpensive ways to support local artists in the city!

1.  Recession Art is an arts organization that aims to connect emerging artists with art enthusiasts and the general public alike who may not have the means to spend a lot of money in the traditional art market.  Their affordable pieces start as low as $25.  

2.  Nuyorican Poets Cafe has held poetry slams since the late eighties.  Today, anyone can watch poets compete every Wednesday night, where the first 20 people who sign up are allowed to share 1 poem before being judged by 3 randomly selected audience members.  The top 10 move on to the second round (where they share a second poem) and the top 5 move onto the final round.  The top poet is awarded a cash prize and is invited to participate in a Friday Night Slam.

3.  The Moth offers a space for ordinary people to showcase the ancient art of live storytelling.  Storytellers must be invited in order to participate, and each show explores a specific theme.  Some stories are sad, some are humorous, but all of them are personal and allow the audience members to observe human existence from a unique angle.       

There are plenty of ways to support artists in the city.  Have fun exploring!