ARCHITECTURE

ROMAN ROBERT Architectural drawings by Robert Adam (1728-92) take center stage in the exhibit “Bob the Roman,” which closes this weekend. The show takes its name from a phrase that Adam applied to himself when he realized how much his style had been influenced by Rome. He went on to become a leading figure in British neoclassicism. Through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Gallery of New York School of Interior Design, 161 E. 69th St., between Lexington and Third avenues, 212-472-1500 ext. 9, free.

ART

PICTURE PERFECT Minneapolis artist Andrea Shaker has her first solo show in New York at Daniel Cooney Fine Art. The large-scale black-and-white photographs on display were taken in Ms. Shaker’s home. She captures ragged dining room chairs, a clump of hair lying on a bathroom windowsill, and a woman’s shadow cast on a white wall. In some photos, pieces of string dangle from unexpected places: a woman’s raised heel, and a mysterious hole in the wall. Through Thursday, December 23, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Daniel Cooney Fine Art, 511 W. 25th St. at Tenth Avenue, #506, 212-255-8158, free.

SCOTTISH SCENES Prints by Scottish artist Ian Hamilton Finlay are on display through the end of this week. Many focus on Finlay’s meticulous garden, Little Sparta. Through Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., UBS Gallery, 1285 Sixth Ave., between 51st and 52nd streets, 212-713-2885, free.

THE HIGHWAYMAN For his map paintings series, Matthew Cusick used as his canvas pieces of vintage 20th-century maps embedded in wood panels. The paintings include a recreation of a famous portrait of Sitting Bull, a dying Bonnie Parker, and an aerial view of one of the first freeways in Texas. Mr. Cusick also displays a series of drawings that he made by burning lines into paper with a heated needle. Through Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Kent Chelsea, 541 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-627-3680, free.

BENEFITS

AID TO ISRAEL The Israel Humanitarian Foundation of New York City hosts a cocktail party to benefit its work with the poor in Israel. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Gstaad, 43 W. 26th St., between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, 212-683-5676, $30 in advance, $35 at the door.

ACTION HEROES Sports figures turn out for a gala silent auction and dinner benefiting the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s greater New York chapter. The chairman of Nascar, Brian France, receives the Dick Schaap Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports. Thursday, 5:30 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. dinner, Sheraton New York, 811 Seventh Ave. at 53rd Street, 212-679-1570, $1,000.

BOOKS

TALES FROM AFRICA Adventurer and author Peter Beard reads from his book “Zara’s Tales” (Knopf), which catalogs his experiences during four decades in equatorial Africa. Tonight, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway at 66th Street, 212-595-6859, free.

FLORIDA TO HARLEM Lucy Ann Hurston reads from and discusses “Speak, So You Can Speak Again” (Doubleday), a multimedia biography of her aunt, Zora Neale Hurston. Thursday, 7 p.m., the Studio Museum in Harlem, 144 W. 125th St., between Lenox and Seventh avenues, 212-864-4500, free. Note: Early arrival is suggested.

IRANIAN CHILDHOOD Iranian Jewish writer Farideh Goldin reads from and discusses her book “Wedding Song” (University Press of New England), which tells her story of growing up in the Iranian city of Shiraz during the 1960s. Kate Roiphe leads the discussion, which follows Sabbath morning services. Saturday, 1 p.m., Kane Street Synagogue, 236 Kane St., between Court and Clinton streets, Brooklyn, 718-875-1550, free.

COMEDY

BILL’S BACK Bill Cosby performs at the Apollo Theater for the first time since 1968. His humor is often of the genial family variety, but lately he has been making public statements with an edge. Sunday, 3 and 7 p.m., Apollo Theater, 253 W. 125th St., between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass boulevards, 212-531-5305, $49.50.

FAMILY

GINGERBREAD PETS New York chefs create elaborate gingerbread homes for animals at a program sponsored by the Central Park Conservancy. Children can make their own crafts at the event. Proceeds benefit the city’s Picasso Fund, which provides grants to shelters and rescue groups for homeless animals, and Rational Animal, which helps New York’s at-risk animals. Participating gingerbread creators range from the French Culinary Institute to the ASPCA. Tomorrow through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Central Park, the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, inside park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox avenues, 212-860-1370, free.

FILM

AFRICA RISING The African Diaspora Film Festival screens movies that explore the global black experience from Belgium to Brazil to Burkina Faso. Highlights include the Australian film “The Tracker” (today, 2 p.m.), the French animated children’s film “Kirikou and the Sorceress” (Friday, noon) and the 1999 Egyptian drama “Fallen Angels Paradise,” based on a short story about a homeless man’s death by Brazilian writer Jorge Amado (Monday, 2 p.m., in Arabic with English subtitles). Festival: Through Sunday, December 12, days and times vary, most screenings held at Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave. at 2nd Street, 212-864-1760, $9 general, $7 Monday-Friday general and seniors and students at all times. See www.nyadff.org for full schedule.

TRIFFID TRAUMA Wave Hill screens the 1955 horror movie “Tarantula,” about an experimental nutrient intended to prepare for human overpopulation. Instead, the nutrient creates an enormous spider that, in its own way, helps stave off the problem. Saturday, 3 p.m., Wave Hill, West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, Bronx, 718-549-3200 ext. 222, $4 general, $2 members.

MIND BEHIND ‘SPOTLESS MIND’ Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman discusses his work after a screening of his latest movie, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Mr. Kaufman will talk about the intersection of art, commerce, and life with Film Comment’s Gavin Smith and Kent Jones. He is currently working on a new project with director Spike Jonze, his partner on the films “Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation.” Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-875-5600, $15 general, $12 members.

FOOD & DRINK

SMART SIPPING The author of the book “Oldman’s Guide To Outsmarting Wine” (Penguin), Mark Oldman, discusses expert holiday wine selection. At a tasting, he introduces attendees to basic wine types paired with food prepared by chef Kristof Czartoryski. The menu includes coconut-crusted shrimp, pork tenderloin, and sashimi on cucumber slices. Friday, 7-9 p.m., BLVD, 199 Bowery at Spring Street, 212-982-7767, $40.

MUSIC

OBJET D’ART The co-founders of Bang on a Can present “Lost Objects,” a musical exploration of loss that melds Baroque period instruments, rock music, and the turntable stylings of DJ Spooky. Deborah Artman’s libretto is sung by the New York Virtuoso Singers and three soloists. The piece debuts tonight at a gala for BAM’s Next Wave Festival celebrating “Lost Objects” composers Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe. The evening begins with a cocktail reception (6 p.m.) and a dinner follows the performance (2 Hanson Place at Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn). Gala: Tonight, 6 p.m. cocktail reception, 7 p.m. performance, dinner to follow, 718-636-4182, $250 for two tickets to reception and performance only, $1,500 for gala and dinner. Other performances: Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m., BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave., between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street, 718-636-4100, $20-$60.

DEF JAM Renaissance man Mos Def – Broadway star, movie actor, and musician – performs songs from his recent album “The New Danger” at a benefit for schoolchildren in Jamaica. Proceeds go to the Rockhouse Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit that just completed its inaugural project in Jamaica, the renovation and expansion of a Negril primary school. The admission price includes reserved seating and Jamaican cocktails. Thursday, 11 p.m., Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St. at Astor Place, 212-539-8778, $100.

SINGING HISTORY At a shape-note singing session, singers sit facing the leader, who stands in the center, and sing 16thcentury choral music a cappella. The sing-along style is seen as the precursor to gospel music, and was popular in the American South, especially among Baptist sects that eschewed instruments other than voice. Though the shape-note songs originated in the Christian church, the singing is now a social event that draws people of all backgrounds and skill levels. Saturday, 3-6 p.m., the Living Room, 154 Ludlow St., between Rivington and Stanton streets, 212-533-7235, free.

POETRY

EPHEMERAL ARIEL Sylvia Plath’s daughter, Frieda Hughes, introduces a reading of the entire newly restored edition of Plath’s “Ariel.” The manuscript left behind by Plath after her death in 1963 is quite different from her more familiar writings. Readers including Frank Bidart, Katha Pollit, and Jorie Graham will present the poems in the order and form that Plath originally placed them. Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., CUNY Graduate Center, Proshanky Auditorium, 365 Fifth Ave., between 34th and 35th streets, 212-254-9628, $10 general, $5 students.

READINGS

SHORT TALES Nadine Gordimer introduces stories from an anthology she edited to benefit AIDS research and services. Denis O’Hare and John Guare read stories from “Telling Tales” (Picador), written by Arthur Miller, Woody Allen, and Ms. Gordimer herself. The reading is part of the “Selected Shorts” series. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, 212-864-5400, $21 and $25 general, $19 and $23 seniors and students, $18 and $22 members.

YOUNG LADS AND OLD MEN A columnist for New York magazine, Amy Sohn, reads from her novel “My Old Man” (Simon & Schuster) at a reading called “Two Blue Jews.” She is joined by former Maxim staffer Dave Itzkoff, who reads from “Lads: A Memoir of Manhood” (Villard). The reading takes place at the downtown music venue Rothko, which recently reopened. Tomorrow, 7 p.m. doors open, 7:30 p.m. reading, Rothko, 116 Suffolk St., between Rivington and Delancey streets, free.

TALKS

GLIMMERING NIGHT WNYC’s Leonard Lopate interviews writer Cynthia Ozick, who also reads from her most recent novel, “Heir to the Glimmering World” (Houghton Mifflin). Tonight, 6 p.m., Queens College, Colden Center, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard at 65th Avenue, Flushing, Queens, 718-997-4646, $10.

CONGRESSMEN CONVENE Three members of New York’s delegation to the House of Representatives discuss the outlook for Congress in the second Bush administration. Reps. Joseph Crowley, Vito Fossella, and Gregory Meeks participate in the post election speculation. A “networking breakfast” precedes the program, which is presented by Crain’s. Thursday, 8 a.m. breakfast, 8:30 a.m. discussion, Sheraton New York, 811 Seventh Ave., between 52nd and 53rd streets, 212-210-0739, $45 if paid by Tuesday, $50 afterwards, registration required.

LOOKING AT BOOKS A class at the New York Academy of Medicine provides information for those who want to find out more about historic books in their possession. Issues of authorship, value, and research techniques are discussed. Friday, 10 a.m.-noon, New York Academy of Medicine library, 1216 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street, 3rd floor, 212-822-7367, $10 general, $5 seniors and students.

WOMEN AND ISLAM The author of “The Trouble with Islam” (St. Martin’s), Irshad Manji, talks with writer and activist Asra Nomani about the role of women in Islam. Sunday, 7:30 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $25.

THEATER

SECRETS THEN AND NOW A new adaptation of “Secret Agent” sets Joseph Conrad’s tale of early 20th-century terrorism in post-September 11 New York City. Through Sunday, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 3 p.m., Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., between 9th and 10th streets, 212-254-1109, $12.

MUMMY DEAREST The new comic opera “The Mummy” was inspired by a 1930s film of the same name, which was remade into 1999 in a blockbuster that starred Brendan Fraser. Sue Lawless directs four staged readings of the opera, which is set in 1935 Egypt around the pyramid of Princess Namut. The piece is the creation of a husband-and-wife writing team, librettist Thayer Burch and composer George Quincy. Saturdays, December 4 and 11, 8 p.m., Sundays, December 5 and 12, 3 p.m., the Actor’s Temple, 339 W. 47th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-591-0710, free, reservations strongly suggested.

SIDE DISH The drama “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 Gallery Players’ president, Heather Siobhan Curran, directs. 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.

TOURS

GOOD DAY, SUNSHINE An NYC Discovery walking tour of John Lennon’s New York marks what would have been Lennon’s 64th year. Saturday and Sunday, noon, 212-465-3331 for meeting place and reservations, $13.

AFTERNOON BEFORE CHRISTMAS A walking tour explores historic Chelsea, with a focus on the neighborhood’s development. The Bowery and Canal Walking Company stroll also touches on holiday themes – Clement Clarke Moore, the writer of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” lived there on a 94-acre estate during the early 1800s. Sunday, 2 p.m., meet on the Southwest corner of West 23rd Street and Seventh Avenue, 212-979-8013, $12 general, $10 seniors and students.

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