🎨 LET’S GO — Society of Illustrators Museum + 128 Bar

# 🎨 LET’S GO — Society of Illustrators Museum + 128 Bar

## A Hidden Upper East Side Gem: Art, Illustration, Cocktails & Garden Socializing

🗓 Saturday, June 20, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
📍 Society of Illustrators / Museum of Illustration
128 East 63rd Street, New York, NY 10065
💵 Special Group Admission: Only $10 Per Member
Regular admission is $18 — I was able to secure a special discounted group price for us!

## ✨ A Very Cool, Very Different NYC Cultural Experience

Join us for a wonderful afternoon at one of New York City’s most unique and creative hidden gems — the Society of Illustrators Museum on East 63rd Street.
This is not a traditional museum outing. The Society of Illustrators is part museum, part historic artists’ clubhouse, part gallery, and part old New York creative gathering place — all tucked inside a beautiful Upper East Side building that many New Yorkers have never even visited.
For this event, we will explore the Museum’s current exhibitions and then enjoy time together at the Society’s wonderful 128 Bar, one of the coolest and most charming museum bar spaces in the city.

## 🖼️ What We Will See

The Society of Illustrators is currently featuring two terrific exhibitions that should make this a very colorful, lively, and visually exciting visit.

## 🌟 125 Years of Illustration

This exhibition celebrates the Society of Illustrators’ remarkable 125-year history and the powerful role illustration has played in American visual culture.
The exhibition brings together works from the Museum of Illustration’s Permanent Collection, along with contemporary artists from decades of the Society’s competitions.
Members will see how illustration has evolved across generations — from classic magazine and book illustration to contemporary visual storytelling, comics, publishing, advertising, design, and more.
This is a wonderful opportunity to appreciate illustration not merely as decoration, but as a major art form that has shaped how we see books, magazines, posters, advertising, entertainment, and popular culture.

## 🎭 Balbusso Twins: Illustrating with Two Souls

We will also visit Balbusso Twins: Illustrating with Two Souls, the first solo New York exhibition by Italian artistic duo Anna and Elena Balbusso.
Their work is dramatic, elegant, imaginative, and deeply influenced by painting, design, theatre, cinema, fashion, photography, and art history.
The exhibition includes more than 100 works, including illustrated books, covers, portraits, magazine illustrations, posters, screen prints, and other visual projects. Their style blends traditional and digital techniques, resulting in images that feel both classic and contemporary.
This exhibition should be especially interesting for anyone who enjoys art, design, books, fashion, theatre, film, graphics, and visual storytelling.

## 🍸 After the Exhibitions: 128 Bar

After we enjoy the exhibitions, we will spend time at the Society’s 128 Bar, located inside the third-floor Garden Gallery.
This is one of the most unique museum bar spaces in New York City — a relaxed, art-filled setting with historic character, creative atmosphere, and access to a lovely outdoor garden/patio area with tables and chairs.
Members may enjoy cocktails, beer, wine, coffee, espresso, juice, soda, or water while relaxing and socializing after the museum visit.
Please note that drinks are not included in the admission price and may be purchased individually.

## 🌿 Why This Event Is Special

This event combines several things our group loves:
✨ A hidden New York cultural institution
✨ A beautiful Upper East Side setting
✨ Two excellent current exhibitions
✨ Art, illustration, books, design, comics, posters, and visual storytelling
✨ A wonderful museum bar and garden/patio area
✨ A relaxed Saturday afternoon social experience
✨ A special discounted admission price of only $10
This is exactly the kind of place that makes New York so special — creative, historic, intimate, unexpected, and full of character.

## ⏰ Event Schedule

12:45 PM — Meet inside or near the entrance
1:00 PM – 2:15 PM — Visit the Society of Illustrators Museum and current exhibitions
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM — Relax and socialize at 128 Bar / garden area
Members are welcome to stay longer afterward if they wish.

## 💵 Cost

Special Group Admission: $10 per member
This is a special discounted admission price arranged for our group.
Drinks or refreshments at 128 Bar are separate and optional.

## 👥 Attendance

Space may be limited for this event, so please RSVP only if you are reasonably certain you can attend.

## 🌟 Join Us

This should be a very enjoyable, colorful, and different kind of Saturday afternoon — part museum visit, part hidden-gem discovery, and part relaxed social gathering in one of the coolest art spaces in the city.
Come join us for a wonderful afternoon of illustration, creativity, conversation, and drinks at the Society of Illustrators Museum and 128 Bar!