ART

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN Fashion photographer Vincent Skeltis documents the life of his largely absent father in the exhibit “Nowhere But Up.” Skeltis Sr. disappeared when his son was 4 and reappeared 20 years later to tell him that he was dying. Mr. Skeltis traveled to Visalia, Calif., to find out about his father’s life and be with him while he died. The resulting exhibit includes collages, maps, handwritten receipts, a framed Beretta, pages of books, and drawings, and portraits of the father, his town, and his family. Above is “Dad, 8 Months Before” (2002) and the collage “California” (2004). The exhibit also includes a short newspaper obituary for the elder Skeltis, who died at age 52. Through Sunday, March 13, Friday-Monday, 1-7 p.m., 31 Grand, 31 Grand St. at Kent Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 718-388-2858, free.

BENEFITS

GOLDEN GLAMOUR Lauren Bush, Tinsley Mortimer, and Emilia Fanjul Pfeifler are among the chairwomen of the black-tie winter ball for the Young Fellows of the Frick Collection. The 17th-century-themed “Dance in the Golden Age” uses the collection as inspiration. Tonight, 8:30 p.m.-midnight, the Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th St. at Fifth Avenue, 212-547-0706, $250.

DRESS CODE: ADIDAS Hip-hop artists Missy Elliott, DMC, Chuck D, Doug E. Fresh, Mos Def, Wyclef, Fabulous, and Tweet honor the memory of a Run DMC member, Jam Master Jay, at a gala benefiting the Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music. The evening includes dinner, surprise performances, and lots of dancing. The organization provides funding for music programs in public schools. Tomorrow, 8 p.m., Skylight, 275 Hudson St. at Dominick Street, 212-228-5558, $250 and above. Please go to www.jmjfoundationformusic.org for more information.

BOOKS

BEST BOOKS Winners of this year’s National Book Awards gather for a reading and signing. Kevin Boyle is the nonfiction winner for “Arc of Justice” (Henry Holt), Lily Tuck’s novel “News From Paraguay” (HarperCollins) is the fiction winner, and Jean Valentine’s collection “Door in the Mountain” (Wesleyan University) won the poetry award. Today, noon, Borders Books Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle, Broadway at 59th Street, 212-823-9775, free.

SHE SURVIVED Linda Peterson reads from her novel “Edited to Death” (21st Century Publications) at a party celebrating its publication. The murder mystery’s heroine is a writer at an upscale San Francisco magazine. Tonight, 7 p.m., Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers, 44 Greenwich Ave. at Charles Street, 212-243-0440, free.

OLD TOMES The Greenwich Village Antiquarian Book Fair offers out-of-print books, maps, photographs, and autographs. Proceeds go to P.S. 3. Friday preview, 6-9 p.m., Saturday, noon-6 p.m., Sunday, noon-5 p.m., P.S. 3, 490 Hudson St., between Christopher and Grove streets, 212-675-8151, $12 Friday, $6 Saturday, $4 Sunday.

DANCE

RADICAL CHIC “Radiant Imprints” is a new program of works by the collective InnerLandscapes Dance Theatre, comprised of choreographers Nomi Bachar, Valerie Norman, Kathryn Sullivan, and Natasa Trifan. Composer Bruce Lazarus performs music between each of the six contemporary dance pieces. Tonight and tomorrow, 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 8 p.m., Merce Cunningham Studio, 55 Bethune St. at Washington Street, 212-726-0660, $20 general, $15 students.

FOR THE BIRDS The all-male dance troupe Condors performs a program of modern dance titled “Mars: Conquest of the Galaxy II,” which mimics Japanese television variety shows. Choreographer Ryohei Kondo uses dance, video, theatrics, and slapstick comedy in the fast-paced episodic program. Tonight and tomorrow, 7:30 p.m., Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., between First and Second avenues, 212-752-3105, $30 general, $25 members.

FAMILY

ARTY PARTY An art carnival for children raises funds for the Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families. The “ARTrageous” project unites children in foster care with members of the “Kids Benefit Committee” to work with established artists to create a masterpiece. The final product will be auctioned at the organization’s gala dinner on May 25 at Cipriani. Other carnival highlights include jugglers, a petting zoo, magic shows, and an appearance by SpongeBob SquarePants. Sunday, 1-5 p.m., Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-437-3502, $25 general, $20 children ages 3 to 18, free for children under 2.

FILM

BRAINWASHED The Fordham Law Republicans sponsor a screening of the short documentary “Brainwashing 101,” about political correctness on college campuses. Director Evan Coyne Maloney participates in a question-and-answer session afterward. Tonight, 6 p.m., Fordham Law School, McNally Amphitheater, 140 W. 62nd St., between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, free.

SURREAL SCREENING The director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Richard Pena, introduces a program of Surrealist short films that are screened in conjunction with the National Academy Museum’s “Surrealism USA” exhibit. Films by Man Ray, Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali, and Joseph Cornell are included, with some accompanied by pianist Kirk Nurock. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., National Academy Museum, 5 E. 89th St. at Fifth Avenue, 212-369-4880 ext. 225, $10.

MUSIC

HELP FOR TONIC Sean Lennon and Vincent Gallo perform in a benefit concert for the experimental music club Tonic. The venue is facing extinction due to rising rents, a robbery, and the expense of a recent plumbing repair. (The downtown duo fol 533 1198 625 1208lows an 8 p.m. nonbenefit concert by indie favorite Ben Lee.) Tonight, 10:30 p.m., Tonic, 107 Norfolk St., between Delancey and Rivington streets, 212-358-7501, $20. Please visit www.tonicnyc.com for a list of benefit shows.

GOOD THINGS The 28-member Cerddorian chamber ensemble presents a program titled “A Path of Good Things,” conducted by Kristina Boerger.The concert includes the world premiere of New York composer Elliot Levine’s “Un Prodigio Les Canto” and several settings of Psalm 23. Sunday, 4 p.m., Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, 75 Hicks St., between Cranberry and Orange streets, Brooklyn, 212-569-5593, $20 general, $15 seniors and students.

VERSES VS. VOICES It’s East Coast versus West Coast at next week’s staged competition pitting a gang of writers against a Brooklyn band. Sarah Vowell and Dave Eggers represent McSweeney’s in a battle against the quirky musical duo They Might Be Giants (who contributed a CD to an issue of the literary journal). The New York premiere of “McSweeney’s Vs. They Might Be Giants” includes readings and music. Artists’ proceeds go to an organization that’s the best of both worlds: 826NYC, a Brooklyn tutoring center founded by Mr. Eggers’s gang. The event is an installment of Lincoln Center’s “American Songbook” series. Wednesday, 8:30 p.m., Frederick P. Rose Hall, Allen Room, Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle, Broadway at 59th Street, 212-721-6500, $30-$50.

TALKS

LADY RADIUM The author of “Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie” (W.W. Norton), Barbara Goldsmith, discusses the “real woman behind the scientific icon.” Ms. Goldsmith’s research included examining workbooks that still bore traces of radioactivity. Tonight, 6 p.m., New School, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-229-5488, free.

NOTES OF HARLEM Trumpeter Joey Morant will talk with the executive director of the Jazz Museum in Harlem, Loren Schoenberg, as part of the “Harlem Speaks” series. Tonight, 6:30-8 p.m., Jazz Museum in Harlem, 104 E. 126th St., between Park and Lexington avenues, 212-348-8300 for reservations, free.

STAGE ADVICE Theater instructor and playwright Robert Brustein talks with the new artistic director of the Public Theater, Oskar Eustis. Mr. Brustein is the author of the new book “Letters to a Young Actor” (Basic). Tonight, 7 p.m., Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St. at Astor Place, 212-539-8690, free.

THEATER

DRAMA FROM A TO Z The new play “The Secret Narrative of the Phone Book” is about an attempt to use seduction to stop corporate shenanigans. Suzanne Agins directs the Horse Trade Theater Group production. A theater critic at Newsday, Gordon Cox, wrote the play. Through Sunday, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., Kraine Theater, 85 E. 4th St. at Second Avenue, 212-868-4444, $15 general, $8 students.

HARD WORK An English translation of French playwright Jean-Claude Grumberg’s “The Workroom,” set in Paris during the years after World War II, is now playing. The drama depicts eight war survivors attempting to repair their lives. Moni Yakim directs the Unbound Theatre production. Through Saturday, March 12, Wednesday-Saturday, 8 p.m., matinees at 3 p.m. on March 5 and 12, Manhattan Theatre Source, 177 MacDougal St., between Waverly Place and 8th Street, 212-868-4444, $15.

THREE V-DAYS Three performances of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” benefit New York anti-domestic violence organizations. The cast of 20 women includes members of the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe. Tonight, 8 p.m., 915 816 1024 826Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, 307 W. 26th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-366-9176 for information, www.ucbtheatre.com for tickets, $15. Also: Tomorrow and Saturday, 8 p.m., Blue Heron Arts Center, 123 E. 24th St., between Park and Lexington avenues, 212-352-3101, $35.

GENUINE GIOTTO? David Edgar’s “Pentecost” is in previews at the Barrow Group’s new theater. The play follows a curator and an art historian debating the authenticity of what appears to be a Giotto painting. Opens: Monday. Runs: Through Friday, April 25, Wednesday-Friday, Sunday, and Monday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m., the Barrow Group, 312 W. 36th St. at Eighth Avenue, third floor, 212-868-4444, $40.

TOUR

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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