Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School
Encyclopedia
Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School is both a burlesque
cabaret
and life drawing event originating in Williamsburg
, Brooklyn
at the Lucky Cat . Dr. Sketchy's was founded in New York City
in 2005, by illustrator
and former artist's model Molly Crabapple
and illustrator A.V. Phibes who later left to attend to her design studio.
A Dr. Sketchy's class may consist of a burlesque
dancer (such as Veronica Varlow
) or some type of performer (drag queen
s, trapeze artists, or roller derby
girls) as the featured model, with drawing contests during breaks. Sketchers are known as "art monkeys", a term borrowed from the Madagascar Institute. Dr. Sketchy's features heavy drinking games, comedic skits and onstage go-go dancing
.
Time Out NY magazine featured Dr. Sketchy's in "The Scene" section in issue 555, May 18-24th, 2006. Other articles on Dr. Sketchy's have appeared in the LA Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Time Out London, Time Out NY, the Village Voice and the Onion.
In spring 2006, Dr. Sketchy's expanded into an international franchise. As of September 2007, Dr. Sketchy's branches exist in 100 cities around the world. Branches vary in their conservatism, nudity levels and the skill of their artists.
The Official Dr. Sketchy's Rainy Day Colouring Book, by Molly Crabapple and John Leavitt, was released by Sepulculture Books in December 2006, and is in its second printing. Other projects include a 2008 pin-up calendar, a series of Youtube comedy shorts, a national tour, an art show, and a 21-show run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
In 2010, a short documentary by Peter Bolte was made about Dr. Sketchy.
.
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
and life drawing event originating in Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
at the Lucky Cat . Dr. Sketchy's was founded in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 2005, by illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and former artist's model Molly Crabapple
Molly Crabapple
Molly Crabapple is an American artist, author and entrepreneur.The AP Wire once compared her work to "limerick shared amongst good company in a Victorian parlor."-Early life:...
and illustrator A.V. Phibes who later left to attend to her design studio.
A Dr. Sketchy's class may consist of a burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
dancer (such as Veronica Varlow
Veronica Varlow
Tara Lee Heffner, better known by her stage name Veronica Varlow, is a burlesque dancer, pin-up model, actress, producer and performance artist based in Brooklyn, New York...
) or some type of performer (drag queen
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
s, trapeze artists, or roller derby
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
girls) as the featured model, with drawing contests during breaks. Sketchers are known as "art monkeys", a term borrowed from the Madagascar Institute. Dr. Sketchy's features heavy drinking games, comedic skits and onstage go-go dancing
Go-Go dancing
Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at a discotheque. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s when women at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City began to get up on tables and dance the twist...
.
Time Out NY magazine featured Dr. Sketchy's in "The Scene" section in issue 555, May 18-24th, 2006. Other articles on Dr. Sketchy's have appeared in the LA Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Time Out London, Time Out NY, the Village Voice and the Onion.
In spring 2006, Dr. Sketchy's expanded into an international franchise. As of September 2007, Dr. Sketchy's branches exist in 100 cities around the world. Branches vary in their conservatism, nudity levels and the skill of their artists.
The Official Dr. Sketchy's Rainy Day Colouring Book, by Molly Crabapple and John Leavitt, was released by Sepulculture Books in December 2006, and is in its second printing. Other projects include a 2008 pin-up calendar, a series of Youtube comedy shorts, a national tour, an art show, and a 21-show run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
In 2010, a short documentary by Peter Bolte was made about Dr. Sketchy.
International Coverage
Despite conservatism in continents such as Asia, Dr. Sketchy's appears to be widely accepted in Tokyo, Singapore and the Philippines. The Singapore branch is headlined by the zesty Becca D'Bus. The Philippine branch, one of Crabapple's favorite new branches, is spearheaded by the charming "head nurse", Tessa Cam RoweTessa Cam Rowe
Tessa Cam Rowe is a Filipino artist, auteur and entrepreneur. She is mostly known as being the head mistress of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Philippines, one of the hundred branches of the globally renowned Dr...
.