Mental note from the Village Voice

Best Free Art Supplies - Materials for the Arts
City-sponsored agency MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS has a wildly eclectic inventory—chairs, old computers, fabric, paint, paper, mannequins, "industrial by-products," you name it—all donations from businesses, otherwise headed for the trash. So, for no charge, those eligible—including all NYC nonprofit cultural organizations, art programs, and individual artists "working with a registered cultural organization in a public setting"—get to come on down to MFTA's enormous warehouse in Long Island City for some picking and choosing. Applications, including a list of needed materials, are required; call for an appointment. -Hillary Chute

33-00 Northern Boulevard, Queens 718-729-3001