ART

UNDER THE SEA New underwater photographs by Wayne Levin are on display at Rosenberg + Kaufman Fine Art through this weekend. The black-and-white images include swimmers in motion, swirling fish, and other scenes shot from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Through Saturday, tomorrow-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Rosenberg + Kaufman Fine Art, 15 Wooster St., between Prince and Spring streets, 212-431-4838, free.

BIG IDEAS “The Gates” are being dismantled today but Christo and Jeanne-Claude are not forgotten. New Yorkers can revisit some of the artists’ past works at the Chelsea Art Museum. An exhibit there features photographs by Wolfgang Volz of the artists’ previous projects in Asia, Europe, and America. “Man-Made Planet” is the first retrospective of Mr. Volz’s work in America and it includes 30 large-scale color photographs and 80 black-and-white pictures. Through tomorrow, noon-6 p.m., Chelsea Art Museum, 556 W. 22nd St., between 10th and 11th avenues, 212-255-0719, free with admission, $5 general, $2 seniors and students, free for children under 12.

POLITICS IN FULL COLOR New Yorkers can get another orange fix at a Cooper Union photography exhibit that opens today. “A Revolution in Orange” is a collection of photographs by Alexander Khantaev that documents the demonstrations in Kiev, Ukraine, that led to the election of Victor Yushchenko as president. Today through Thursday, March 10, Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Cooper Union Humanities Gallery, 51 Astor Place, 8th Street between Third and Fourth avenues, free.

ON DEMAND Writer Jeffrey Eugenides and curator Roxana Marcoci join artist Thomas Demand to sign copies of the new book that accompanies his exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. Mr. Eugenides contributed an essay to “Thomas Demand” (MoMA). The exhibit of photographs of large-scale paper models opens on Friday. Tomorrow, 5-6:30 p.m., MoMA Design and Book Store, 11 W. 53rd St. at Fifth Avenue, 212-708-9700, free.

BOOKS

HOLLYWOOD PAGES Barnes & Noble Rockefeller Center plays host to a trio of actresses reading from their new books. Joan Collins reads this afternoon from “Misfortune’s Daughter” (Hyperion), her novel about two rich sisters (today, 1 p.m.). Tomorrow, Lauren Bacall puts her lips together to read from her memoir “By Myself and Then Some” (Harper-Collins) (tomorrow, 1 p.m.). Later in the week, Kirstie Alley discusses her new book about weight loss – the former “Cheers” star is now a Jenny Craig spokeswoman (Thursday, 12:30 p.m.). All events: Barnes & Noble Rockefeller Center, 600 Fifth Ave. at 48th Street, 212-765-0593, free.

SILENT LAUGHTER Dave King discusses his novel “The Ha-Ha” (Little, Brown) with his former teacher, author Michael Cunningham. The novel is told from the perspective of a Vietnam War veteran whose injuries have made him mute. Wednesday, 7 p.m., Housing Works Used Book Cafe, 126 Crosby St., between Houston and Prince streets, 212-334-3324, free, used book donations encouraged.

DANCE

BLUEGRASS AND BALLET Paul Taylor Dance Company celebrates its 50th anniversary with a gala dinner dance and auction. The festivities follow an opening night program that includes the New York premiere of “Klezmerbluegrass,” and favorites from the company’s history. The Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Klezmer Mountain Boys are among the musical accompanists. Tomorrow, 7 p.m. performance at City Center, 131 W. 55th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, dinner to follow at Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 E. 42nd St., between Lexington and Park avenues, 212-431-5562, $500-$2,500. Note: Transportation is provided to Cipriani from City Center.

FILM

OUT OF AFRICA A film series titled “After Exodus” explores the lives of Jews of African descent. Screening tonight is the Israeli film “Caravan 841” (2001), about an Ethiopian boy who awaits his mother’s arrival in an immigrant camp. It is paired with “Black Israel” (2003), a French documentary about African-Jewish populations from the Sahara to the Caribbean. Tonight, 6 p.m., JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th St., 646-505-5708, $10 general, $7 members.

UNION STORY Traveling Cinema screens the 1926 film “The Passaic Textile Strike,” which tells the story of a strike by 16,000 Eastern European workers against “starvation wages and for the right to organize.” The strike lasted 37 weeks and led to the acceptance of the textile union into the American Federation of Labor. Live music accompanies the screening. Josh Camp of One Ring Zero plays piano and accordion and Ben Holmes of Klezmer Kabarett plays the trumpet. Tonight, 7 p.m., Barbes, 376 9th St. at Sixth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-965-9177, free.

HISTORY

HAMILTONIA The New-York Historical Society bids farewell to Alexander Hamilton on the last day of its exhibit “The Man Who Made Modern America.” Performances of the one-act multimedia play “In Worlds Unknown” are followed by question-and-answer sessions with playwright Don Winslow and the cast (2 and 5 p.m.). Historians Carol Berkin, Richard Brookhiser, Ric Burns, and Richard Sylla participate in a discussion about Hamilton and his legacy (3:30 p.m.).The celebration ends with a reception (5:45 p.m.). Throughout the day, Hamilton-related items are 25% off at the museum store. Today, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. galleries open, New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-485-9223 for reservations, $10 general, $5 seniors and students, free for members and children under 12.

MUSIC

TREE TIME At the New York Philharmonic’s celebration of music director Lorin Maazel’s 75th birthday, he conducts “The Giving Tree.” His wife, Dietlinde Turban, joins actor Jeremy Irons to narrate the work, which incorporates excerpts from Shel Silverstein’s classic children’s book. Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m., Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, West 65th Street near Columbus Avenue, 212-875-5656, $25-$90.

SINGING HISTORY At a “shape-note singing” session, singers sit facing the leader, who stands in the center, and sing 16th-century 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. The four-part harmony music was later revived in the North in the 1960s folk music movement, and was recently heard in the film “Cold Mountain.” Though the shape-note songs – also called “Sacred Harp” songs, after a popular hymnal – 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

YOUNG VOICES The Poetry Society of America’s Festival of New American Poets includes 20 young poets in a two-part reading. Last year’s event was a sold-out affair. Wednesday and Thursday, 7:30 p.m., New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, $10 both nights, $7 both nights for students and PSA members, $7 one night, $5 one night for students and PSA members.

READING

PROULX READS PARIS The evolving Paris Review presents a reading at the Culture Project. Annie Proulx reads from her story “The Wamsutter Wolf,” published in the journal’s last issue. Malinda McCollum, the winner of this year’s Plimpton Prize, reads from her story “The Fifth Wall.” Poets Jeremy Glazier and Danielle Pieratti read from their work. If it all gets too heady, there’s an open bar, too. Admission includes a complimentary issue. Tonight, 7 p.m., the Culture Project, 45 Bleecker St., between Mott and Mulberry streets, 212-879-1375, $10.

TALKS

ELEMENTARY EINSTEIN Science cartoonist Sidney Harris delivers an illustrated lecture titled “Einstein Simplified.” Tonight, 6 p.m., CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave. at 34th Street, 212-817-8215, free.

INSIDE THE PRESIDENCY The editor of C.A. Tripp’s “The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln” (Free Press), Lewis Gannett, discusses the book with critic Bill Goldstein. The book attempts to answer the question “Was Lincoln gay?” The talk is presented by Out Professionals. Tonight, 7 p.m., L,G,B &T Community Center, 208 W. 13th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, 212-462-9255, $10 general, $7 members.

WEST SIDE PLANS The New York County Lawyers’ Association presents a panel discussion about the West Side development proposals for the Jets stadium and beyond. Participants include a representative of the mayor’s office, Marc Ricks; a New York State assemblyman, Richard Gottfried; and a representative of the Hell’s Kitchen/Hudson Yards Alliance, which opposes the stadium proposal, John Raskin. Thursday, 6-8:30 p.m., NYCLA Home of Law, 14 Vesey St., between Broadway and Church Street, 212-267-6646, free. Note: The talk is open only to lawyers, and reservations are required by e-mailing info@nycla.org.

THEATER

STAR TALK Actors in “Verbatim Verboten” read word-for-word transcripts of taped conversations of the rich and famous. The lineup changes, but covertly recorded chats involving Britney Spears , Mayor Giuliani , Michael Alig, Orson Welles, Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, and Enron executives are in regular rotation. Tonight is the last chance to see the show, and also one of the last chances to see any performance at Fez – the downtown hotspot closes its doors for good on March 17. Tonight, 6:30 p.m. doors open, 7:30 p.m. show, Fez Under Time Cafe, 380 Lafayette St. at Great Jones Street, 212-533-2680, $10.

GENUINE GIOTTO? David Edgar’s “Pentecost” opens tonight 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: tonight. 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.

INTERNATIONAL ENQUIRER Sir Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s comedy of manners “The School for Scandal,” first produced in 1777 in London, is revived in Brooklyn. The play has a timeless message: When a wealthy middle-aged man marries a beautiful young woman, gossip follows. The Lincoln Center Theater production of Sheridan’s play “The Rivals” closed in January. Through Sunday, 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.

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.