Like many other gay bars in the city, Club Cumming has made a name for itself due to its varied programming. From drag queens to gogo boys, there’s something for everyone at the bar to enjoy. Yet, few of its events have become as iconic as The Anatomy Lesson, a drink & draw event that calls on members of the queer community to attend.
Hosted by graphic illustrator Anthony E. Kieran, The Anatomy Lesson has remained a staple in the East Village’s nightlife scene since 2017, before Club Cumming was even a thing. Operating on a biweekly basis, attendees sit and gather at the bar’s dancefloor as models pose in scantily clad outfits.
“I get a lot of messages from people asking to do it,” Kieran said. “And then over the years, I’ve worked with so many dancers, nightlife artists and drag queens, so I reach out to a lot of those people.”
According to Kieran, the event started as a programming idea for Eastern Bloc, the shuttered gay bar siloed deep in the East Village. As the venue wrapped up its weekly viewing party of Ryan Murphy’s “Feud,” Kieran and his bartender friend Cedric discussed what they should do to fill that Sunday programming slot. This eventually turned into Kieran sending a “three-sentence text message” proposing the concept of a biweekly drink & draw, and he soon received a budget from the Eastern Bloc.
A few months after operating, Kieran received the news that Eastern Bloc would be reopening as Club Cumming under a new partnership with Alan Cumming. The Anatomy Lesson carried on through the bar’s reopening, growing organically as the years went on. However, the event did not go viral until the COVID-19 pandemic, where the event continued outdoors.
“We started doing drink & draw in Tompkins Square Park during the pandemic, and then it was really only a few weeks after that we had our little cabana situation out front of Club Cumming,” Kieran said. “Nobody else had any drink & draws that I’m aware of that were up and running in real life, so we got a bit of a following then.”
Kieran isn’t the only person running The Anatomy Lesson. Kayleigh Laymon, a professional stage manager and costume designer, frequently volunteers for the event. Together, the two set up tabling, lighting, and decorations for the event, as well as coordinate ticket sales. On occasion, The Anatomy Lesson awards the winning figure artist a flower arrangement from MC Cookie.
Entry to The Anatomy Lesson requires a $20 entry fee, which includes a drink ticket. Kieran notes that one of his biggest priorities is making sure models are paid, with the majority of the event’s proceeds going to the bar and model. Sometimes, The Anatomy Lesson partners with Broadway Cares, a non-profit organization that provides services and emergency financial assistance for those affected with HIV.
On a typical night in The Anatomy Lesson, Kieran introduces the event, model, and volunteers to the crowd, then models himself as a warm up session. After a short break, the night’s model will come and cycle through a variety of poses for a determined amount of time. On one occasion, Alan Cummming’s stylist, Sam Spector, came to the event, bringing with him several looks from the reality TV show “The Traitors.”
“We had two models for that one that were posing in Alan’s costumes, and that was a special occasion,” Kieran said. “Alan couldn’t be there because he was in Los Angeles accepting the Emmy for ‘The Traitors,’ but he has dropped by and modeled for the artists before in other special occasions.”
The next Anatomy Lesson will occur at Club Cumming on Sunday, Oct. 5 from 5-8 p.m.
