Have you ever wanted to get up close to a sculpture by Donatello? For decades, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2,600-strong plaster cast collection was squirrelled away in storage. Now, 120 works, including reproductions of classical and Renaissance sculptures, are returning to public view at the newly renovated Institute of Classical Architecture and Art on West 44th Street in Manhattan. The collection has mainly been visited by students and researchers, who are able to sketch or sculpt copies of the 120 pieces the institute now owns, but the public can get a closer look this month as part of the Open House New York initiative (15-16 October). The institute, which is “dedicated to advancing the classical tradition”, is also hosting a two-day drawing course (12 and 19 November, $140 for members, $180 for everyone else).