ART

MORE THAN WORDS “Words in Pictures” is a group exhibit of drawings, watercolors, and collages by 24 artists who mix text and images. The show opens tomorrow at Adam Baumgold Gallery. Artists whose work is on view include Ed Ruscha, Saul Steinberg, Chris Ware, Jules Feiffer, Ruth Marten, Scott Teplin, Adam Dant, Anton Van Dalen, Julie Doucet, Marc Bell, and Matthew Thurber. Steinberg’s 1966 drawing “Albergo Minerva” places unreadable scrawled writing atop a bed in a surreal Florence hotel room. Mr. Ware, known for his graphic novels, contributes “Building Stories – Morning.” Tomorrow through Saturday, April 2, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Adam Baumgold Gallery, 74 E. 79th St., between Park and Madison avenues, 212-861-7338, free.

POLITICS IN FULL COLOR As “The Gates” come down, New Yorkers can get another orange fix at a Cooper Union photography exhibit. “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. Through Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Cooper Union Humanities Gallery, 51 Astor Place, 8th Street between Third and Fourth avenues, free.

REFLECTIVE ‘SURFACE’ Richard Hickam’s paintings are on display in “Beyond the Surface” at Allan Stone Gallery. The expressionistic portraits include “The Scholar,” bearded and bored; “The Tenor,” massaging his vocal chords, and “The Teacher,” grinning in a suit and tie. Through Saturday, March 26, Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Allan Stone Gallery, 113 E. 90th St., between Lexington and Park avenues, 212-987-4997, free.

BENEFIT

RASCALLY RABBITS The Associates Committee of the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center organizes a charity “Bunny Hop.” There’s entertainment for children and a silent auction for adults. Tonight, 6:30-8:30 p.m., American Girl Place, 609 Fifth Ave. at 49th Street, 212-639-7975, $125-$2,500.

BOOKS

HOLLYWOOD STORIES Filmmaker John Sayles reads from his short-story collection “Dillinger in Hollywood” (Nation) and his novel “Los Gusanos,” which was recently reissued by Nation Books. Mr. Sayles’s films include “Eight Men Out” and “Lonestar.” Tonight, 7 p.m., 192 Books, 192 Tenth Ave. at 21st Street, 212-255-4022, reservations suggested.

AND CARRY A BIG STICK Pam Lewis reads from “Speak Softly, She Can Hear” (Simon & Schuster), her thriller about an overweight outcast at the Upper East Side’s Spence School whose attempts to grow up fast lead to tragedy. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle, 1972 Broadway at 66th Street, 212-595-6859, free.

DANCE

POLKA DOTTY Before a dance demonstration and concert by the contemporary polka band Brave Combo, those with two left feet can learn some polka moves of their own during a brief lesson. Thursday, 6:30-7 p.m. dance lesson, 7 p.m. show and public dancing, World Financial Center Winter Garden, 220 Vesey St. at West Side Highway, free.

THINGS FALL AWAY Mary Seidman and Dancers perform a program of modern dance titled “All Things Fall Away.” “Homage” is set to Celtic music played by live musicians, “Picture Perfect” features an 8-year-old dancer and her mother, and “Who Will Roll Away the Stone?” is a piece for five dancers that explores the afterlife. Thursday and Friday, 9 p.m., Saturday, 8 p.m., Merce Cunningham Studio, 55 Bethune St. at Washington Street, 212-629-3107, $20 general, $15 dancers, $10 children.

FAMILY

MINI MOVIES The BAMkids Film Festival screens 50 films from 20 countries, with music and face-painting in the lobby. Children can vote on their favorite films, with winners receiving a “BAMmie” award. Highlights: the New York premiere of “Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back,” an animated short film based on a Shel Silverstein story (Saturday and Sunday, 3:15 p.m., ages 8 to 13); “Taina: A New Amazon Adventure,” a live-action feature from Brazil about a young girl who rescues a rain forest (Saturday and Sunday, noon, ages 7 to 12, in Portuguese with English subtitles and actors narrating in English), and “Please, Baby, Please,” a one-minute animated short narrated by Spike Lee in a program for very young children (Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., ages 2 to 5). Saturday and Sunday, BAM Rose Cinemas, Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Avenue at Ashland Place, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, $10 general each screening, $7 children 13 and under, $6 members. Please go to www.bam.org for full schedule.

FILM

LOCATION, LOCATION Alejandro Amenabar’s first English-language film, “The Others” (2001), stars Nicole Kidman as a soldier’s wife whose children have a rare allergy to the sun. The film’s central mystery unravels when the family moves into a house with only the company of a spooky set of servants. The screening is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s celebration of Miramax’s 25th anniversary. Thursday, 8:30 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m., 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

GRAPE NUTS Wine Rave NYC lets wannabe oenophiles sip in a relaxed environment. More than 200 vintages are available, with drop-in seminars and food tastings. Friday, 5 p.m. open to VIPs, 6-10 p.m. general, Saturday, 3-10 p.m., Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-352-9900 , $48 general, $80 VIP tickets.

GARDENING

GROWING GREENER The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the setting for a daylong series of workshops on urban horticulture and community gardening. There are workshops on mixing edibles and ornamentals, incorporating compost, caring for street trees, and gardening with children. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 900 Washington Ave., near Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-623-7200 for directions, 718-623-7250 for other information, free, registration is required for workshops, early arrival suggested. Please go to www.bbg.org for details and flier that allows free admission.

HISTORY

AID TO ISRAEL An exhibit at the American Jewish Historical Society explores how the Hadassah Medical Organization helped create a medical infrastructure in Israel. “A Lifeline for Israel” traces Hadassah’s history between 1913 and 1967 through photography and artifacts. The organization was founded by American Jewish women volunteers to provide nutrition and nursing care to inhabitants of Jerusalem. Through April 30, Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Center for Jewish History, American Jewish Historical Society, 15 W. 16th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-294-6160, free.

MUSIC

STRING THEORY New York Philomusica Chamber Ensemble presents “The String Quartet as Exposition and Conclusion,” a concert featuring violinists Ju-Young Baek and Jesse Mills, violist Junah Chung, and cellist Gregory Hesselink. The program includes Franz Schubert’s String Quartet no. 15 in G, Michael Berkeley’s “Quartet Study,” and Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet No. 3, Op. 94. A talk with composer Michael Berkeley precedes the concert (7:30 p.m.) and a reception follows. Thursday, 8 p.m., Merkin Concert Hall at Abraham Goodman House, 129 W. 67th St., between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, 212-580-9933, $35 general, $30 seniors, $17.50 students.

NEW VOICES A Greenwich Village cafe inaugurates a bimonthly music series, “The Gnu Vox Series,” with performances by David Devoe and Julia Dollison. The series focuses on vocal jazz music, from modern to avant-garde. Thursday, 8:30 and 10 p.m., Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia St., between W. 4th and Bleecker streets, 212-989-9319, $10.

IRISH TUNES, DUDE The Fenians perform in the Irish Rhapsody Festival. (Psst: The Celtic-style quintet actually hails from Orange County, Calif.) Friday, 11:30 p.m., Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St., between Church Street and Broadway, 212-219-3132, $15 in advance, $17 at the door.

REASON TO BELIEVE A seven-concert series benefiting Wall Street Rising kicks off with a performance by Rod Stewart. Tickets are sold only for the entire series and by table, so attendance is pricy, but the lineup is impressive: Upcoming performers include Sheryl Crow (April 26), Alicia Keys (June 23), and Stevie Wonder (September 15). Wall Street Rising supports cultural life and business investment in Lower Manhattan. First concert: Tuesday, March 15, 7 p.m. cocktails, 8 p.m. dinner, 9 p.m. performance, Cipriani, 55 Wall St., between William and Hanover streets, 646-723-0898, $100,000-$125,000.

POETRY

CONTEMPORARY VERSE American poets Irving Feldman, Jack Gilbert, Maxine Kumin, and Gary Snyder read from their new collections at the Poetry Society of America’s “Contemporary Masters” event. A reception follows. Thursday, 7:30 p.m., New School, Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-254-9628, $10 general, $7 PSA members and students.

TALKS

BIRD BRAINS Journalist Mark Obmascik discusses his book “The Big Year” (Free Press), which tells of an annual 365-day marathon of “extreme bird-watching.” It begins every year on January 1 and lasts all year, with no prize for the winner. Mr. Obmascik followed three participants in the 1998 contest – they covered 275,000 miles in their quest for the title. The talk is sponsored by NYC Audubon. Tomorrow, 6 p.m., the Lighthouse, 111 E. 59th St., between Park and Lexington avenues, 212-691-7483, free.

TELLING STORIES Writer Roger Rosenblatt lectures on the meaning of storytelling in human life. He asserts that our evolution is connected to our ability to tell stories about ourselves. Thursday, 7-8:30 p.m., American Museum of Natural History, Kaufman Theater, 79th Street and Central Park West, 212-769-5200, $15 general, $12 members.

THEATER

MESSRS. BOSSMEN Holly Golden’s fast paced contemporary version of the Italian comedy “Servant of Two Masters” finds the hungry servant Truffalino taking on two jobs in order to fill his belly. To keep both jobs, he must keep his bosses away from each other, which proves a difficult task. The play is a Play Practice Theater Company and THiS Theatre Company joint production. Through Saturday, March 26, Wednesday-Sunday, 8 p.m., P.S. 122 Downstairs, 150 First Ave. at 9th Street, 212-477-5288, $15.

TOUR

GALLERING GOING TriBeCa galleries stay open late for the “Second Wednesdays” art event. Art lovers can enjoy new paintings by Harriet Shorr as Cheryl Pelavin Fine Arts (13 Jay Street at Staple Street, 212-925-9424), a “calligraphy quilt collage” by Eleanor Winters at Franklin 54 Gallery (54-57 Franklin St., between Lafayette and Cortlandt streets, 212-732-0009), and an exhibit of flower vases and tea containers at Gallery Gen (158 Franklin St., between Varick and Hudson streets, 212-226-7717). Tomorrow, 6-8 p.m., various locations, free. Please go to www.cherylpelavin.com/TGAfull.html for a map and full list of galleries.