ART

RIVER OF DREAMS Video artist Rosalind Schneider exhibits her projected-video installation “River Meditations” in the display windows of the Donnell Library Center. The work uses images recorded from the banks of the Hudson River during the winters of 1999 and 2003. Ms. Schneider discusses the exhibit and shows related work on January 20 at 6 p.m. at the library. Exhibit: Through Thursday, February 6, on view 24 hours, Donnell Library Center, 20 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-621-0619, free.

WOMEN’S WORK The group exhibit “Women of the World” features 176 female artists from 176 countries answering the question: “What image represents ‘woman’?” It includes applique from Azerbaijan, digital art from Argentina, and a baby bullet-proof vest from England. After closing in New York, the exhibit will move to Boston and Dallas. Tomorrow through Friday, February 11, Wednesday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m., World Financial Center Courtyard Gallery, 220 Vesey St. at West Side Highway, 212-945-0505, free.

BOOKS

SURELY SHE JESTS Nicole Galland reads from her romance “The Fool’s Tale” (William Morrow), a historical novel about a 12-century Welsh queen’s affair with the court “royal fool.” Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Barnes & Noble Upper West Side, 2289 Broadway at 82nd Street, 212-362-8835, free.

NARROW ESCAPE Bryan Mark Rigg discusses his “Rescued From the Reich” (Yale University), which tells the story of Rebbe Joseph Schneersohn’s remarkable escape from Warsaw after Hitler’s 1939 invasion. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 917-606-8200, $5.

GLIMMERING NIGHT Cynthia Ozick reads from her book “Heir to the Glimmering World” (Houghton Mifflin) as part of KGB Bar’s “Novel Jews” reading series. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., KGB Bar, 85 E. 4th St. at Second Avenue, 212-505-3360, free.

COMEDY

RIOTOUS RED CARPET It’s movie awards season, which means that Joan Rivers will soon take her place on the red carpet. (This year she’ll give her fashion critiques for the TV Guide Channel cameras, since Star Jones Reynolds has taken over at E!.) But first, Ms. Rivers sharpens her claws with a series of stand-up shows at the Fez, which in the past have been good deal darker than her pre-Oscar televised appearances. Wednesdays, January 19 through February 23, 7:30 p.m. doors open, the Fez, 380 Lafayette St. at Great Jones Street, 212-523-2680, $25.

DANCE

TAP INTO THE CLASSICS Tap-dance impresario Savion Glover performs a program set to composers including Stravinsky and Bach. “Classical Savion” is accompanied by a live ensemble. Through Sunday, January 23,Tuesday-Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday, 2 and 7:30 p.m., the Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave. at 19th Street, 212-242-0800, $42.

FAMILY

STORIES AND CELEBRATION The South Street Seaport Museum hosts a weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebrations. Storytellers read “Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King” (Saturday) and “Martin’s Big Words” (Sunday), and there’s birthday cake for all. Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m., South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton St., between Front Street and the East River, 212-748-8758, free with museum admission.

FILM

EXAMINING THE MIDDLE EAST The Pierre Rehov Film Festival closes tonight with screenings of the director’s “Trojan Horse,” an examination of Yasser Arafat’s legacy, and “Holy Land: Christians in Peril,” about an exodus of Christians from the Middle East. The director of the American Center for Democracy, Rachel Ehrenfeld, discusses “life after Arafat” between screenings. Tonight, 7 p.m., Yeshiva University, Geraldine Schottenstein Cultural Center, 239 E. 34th St., between Second and Third avenues, $10 general, $5 students.

MAXIMUM MIRAMAX The Museum of Modern Art celebrates Miramax’s 25th anniversary with a retrospective of 50 films from the studio’s history. Upcoming highlights include the short film “Command Z” (2004),an animated film that asks what would happen if a computer’s “undo” button could solve off-screen problems, too. It is screened with the Australian dance film “Strictly Ballroom” (1992), written and directed by Baz Luhrmann (tonight,8 p.m.).Up next is the French submission to this year’s Academy Awards, “Les Choristes” (The Chorus), about a mid-century rural boys school (Thursday, 6 p.m., in French with English subtitles). All screenings: Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St. at Fifth Avenue, 212-708-9480, $10 general, $8 seniors, $6 students, free for children under 16. Note: Tickets do not include admission to the museum but the cost may be applied to a museum ticket within 30 days. Paying the full museum admission allows admission to same-day screenings.

FOOD & DRINK

WINE AND WRITERS The wine director of Montrachet and founder of Jeroboam Wines, Daniel Johnnes, leads a wine tasting that benefits the children’s writing center 826NYC. Tomorrow, 7-9 p.m., 826NYC, 372 Fifth Ave., between 5th and 6th streets, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-499-9884, $50.

CAVIAR DREAMS A caviar tasting includes a history of the sturgeon, a seminar on the basics of harvesting, and a cooking demonstration. The centerpiece of the session is a tasting of Beluga, Ossetra, Sevruga, and American caviar, with accompanying Champagne and vodka. Petrossian’s executive chef, Michael Lipp, conducts a cooking demonstration with suggestions for using caviar in the kitchen. Tuesday, January 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Petrossian Restaurant, 182 W. 58th St. at Seventh Avenue, 212-767-1041, $290.

MUSIC

KLEZMERIZING Alex Kontorovich’s Modern Klezmer Ensemble performs new klezmer music and modern arrangements of klezmer standards. The quintet is Mr. Kontorovich’s first solo project after performances with the Klezmatics, the Toronto Philharmonia, and other ensembles. He is also a founding member of the Klez Dispensers. Tonight, 7 p.m., Satalla, 37 W. 26th St., between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, 212-576-1155, $12.

SISTER ACT Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara perform their indie pop tunes at the Bowery Ballroom next week. A former member of the Moldy Peaches, Kimya Dawson, and the emo band the Honorary Title opens. Wednesday, 8 p.m., Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. at Bowery, 212-533-2111, $13 in advance, $15 at the door.

UKULELE LADIES The two-woman ukulele band The Hazzards (formerly the Ukes of Hazzard) performs at Galapagos Art Space’s Wednesday Night Makeout Party. Backed by bass, drums, and harp, the duo wears matching outfits and plays songs such as “Girl Beer” and the British hit “Gay Boyfriend.” Tomorrow, 10 p.m., Galapagos, 70 N. 6th St., between Kent and Wythe avenues, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 718-782-5188, free.

RUSSIAN POETRY The New York Festival of Song presents a musical tribute to 20th-century Russian poets Alexander Blok and Anna Akhmatova. The program features Shostakovich’s “Seven Songs on Poems by Alexander Blok (op. 127),” Prokofiev’s “Five Poems by Anna Akhmatova,” and songs by Rachmaninoff, Sergey Slonimsky, Tchaikovsky, and Cesar Cui. Up next in the series is a selection of songs by opera composers including Verdi, Puccini, and Wagner (March 23). Wednesday, January 19, 8 p.m., Merkin Concert Hall, 129 W. 67th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-501-3330, $45 general, $35 seniors, $22.50 for students a half-hour before showtime.

OLD KID ON THE BLOCK Is it too soon to be nostalgic for the 1990s? Former New Kids on the Block heartthrob Jordan Knight brings his solo act to Irving Plaza for an evening of slow jams and songs with un-New Kids titles such as “Give It to You.” Mr. Knight is currently enjoying popularity in Asia and Europe and making a bid for a second chance at American superstardom. His brother (and former NKOTB member), Jon Knight, and fellow “Surreal Life” castmate Flavor Flav are among the concert’s several special guests. Friday, January 21, 8 p.m., Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place, between 15th and 16th streets, 212-777-1224 for information, 212-307-7171 for tickets, $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

PHOTOGRAPHY

THE LAKE’S PROGRESS David Maisel displays 19 large-scale aerial photographs of Utah’s Great Salt Lake and Great Basin in his new exhibit “Terminal Mirage.” The lake is considered a “terminal” lake – it has no natural outlets – and industry crowds its edges, so its perimeter is a blend of the wild and the manmade. “Terminal Mirage #223-1” (2003) is seen above and “Terminal Mirage #236-5” (2003) is below. Mr. Maisel also photographed Robert Smithson’s environmental sculpture “Spiral Jetty,” built in 1970, which is above the surface of the lake for the first time in decades. Through Saturday, February 12, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Von Lintel Gallery, 555 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-242-0599, free.

POETRY

DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE Architect Ben Jacks collaborated with poet Annie Finch to curate the new exhibit “Walking, Poems & Buildings.” It features poems and architectural models of a bus shelter, a nature center, and a “writer’s hut” created by students at Miami University. Exhibit: Through Friday, February 25, Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Poets House, 72 Spring St., between Lafayette and Crosby streets, second floor, 212-431-7920, free.

TALKS

FICT AND FACTION Columbia journalism professor and New Yorker writer Nicholas Lemann gives a lecture titled “The Inevitability of Faction,” the first in a series examining the influence of interest groups on public policy. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., New York Public Library, Celeste Bartos Forum, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, 212-930-0855, $10 general.

SPEAKING OF CERAMICS Sculptor Ruth Duckworth discusses her long career in ceramic arts at the opening of the exhibit “Ruth Duckworth, Modernist Sculptor.” Many of the works on view are from her private collection, including stone carvings and maquettes that have never before been exhibited. The exhibit also includes photographs of Ms. Duckworth’s large architectural murals and site-specific sculptures, and a video documenting her life. Talk: Thursday, 6 p.m., free with admission. Note: Seating is limited so early arrival is suggested. Exhibit: Thursday through Sunday, April 3, daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursdays until 8 p.m., Museum of Arts & Design, 40 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-956-3535, $9 general, $6 seniors and students, free for members and children under 12.

HARLEM HISTORY Jazz educator Larry Ridley discusses his wide-ranging career with the executive director of the Jazz Museum in Harlem, Loren Schoenberg. They talk about the future of Jazz in Harlem, Mr. Ridley’s gig as a bassist for Thelonious Monk, and his current leadership of the Jazz Legacy Ensemble. The talk is part of the series “Harlem Speaks.” Thursday, 6:30-8 p.m., Jazz Museum in Harlem, 104 E. 126th Street, between Park and Lexington avenues, 212-348-8300, free, reservations requested.

DOWNTOWN ARCHITECTURE The Alliance for Downtown New York is hosting a lecture series, with each event taking place at a landmark downtown building. The first talk is at the Collector’s Office of the U.S. Customs House, which is rarely open to the public. Paul Goldberger speaks on the struggle to create and build on the 16 acres where the World Trade Center stood. Mr. Goldberger is the author of “Up From Zero: Architecture, Politics and the Rebuilding of New York” (Random House), as well as an architecture critic for The New Yorker. Thursday, January 20, 6 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. talk, U.S. Customs House Rotunda, One Bowling Green, 212-835-2789, free, reservations required.

THEATER

SHE’S GOT THE BLUES A new production of Geraldine Hughes’s “Belfast Blues” arrives in New York with two larger-than-Off-Broadway names attached: Anjelica Huston produces the play, and Carol Kane is named as a “contributing director.” Ms. Hughes portrays 24 characters in the story of her Irish adolescence during the 1970s and 1980s. Previews begin: Tonight, 8 p.m. Opens: Thursday, January 20, 7:30 p.m. Runs: Tuesday-Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 4 and 8 p.m.,Sunday,4 p.m., the Culture Project,45 Bleecker St., between Mott and Mulberry streets, 212-253-9983 for information, 212-307-4100 for tickets, $45 general, $20 students one hour before curtain.

KNOW THYSELF In Robert Mitchell’s new musical “They All Knew,” the lead character faces an identity crisis when he uncovers a family secret. Through Saturday, January 22, Thursday-Saturday and Monday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 3:30 p.m., Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher St. at Washington Street, 212-627-2961, $19.

SOUTHERN SONGS Robert Ward’s opera “Claudia Legare,” which opens for the first time in New York this week, is a version of Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” set in post-Civil War Charleston, S.C. Susan Foster and Christina Rohm perform the title role. Friday through Sunday, January 23, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 4 p.m., Dicapo Opera Theatre, 184 E. 76th St. at Lexington Avenue, 212-288-9438, $47.50.

TOURS

MANHATTAN MANSION Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan’s oldest house, began as Roger Morris’s “Gentleman’s Farm,” became Washington’s Revolutionary War headquarters, and in the 19th century was used by Madame Eliza Jumel as a “Chateau in the Heights.” A guided tour provides a look at its 11 period rooms decorated in styles from throughout its Colonial, Federal, and Empire history. Saturday, 11 a.m.-noon, Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace, between 160th and 162nd streets, 212-923-8008, $5 general, $3 seniors, students, and members, reservations recommended.

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