ART

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA The exhibit “Staging Happiness” focuses on Socialist Realist photography of the 1930s, which was developed to idealize the Soviet lifestyle. Using propaganda techniques to shape the public image of the “New Soviet Man,” the state-sponsored movement produced beautified depictions of cheerful farmers, abundant harvests, heroic citizens, and overwhelming military might. Through Wednesday, December 22, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Nailya Alexander Gallery, 24 W. 57th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-315-2211, free.

CARTOON STORIES Seonna Hong displays paintings that she intends to use as the basis for a book. The exhibit, “Animus,” tells the story of an innocent young girl whose antagonist is a large black dog. Through Friday, December 3, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Oliver Kamm/5BE Gallery, 540 W. 22nd St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, second floor, 212-255-0979, free.

PILLOW TALK Jonathan Laib’s bright, puffy, pillow-shaped artworks are on display in an exhibit titled “Island of Misfit Paintings.” The works are formed from poured or painted acrylic sheets that are stuffed like pillows. Through January 9, Bruno Marina Gallery, Thursday-Sunday, noon-6 p.m., Bruno Marina Gallery, 372 Atlantic Ave., between Hoyt and Bond streets, Brooklyn, 718-254-0808, free.

BENEFITS

PICKY EATERS The Food Allergy Ball holds its annual gala awards ceremony and dinner. Chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Per Se will be honored with a lifetime achievement award. The Food Allergy Initiative is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness of life-threatening food allergies, and supports research into cures. Tuesday, 7 p.m. cocktails, 8 p.m. dinner and awards, the Plaza Hotel, 768 Fifth Ave. at 59th Street, 212-675-9474, $1,500 and $2,500.

JUST ONE BREAK DANCE A dinner and dance gala benefits Just One Break, an organization founded by Eleanor Roosevelt that helps find jobs for people with disabilities. Honorees at the black-tie event include a survivor of the 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash, Paul Esposito, and Trisha Meili, who survived an attack while jogging in Central Park in 1989. Wednesday, December 1, 6:30 p.m. reception, 7:15 p.m. dinner and awards, Waldorf-Astoria, 301 Park Ave. at 49th Street, 212-785-7300, 212-785-4515 TTY, $750-$2,500.

BOOKS

WONDERFUL BOOKS Children’s book creators gather for a festive celebration. Participants are the illustrator of “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (Harper-Collins), Steven Kellogg; “Eloise” creator Hilary Knight, who presents “A Firefly in a Fir Tree” (Katherine Tegen); the illustrator of “O Holy Night” (Amistad), Faith Ringgold, who is also a well known quilt artist, and the illustrator of “The Book of Fairy Poetry” (Harper-Collins), Michael Hague. Saturday, noon-2 p.m., Books of Wonder, 18 W. 18th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-989-3270, free.

FAMILY

NEW NUTCRACKER “Clara’s Christmas Dreams” is a new adaptation of “The Nutcracker” that is told all in verse accompanied by music and dancing. E. Thomalen’s interpretation sets the story in Hamburg against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars and follows Clara as she sinks into a high fever she caught when she brought presents to a nearby soldier’s hospital. The StageRight Productions show is intended for children between the ages of 4 and 14. Opens: Friday, 7 p.m. Runs: Today through Friday, December 31, Friday, 2 and 7 p.m., Saturday, 1, 4, and 7 p.m., Sunday, 2 and 5 p.m., Monday, 7 p.m., occasional additional performances, the Theatre at Saint Clements Church, 423 W. 46th St., between Ninth and Tenth avenues, 212-352-3101, $50.

TOY TUNES The Symphony of Toys concert asks that audience members bring a new unwrapped toy for New York Cares. The program includes “Winter” from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” Tchaikovsky’s “Children’s Album,” Aaron Copland’s “Hoe Down,” and, fittingly, Mozart’s “Toy Symphony.” Sunday, 3:30 p.m., Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Columbus Avenue and 64th Street, 212-875-5030, free with a new, unwrapped toy.

FILM

ONE BIG UNHAPPY FAMILY The 1999 film “American Beauty” is screened in a series on the work of Kevin Spacey. The story of a miserable suburbanite and his wife, children, and neighbors arrives just in time for the holiday weekend that many New Yorkers will spend in the suburbs with their own families. Tonight, 7 p.m., American Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Avenue and 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, 718-784-0077, $10 general, $7.50 seniors and students, $5 for children ages 5-18, free for members and children under 5.

WAR STORY Susan Sontag selected 10 Japanese films to be screened in the current installment of Japan Society’s “Critic’s Choice” series. Up next is “Fires on the Plain (Nobi),” a 1959 film about a young soldier on the battlefield in the Philippines. Director Kon Ichikawa adapted an autobiographical war novel by Shohei Ooka about his experiences during the final years of World War II. Monday, 6:30 p.m., Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., between First and Second avenues, 212-832-1155 for information, 212-752-3015 for tickets, $10 general, $5 seniors, students, and members.

FOOD & DRINK

FROMAGE FELLOW Cheese expert Max Mc-Calman hosts a wine and cheese tasting at Nolita House. Selected comments from attendees will be included in his upcoming book, “Cheese: A Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Finest.” Monday, 7-9 p.m., Nolita House, 47 E. Houston St., between Mott and Mulberry streets, 212-625-1712, $65, reservations recommended.

MUSIC

JAZZ JAM Trumpeter Brian Lynch and his band Spheres of Influence play a program of new music inspired by Latin jazz. Saturday, 9 and 10:30 p.m., the Jazz Gallery, 290 Hudson St., between Spring and Dominick streets, 212-242-1063, $15, reservations recommended.

MESSIAH AND MAGNIFICAT Donald Neuen conducts the New England Symphonic Ensemble in a performance of Handel’s “Messiah.” Choruses from California, Indiana, Tennessee, and Texas join the group, along with soprano Rachelle Durkin, mezzo-soprano Kristina Martin, tenor Sean Fallen, and bass Bryce Smith (2 p.m.). Later, the ensemble performs a program that includes works by Bach, Vaughn Williams, and Poulenc. Renowned sacred-music composer John Rutter conducts Bach’s “Magnificat” and Williams’s “Fantasia on Christmas Carols” (8:30 p.m.). Both concerts: Sunday, Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium, 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, 212-239-4699 for information, 212-247-7800 for tickets, $35-$85.

POETRY

CASH AND CRAFT New York poet and memoirist Katy Lederer discusses the relationship between artists and money, examining how attitudes have developed over time and asking how artists can thoughtfully engage with the contemporary American view of money. Monday, 8 p.m., Poetry Project, St. Mark’s Church, 131 E. 10th St. at Second Avenue, 212-674-0910, $8 general, $7 seniors and students, $5 members.

READINGS

STORY TIME A pair of contributors to StoryQuarterly read from their upcoming first novels. Brooklyn resident Emily Rabateau reads from “The Professor’s Daughter” (Henry Holt), which will be published in February. A professor at the State University of New York at Albany, Edward Schwarzschild, reads from “Responsible Men” (Algonquin), to be published next spring. Sunday, 7-9 p.m., KGB Bar, 85 E. 4th St. at Second Avenue, 212-505-3360, free.

TALKS

GEHRY AND GOLDBERGER Architect Frank Gehry talks with the dean of Parsons School of Design, architecture critic Paul Goldberger, at the launch of “At the Parsons Table,” a new series of public dialogues. The wide-ranging discussion will cover Mr. Gehry’s early work on the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and his commission to design the cultural complex to be built on the World Trade Center site. Monday, 6:30 p.m., the New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-229-5488, $15, reservations strongly recommended.

HUMAN BEHAVIOR Anthopology professor Lesley Sharp gives a talk titled “Human, Monkey, Machine: The Brave New World of Human Hybridity.” The lecture is the last in a three-part series on biotechnology. Monday, 8 p.m., reception to follow, Columbia University, Faculty House, 400 W. 117th St. at Morningside Drive, 212-854-2389, free.

ISLAND INVASION Writer Madhusree Mukerjee lectures about how outsiders have affected on the formerly isolated Andaman Islands off the coast of India. The talk is based on her book “The Land of Naked People” (Houghton Mifflin). Tuesday, 7-8:30 p.m., American Museum of Natural History, Kaufman Theater, Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-769- 5200, $15 general, $12 members.

THANKSGIVING

DANCE INTO THE NIGHT The Israeli Folk Dance annual Thanksgiving bash invites both amateurs and experts to enjoy an all-night dance marathon. Last year more than 300 people danced through the evening. Tonight, 9 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5737, $20.

THEATER

SIDE DISH A Brooklyn theater group, the Gallery Players, presents a play in which jazz music is one of the main characters. “Side Man” is based on playwright Warren Leight’s memories of a turbulent 1950s childhood as the son of a jazz musician in New York. The theater group’s president, Heather Siobhan Curran, directs. Opens: Saturday, 8 p.m. Runs: Saturday through Sunday, December 12, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 3 p.m., the Gallery Players, 199 14th St., between Fourth and Fifth avenues, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-595-0547, $15 general, $12 seniors and children under 12.

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