Art and coffee are just one of those things that go hand in hand. Luckily, Harlem's got a growing number of solid spots where you can enjoy this perfect combo. From south to north, here's where to find them:
Stop by the Studio Museum's temporary gallery on 127th Street this Saturday for a chance to see what current artists-in-residence E. Jane, Naudline Pierre and Elliot Reed have been up to. Right next door is Gavin Brown's Enterprise, currently featuring the sculptures (think huge shelves of dried bread rolls), paintings and video of Uri Aran in "House." Contemplate everything you've just seen across the street at Plowshares Coffee, which has a roastery on site and also features light bites.
• Studio Museum 127, 429 W 127th St between Convent and Amsterdam Aves
• Gavin Brown's Enterprise, 439 W 127th St between Convent and Amsterdam Aves
• Plowshares Coffee, 1351 Amsterdam Ave between W 125th and W 126th Sts
Head to the sunny public plaza at Columbia's sparkling new Manhattanville campus to find this great art-and-coffee combo: First check out the work of contemporary artists from Algeria and its diaspora at the "Waiting for Omar Galato" show at the Wallach Art Gallery, then walk across the square for coffee, pastries and more at Dear Mama's airy West Harlem outpost.
• Wallach Art Gallery, Lenfest Center for the Arts, 615 W 129th St between Broadway and 12th Ave
• Dear Mama, 611 W 129th St between Broadway and 12th Ave
A solo exhibition devoted to Bisa Butler, an artist who creates portraits with fabric, opens this Saturday night at Harlem newcomer Claire Oliver Gallery. Right next door, Proof Coffee Roasters offers cups of joe made from beans that are not only organic and sustainably-sourced, but roasted right here in New York.
• Claire Oliver Gallery, 2288 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd between W 134th and 135th Sts
• Proof Coffee Roasters, 2286 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd between W 134th and W 135th Sts
Explore "A Perfect Storm," a multi-artist exhibition with a haunting environmental theme, at Faction Art Projects on Harlem's magnificent Strivers' Row, then head up the street to cozy corner spot NBHD for Italian coffee and yummy sandwiches made in house.
• Faction Art Projects at Gallery Eight, 2602 Frederick Douglass Blvd between W 138th and W 139th Sts
• NBHD Brûlée, 2620 Frederick Douglass Blvd and W 140th St
