Calendar

GALLERY-GOING

HANDLE WITH CARE The Heller Gallery exhibits new works by the artist Marc Petrovic, whose compositions of fragile glass bottles, seashells, and small boats vary in size, translucence, and color. The objects in his pieces often appear so dissimilar when grouped together that some viewers might overlook the common medium. In "Beyond Measure" (2008), above, Mr. Petrovic stores tiny objects such as pins and pebbles inside miniature bottles. Through August 16, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Heller Gallery, 420 W. 14th St., between Ninth Avenue and Washington Street, 212-414-4014, free.

DANCE

FLEET OF FOOT The Mark Morris Dance group performs the New York premiere of "Excursions," set to the composition of the same name by Samuel Barber. The program also includes "Love Song Waltzes," comprising movements that convey friendship and camaraderie, and the contrasting "New Love Song Waltzes," which features partner dancing and moves meant to suggest vulnerability and desire. The performance is part of the Celebrate Brooklyn! series. Tonight, 8 p.m., Prospect Park, Prospect Park Band Shell, Prospect Park West at 9th Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-855-7882, free.

ODE TO THE ABSURD As part of its Latino Cultural Festival, Queens Theatre in the Park presents a performance by Camerino 4, a dance troupe hailing from Mexico and making its American debut with the premiere of "El Acrilico." The director of the company, Magdalena Brezzo, has created a three-piece program of works inspired by playwrights Harold Pinter and Eugene Ionesco and the Theater of the Absurd. Tonight, 8 p.m., LaGuardia Community College, LaGuardia Gallery of Fine Arts, 31-10 Thompson Ave. at 31st Street, Long Island City, Queens, 718-760-0064, free.

MUSIC

WINTER SONGS A Seattle-based indie-rock band, the Long Winters, performs a preview of songs from its recently recorded album, "Ultimatum," slated for release in October. The band, known for its yearning lyrics and complex melodies, is made up of songwriter and guitarist John Roderick, drummer Nabil Ayers, guitarist Mike Squires, and bassist Eric Corson. Tickets are required and are distributed at Battery Park's Castle Clinton on a first come, first served basis starting at 5 p.m. Tonight, 7 p.m., Battery Park, Castle Clinton, FDR Drive, Battery Place at West Street, 212-835-2789, free.

TALKS

DEBATING DADA A curator at the Museum of Modern Art, Anne Umland, presents a slide show derived from the book "Dada in the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art" (Museum of Modern Art). The volume, co-edited by Ms. Umland, features more than 70 drawings, sculptures, collages, paintings, and films representative of the art movement, including Sophie Taeuber-Arp's sculpture "Tête Dada" (1920), right. Ms. Umland discusses why Dadaists such as Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, and Max Ernst are now widely believed to have laid the foundation for 20th-century abstract and Postmodern art. Tonight, 7–8:30 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, 212-473-1452, free.

SEE YOU TOMORROW A gathering to pay tribute to the late novelist and New Yorker fiction editor William Maxwell on his centenary is tonight at Madison Square Park. Among those discussing their recollections of Maxwell are the writers Benjamin Cheever, Stewart O'Nan, and Edward Hirsch, and the fiction editor at the New Yorker, Daniel Menaker. A frequent collaborator of Maxwell and the editor of "William Maxwell: Novels and Stories" (Library of America), Christopher Carduff, is moderator of the panel. Tonight, 6:30 p.m., Madison Square Park, near Farragut Monument, Madison Avenue at 23rd Street, 212-538-6667, free.

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