New York City Soho And Tribeca

The most cutting-edge art exhibits are often on the second or third floors of gallery-packed buildings. The buildings at 560-594 Broadway, between W Houston and Prince St., are known as the Broadway Gallery Buildings, and are filled with numerous small shops. ( S C, E to Spring St./Ave. of the Americas (6th Ave.); 6 to Spring St./Lafayette St.; N, R, W to Prince St.; 1 to Houston St.; B, D, F, V to Broadway/Lafayette St.)

Artists Space, 38 Greene St. (☎212-226-3970; www.artistsspace.org), 3rd floor, at Grand St. S 1 to Canal St./Varick St.; A, C, E to Canal St./Ave. of the Americas (6th Ave.). A nonprofit gallery founded in 1972, which champions work by emerging and unaffiliated artists. The multi-room space shows an impressive variety of small exhibits at once. While the gallery presents works in all media, architecture, performance, and design are specialties. The Irving Sandler Artists File—containing slides and digitized images of works by more than 3000 unaffiliated artists—is open to critics, curators, and the public. Open Sept.-July Tu-Sa 11am-6pm. Slide file open by appointment F-Sa.
The Drawing Center, 35 Wooster St. (☎212-219-2166; www.drawingcenter.org), between Grand and Broome St. S 1 to Canal St./Varick St.; A, C, E to Canal St./Ave. of the Americas (6th Ave.). Specializing in original works on paper, this nonprofit space illuminates the creative process behind the final product. Works from Picasso to Kara Walker on rotation. Open Sept.-June Tu-F 10am-6pm, Sa 11am-6pm. Suggested donation $3. Additional location at the Drawing Room, 40 Wooster St.
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, 31 Mercer St. (☎212-226-3232; www.feldmangallery.com), between Canal and Grand St. S N, R, W to Prince St. This well-known, well-respected gallery offers works by equally well-known, well-respected artists, mostly mid-career. Even though the collection has one of the best reputations in the city, the staff remains friendly and the gallery is open and inviting. Open Sept.-June Tu-Sa 10am-6pm; July-Aug. M-Th 10am-6pm, F 10am-3pm.
Deitch Projects, 76 Grand St. (☎212-343-7300; www.deitch.com), between Greene and Wooster St. S 1 to Canal St./Varick St.; A, C, E to Canal St./Ave. of the Americas (6th Ave.). A small, versatile exhibition space that profiles only one or two artists at any given time. More avant garde than the average gallery, it often features video and digital media. Open Tu-Sa noon-6pm. Also at 18 Wooster St., between Canal and Grand St.
Dia Center for the Arts, 141 Wooster St. (☎212-473-8072; www.earthroom.org), between W Houston and Prince St. S N, R, W to Prince St. Since 1977 this extension of the Chelsea gallery of the same name has been showing Walter De Maria’s New York Earth Room , a 280,000 lb. interior earth sculpture that uses 250 cubic yards of earth. Because a 22 inch thick layer of dirt covering an expensive SoHo loft could only exist in New York. Open Sept. to mid-June W-Sa noon—3pm and 3:30-6pm.
Moss, 150 Greene St. (☎212-204-7100; www.mossonline.com), between Prince and W Houston St. S B, D, F, V to Broadway/Lafayette St.; N, R, W to Prince St. A furniture store and design gallery that treads the line between aesthetic aspiration and functional use. Luckily, you can touch almost anything on display and may even find yourself sitting in a chair that is limited-edition art. Exhibits include everything from bronze cast cabinets to a vase fashioned from bee’s wax. The collection isn’t traditional, but it is impressive. Open M-Sa 11am-7pm, Su noon-6pm.
The Painting Center, 52 Greene St. (☎212-343-1060; www.thepaintingcenter.com), 2nd fl., at Broome St. S 6 to Spring St./Lafayette St.; C, E to Spring St./Ave. of the Americas (6th Ave.). Founded in 1993 by artists who felt that SoHo needed more gallery space devoted to painting, this center features both famous and unknown painters, gaining recognition for its acceptance of schools of all types. Open Tu-Sa 11am-6pm.
Pop International Galleries, Inc., 473 W Broadway (☎212-533-4262; www.popinternational.com), between Prince and W Houston St. S 6 to Spring St./Lafayette St.; C, E to Spring St./Ave. of the Americas (6th Ave.); N, R, W to Prince St. If art is not really your thing, this might be the place to change your tune. This established gallery offers works by pop art icons like Haring, Lichtenstein, and Warhol, along with neo-pop sensations like Britto, Burton Morris, and Marco. It also has a large selection of Beatles, Eric Clapton, and Associated Press photos. The art, which depicts familiar subjects such as celebrities or comic books, is pleasing and unintimidating. The sports-lovers exhibit features several paintings of Muhammed Ali. Open M-Sa 10am-7pm, Su 11am-6pm.
Staley-Wise, 560 Broadway (☎212-966-6223; www.staleywise.com), 3rd fl. room 305, at Prince St. S N, R, W to Prince St. Overlooking busy Broadway, this space focuses on fashion photography, especially by greats like Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Man Ray, and David LaChapelle. Recent exhibits have showcased paparazzi photgraphs of style icons. Staley-Wise will appeal to SoHo shoppers and celebrity hunters as much as it does to art aficionados. Open Sept.-June Tu-Sa 11am-5pm; July-Aug. M-F 11am-5pm.

Gallery Hopping On The Lower East Side. On the last Sunday of every month, art studios and galleries on the Lower East Side open their doors for free guided (and self-guided) tours. Formal walking tours leave from the Lower East Side Visitors Center, 261 Broome St. between Allen and Orchard St., at 1pm. Or, just print out a gallery map online and scavenge for yourself anytime between 1 and 7pm. For details, visit www.elsles.org.