ART

KNIGHT VISION Instituto Cervantes celebrates the 400th anniversary of the publication of Miguel de Cervantes’s “Don Quixote” with a yearlong program of art, films, and lectures. A selection of 42 of Antonio Saura’s India-ink drawings based on the novel are now on display. Saura (1930-98) also illustrated works by Kafka and Orwell during his long career. A selection of books, including translations from the Jorge Luis Borges Library, are also on display (through Tuesday, May 31). In addition, two panel discussions this week explore Cervantes’s life, work, and era (Thursday and Friday, 6 p.m.).Exhibit: Through Saturday, April 16, Tuesday-Friday, 12:30-6:30 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Instituto Cervantes, 211-215 E. 49th St. at Third Avenue, 212-308-7720, free.

PENCIL PEOPLE Adam Baumgold Gallery displays recent sculpture by Andras Borocz through Saturday. In a series of tableaux in the exhibit, carved pencil figurines read, draw, and build a house of cards in rooms lined with painted, glued-together pencils. Mr. Borocz’s other sculptures incorporate ostrich eggs, walnut wood, soap, and more pencils. Through Saturday, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Adam Baumgold Gallery, 74 E. 79th St., between Park and Madison avenues, 212-861-7338, free.

BENEFITS

WINTER WONDERLAND The Municipal Art Society Urbanist’s Winter Party offers a view of New York from the top. The younger set of the organization celebrates with Champagne, dessert, and a silent auction. Tomorrow, 7-10 p.m., LVMH Tower, 19 E. 57th St., between Madison and Fifth avenues, 212-935-3960, $150 general, $100 members.

SPIRIT AWARDS Actress Marcia Gay Harden serves as the host at the West Side YMCA’s Community Spirit Awards dinner. Award recipients include William and Arthur Zeckendorf of Zeckendorf Development and Melanie Wymore. Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Mandarin Oriental Hotel ballroom, Time Warner Center, 80 Columbus Circle, Broadway at 59th Street, 212-875-4130, $500.

BOOKS

GUY, INTERRUPTED Mark Dunn reads from his book “Zounds! A Browser’s Dictionary of Interjections” (St. Martin’s). The book explores more than 500 linguistic doodads, from “ahem” to “tallyho” to “zoinks.” Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Barnes & Noble Greenwich Village, 396 Sixth Ave. at 8th Street, 212-674-8780, free.

FORGET ABOUT IT Robert Crais reads from “The Forgotten Man” (Doubleday), his latest suspense novel featuring private investigator Elvis Cole. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., Black Orchid Bookshop, 303 E. 81st St. at Second Avenue, 212-734-5980, free.

COMEDY

TEARS OF A CLOWN Comics tell family themed tales of woe at “Sob Stories.” Christian Finnegan serves as host to the show, which is presented by PSNBC, NBC’s performance and development lab. Tonight, 7:30 p.m. doors open, 8 p.m. show, the Marquee Theater, 356 Bowery between 3rd and 4th streets, www.nbc.com/psnbc, $5.

BEST-DRESSED What did Joan Rivers think of this year’s Oscar winners (and, more importantly, their clothes)? She delivers her verdict at Fez, where her shows in the past have been good deal spicier than her televised red-carpet appearances. Tomorrow, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., Fez Under Time Cafe, 380 Lafayette St. at Great Jones Street, 212-523-2680, $25.

DANCE

SPINA TAP Seven dancers perform in the Peggy Spina Tap Company’s “Tap Spree.” The program includes the premieres of the trio “Crystal Epitaph” and a blues number, “Fact or Fiction.” The Joel Forrester Quartet accompanies the ensemble. Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 6 and 8:30 p.m., Spina Loft, 115 Prince St. at Greene Street, 212-674-8885, $20, reservations suggested.

DESIGN

HAVE A SEAT Design Within Reach celebrates the classic furniture design of Charles and Ray Eames. On display are original fiberglass chairs along with the new polypropylene version, other Eames ephemera, and films of the manufacturing process. Friday, 7-9 p.m., Design Within Reach studio, 408 W. 14th St. at Ninth Avenue, 212-242-9449, free.

FILM

GEEK CHIC “Otaku Cinema Slam!” features recent Japanese films that celebrate otaku – geeks with monomaniacal pop-culture obsessions. The series kicks off with “Geroppa” (Get Up), a 2002 film about two middle-age friends who love James Brown more than the average music fan: They impersonate his singing style, collect memorabilia, and then hatch a plot to kidnap him (Friday, 6:30 p.m.). Series: Friday through May 27, days vary, 6:30 p.m., Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., between First and Second avenues, 212-752-3015, $10 general, $5 seniors and students.

MUSIC

AFTERNOON DELIGHT Soprano Jolle Greenleaf performs a program of songs by Henry Purcell (1659-95) at a short afternoon recital presented by Midtown Concerts. Tomorrow, 1:15 p.m., Church of St. Francis of Assisi, 135 W. 31st St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-967-9157, free.

NEW JEWISH MUSIC The Museum of Jewish Heritage presents a month long concert series to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Tzadik Records. The series opens with performances by guitarist Tim Sparks and cellist Eric Friedlander. Composer John Zorn serves as host to the series. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Museum of Jewish Heritage, Edmond J. Safra Hall, 36 Battery Place near West Street, 646-437-4200, $15 general, $12 seniors, $10 members and students.

VERSES VS. VOICES It’s East Coast versus West Coast at a 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, which tonight features old soul Nellie McKay performing her original songs (7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $20-$40). Tomorrow, 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

IMMIGRATION INSIGHT Writer Pete Hamill gives a lecture titled “What New York Can Teach the Rest of the World.” He explores how immigrants have contributed to New York, and how those lessons can be applied to nations struggling with im migration issues. Tonight, 5:30 p.m., NYU Hemmerdinger Hall, 100 Washington Square East at Washington Place, 212-998-8100, free.

TALK ‘SOUP’ The editor of “I’ll Be Your Mirror: The Selected Andy Warhol Interviews” (Carroll & Graf), Kenneth Goldsmith, moderates a discussion about the pop artist’s legacy. Panelists include artist Billy Name, critic Reva Wolf, writer and scenester Victor Bockris, and photojournalist Gretchen Berg. Tonight, 7 p.m., the Kitchen, 512 W. 19th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-255-5793 ext. 11, $8.

THEATER

VIRAL MARKETING Matthew Paul Olmos’s new play “Seal Sings Its Song” is set during the 1980s and follows a man infected with the still-unnamed HIV virus who draws attention to the developing disease using unconventional methods. Eriko Ogawa directs the Woken’ Glacier production. The play opens tomorrow with a gala after the performance ($45). Runs through Saturday, March 19, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 8 p.m., Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond St. at Lafayette Street, 646-654-6433, $15. Note: Additional performance takes place on Thursday, March 17.

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