SALMAGUNDI CLUB: An Artistic POTPOURRI (c) By Polly Guerin

The Salmagundi Club Historic Brownstone

Salmagundi, according to Webster's dictionary, is by second definition a heterogeneous mixture: a veritable  POTPOURRI!!! And a pleasant mix of artists and art enthusiasts you will find at The Salmagundi Club. Incidentally, its exhibition gallery is open to the general public as are the club’s art classes. Club membership is quite another thing. There are different levels to join; artist, lay person and scholarship, people who come together as makers of art and friends of art, bound by the mutual pleasure of promoting American painting and sculpture.

SALMAGUNDI’S ORIGIN Originally formed as the New York Sketch Club in 1871 it was the site of sketch classes in Jonathan Scott Hartley’s studio. He purchased the elegant brownstone in 1917 as the club’s first permanent home. It is one of the oldest art organizations in America and is housed in an historic, landmarked brownstone mansion in Greenwich Village, 47 Fifth Avenue at 12th Street. The club houses a collection of over l,500 works of art spanning its 140 year history, and the facility includes three galleries, a library, an elegant parlor, a restaurant and bar.

Salmagundi's Elegant Parlor

THE POTPOURRI GATHERING The focal point of a gracious staircase, lined with paintings of celebrated American artists, is a rare chandelier hanging three stories deep in the stairwell. Through the years, Salmagundi has been the gathering place for such great artists as Childe Hassam, William Merrit Chase, N.C. Wyeth, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Ogden Pleisner. Just recently the club was host in a gala reception for the Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP), which uses fine art as an outreach tool for educating diverse audiences about the scope of the United States Coast Guard and their mission for the United States.

YEAR ROUND PROGRAMS and events keep the galleries, the library, lounge and meeting rooms active for its members and their friends and welcomes visitors. The club also serves as a gallery for contemporary artist to show their work and is also home to exhibits by The American Watercolor Society, The American Artists Professional League and The Audubon Artists Society. Lectures and demonstrations are open to the public and if the creative muse inspires your artistic inclinations, there are walk-in art classes five times weekly. For further information contact 212.255.7740.

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