ART

COLONEL COLLECTION Photographs, drawings, and videos by the New York-based Israeli artist Ofri Cnaani are on exhibit in “The Colonel and I.” In the video “Quartet,” four women slowly destroy a sculpture so thoroughly that by the end, their hands are covered in powder. Through Friday, April 22, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Andrea Meislin Gallery, 526 W. 26th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, no. 214, 212-627-2552, free.

COLORFUL LIVES Color photographs by Charles Traub are on display at Gitterman Gallery. Through Saturday, April 2, Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Gitterman Gallery, 170 E. 75th St., between Third and Lexington avenues, 212-734-0868, free.

BENEFIT

ACTORS IN THE AUDIENCE Actor Matthew Modine plays host to a benefit for Young Audiences New York. Robert De Niro presents a tribute to Gregory Hines for an audience that includes Hines’s son and daughter. Other honorees include an executive producer of “Law & Or der: SVU,” Neal Baer, and the president of Carat USA, Charlie Rutman. Artwork by New York City public schoolchildren will be on display. Tonight, 6:15 p.m., cocktails and silent auction, dinner to follow, Marriott Marquis, Broadway and 45th Street, 212-355-5702, $600.

BOOKS

WRITING COUSINS Rene Steinke reads from her new novel “Holy Skirts” (Morrow), about Greenwich Village “Dada queen” Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. Ms. Steinke’s cousin, Darcey Steinke, joins her to read from her own novel, “Milk” (Bloomsbury), which follows three contemporary Brooklynites. Tonight, 7 p.m., Three Lives & Co., 154 W. 10th St. at Waverly Place, 212-741-2069, free.

FEELIN’ BLUE Country music singer Tanya Tucker talks about and signs her new self-help book, “100 Ways to Beat the Blues” (Fireside), which includes tips from Garth Brooks, Loretta Lynn, and Kris Kristofferson. Tonight, 6 p.m., Coliseum Books, 11 W. 42nd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-803-5890, free. Note: Ms. Tucker will only sign copies of her book at this event. Also: Friday, 1 p.m., Barnes & Noble Rockefeller Center, 600 Fifth Ave. at 48th Street, 212-765-0593, free.

COMEDY

JOLLY JOINT Todd Barry headlines an installment of the Clip Joint, a monthly comedy and variety show. Proceeds go to the Parkinson’s Unity Walk. Tonight, 8 p.m., Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St., between Church Street and Broadway, 212-219-3132, $15.

DESIGN

BRAND-NEW LOOK Robot designers, flower arrangers, and textile artists show off their wares and discuss their crafts at a wide-ranging symposium focusing on the new wave of Japanese design. Friday through Sunday, times vary, Friday and Saturday events take place at Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., between First and Second avenues, 212-832-1155, Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. workshop takes place at the Museum of Arts & Design, 40 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-956-3535, $15-$85. Please go to www.japansociety.org for full schedule.

FILM

EXAMINING THE UNREAL “Intensely Darger,” a three-part joint program of the American Folk Art Museum and Dance Theatre Workshop, kicks off with a screening of the documentary “In the Realms of the Unreal.” The film features gentle animation of self-taught artist Henry Darger’s 15,000-page illustrated novel. Filmmaker Jessica Yu discusses her work after the screening. The other events are a Darger “read-a-thon” celebrating his birthday (Tuesday, April 12, 7 p.m., American Folk Art Museum) and a dance performance based on Darger’s Vivian Girls by the Pat Graney Company (Wednesday, May 4, 6:30 p.m., Dance Theater Workshop). Screening: Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., American Folk Art Museum, 45 W. 53 St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-924-0077, $15 general, $10 seniors, members, and students.

FOOD & DRINK

INTERNATIONAL SWEETS Culinary historian Alexandra Leaf moderates a discussion and tasting focusing on chocolate from America, Austria, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Britain, and Venezuela. Chocolate experts give their input, and everyone who attends gets to taste. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $45.

MUSIC

NEW JEWISH MUSIC The Museum of Jewish Heritage presents a month long concert series to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Tzadik Records. Tonight, Naftule’s Dream performs “Singer Suite,” which sets six supernatural stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer to klezmer music. The band Sephardic Tinge plays Spanish-Jewish traditional tunes and Latin-influence jazz. Composer John Zorn serves as host to the series. Tonight, 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.

DOUBLE DUTY The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents an installment of the “Double Exposure” new-music series. The program consists of Eric Chasalow’s “In a Manner of Speaking” for bass clarinet and tape; Chen Yi’s “Romance and Dance,” in which a violin imitates traditional Asian string instruments, and Jerome Kitzke’s “Haunted America.” In between each piece, there’s time for wine and discussion. Tomorrow, 6:45 p.m., Lincoln Center, Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Rehearsal Studio, 65th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, 10th floor, 212-875-5788, $17.

POETRY

WONDERS AS HE WANDERS John Ashbery reads from his latest collection, “Where Shall I Wander” (Ecco). Tomorrow, 7 p.m., 192 Books, 192 Tenth Ave. at 21st Street, 212-255-4022, 212-255-4022, free, reservations suggested.

PUPPETRY

WAR STORY Theodora Skipitares’s “Iphigenia,” adapted from the play by Euripides, features 5-foot puppets strapped to actors’ bodies. The story follows King Agamemnon during the period before the Trojan War. Previews begin: Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. Opens: Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Through Sunday, April 3, Thursday-Sunday, 7:30 p.m., La MaMa E.T.C., 74A E. 4th St., between Second and Third avenues, 212-475-7710, $15.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

BEFORE MIDNIGHT A Patsy Cline look-alike contest is the highlight of an event celebrating the “Crazy” country singer. Downtown emcee Murray Hill headlines the “St. Patsy’s Day” festivities. The author of the biography “Honky Tonk Angel” (St. Martin’s), Ellis Nassour, signs copies of his book. The menu features “Irish Western” fare. Tomorrow, 6-7 p.m. registration, 8 p.m. judging, Cowgirl, 519 Hudson St. at W. 10th Street, 212-633- 1133, free.

TALK

E TU, BOOTH? The author of “American Brutus” (Random House), Michael Kauffman, lectures on his reinterpretation of John Wilkes Booth’s legacy. Mr. Kauffman proposes a “murder conspiracy” to explain Lincoln’s assassination. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-817-8215, $10 general, $5 seniors, teachers, and students.

THEATER

ALL THAT CAZ The theater company Happy Accidents begins work on its plays by creating characters based on people its members know personally. Actors develop the characters, who then “meet” in a series of improvisations that become the basis for the scripted play. The new production “Caz Dies Alone” is about a poet, a cameraman, and a dancer who are roommates that don’t get along. Opens: Tonight, 8 p.m. Runs: Through Saturday, March 26, Wednesday-Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m., Sunday, 3 p.m., Abington Theatre Complex, Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th St. at Eighth Avenue, 212-561-0508, $15.

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.