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Splash, drizzle, and drop paint to create a one-of-a-kind piece at Shot of Art NYC. 

Exploring Shot of Art NYC

Located on a sleepy block in Midtown West, high above the street on the 10th floor of a non-descript office building, Shot of Art NYC offers a trio of art studios where no surface is off limits, and the paints are seemingly bottomless.

Guests can choose from several creative experiences, including spin art, fluid art, or an art room where bright white walls welcome your designs.

The "shot" in Shot of Art NYC comes from its adults-only "shoot-and-spin" experience, which combines the fun of spin art with a splatter of paint created when you aim an airsoft gun at water balloons filled with paid suspended above your canvas.

Shot of Art NYC is a perfect destination for a group outing and can be booked for team-building outings or birthday parties.

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The Artmaking Experience at Shot of Art NYC

No matter which project you choose to explore at Shot of Art NYC, guests are paired with an on-staff artist who guides visitors through the experience, offering examples and answering questions along the way. Our instructor was personable, patient, and encouraging. While he was there to guide us, the pieces we left with were completely our own and totally unique. It was a blast to see how different our pieces of artwork came out, despite having the same instructions along the way.

During our two-hour visit—an Art Boom package—we had plenty of time to make our joint spin art and individual fluid art canvases with our instructor's steady hand guiding the way, plus plenty of time to leave our mark on the walls in the room.

When given the opportunity to paint any surface in our studio save for the windows, my girls started slowly...but by the end, my 10-year-old was flinging paint on every surface with a wild fire in her eyes. It was fun to step back and watch the magic happen!

While the artwork is undoubtedly messy, guests are provided shoe covers and rain ponchos before they start their painting experience. Gloves were also available—and though we didn't use them, I'd recommend them! While we did get layers of paint on our fingers, it cleaned up easily. Our clothes, however, were spared any damage.

Once you're done with your artwork at Shot of Art NYC, you'll be given instructions for pick up. The nature of the projects means the paint is layered on quite thick, and it will take days for your canvases to dry. We were told our artwork would be available for pick up in five days, and we'd have two weeks to pick it up from that point. I received multiple email reminders letting me know how much more time I had to collect our masterpieces.

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Snap a picture in front of the cool graffiti wall during your visit to Shot of Art NYC. 

Know Before You Go to Shot of Art NYC

• Reservations are required as each group receives their own room and instructor to work with.
• Cost varies by project and starts at $60 for an art room, $90 for fluid art, and $95 for spin art. You can upgrade to larger canvases or specialized paints when you arrive.
• Kids are not allowed to participate in the shoot-and-spin package, and if you have any kids on your reservation, you will not be allowed to either.
• Shot of Art NYC is a great multi-generation outing, and it welcomes guests ages 3-103+.

Photos by the author