We all know New York for its amazing art scene. From the Guggenheim to the Met, New York City is one of the premiere leaders in art and culture.

But off the beaten path, there is another art scene — one where many up-and-coming artists are thriving…just waiting to make it big.

Take, for example, Art Crawl. Located in the Harlem section of Manhattan, Art Crawl is a guided tour of local and less mainstream exhibits throughout the city.

Just a few blocks further uptown, tourists who visit Sir Shadow may be in for a surprise. Sir Shadow, known by locals as the man who empowers through art, creates drawings without lifting the pen from the page.

Just over the bridge in long Island City, Queens, artist Rashaad Newsome is breaking cultural barriers with his shade composition film exhibit at PS1 Gallery.

The film highlights women’s use of head gestures to get messages across.

So when seeking out new and cutting edge art, sometimes you have to look beyond the mainstream venues.