ART

EAST COAST DEBUT French artist Bénédicte Peyrat paints in a classical, allegorical style reminiscent of the 17th and 18th centuries, but her portraits also feature a modern touch of cynicism. This is her first American exhibit. Through Saturday, March 10, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Morgan Lehman Gallery, 317 Tenth Ave., between 28th and 29th streets, 212-268-6699, free.

THE EFFECT OF SUNLIGHT The Brooklyn Museum of Art presents the opening of “Landscapes From the Age of Impressionism,” an exhibit of about 40 paintings that includes many of the finest examples of mid- and late-19th-century French and American landscape painting in the museum’s collection. The work of artists Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet, Frederick Childe Hassam and John Singer Sargent, among others, is featured in this broad survey. Monet is represented by several important works including “The Doge’s Palace in Venice” (1908) and “Houses of Parliament, Effect of Sunlight” (1903). Having moved beyond the studio to paint en plein air, the Frenchman positioned himself before his subject for hours over a series of days — depicting the same motif in changing light. Soon, Monet was remarkably depicting light itself. Through Sunday, May 13, Wednesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., BMA, 200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue, 718-399-8440, $8 general suggested donation, $4 students and seniors, free for members and children under 12.

BOB THE BUILDER “Robert Moses and the Modern City: Remaking the Metropolis,” an exhibit that examines the contributions of the celebrated and often controversial urban planner and developer, opens tomorrow. The show is presented by the Museum of the City of New York. The extensive exhibit focuses on the physical transformation of the city under Moses between 1934 and 1968. Moses ushered in a network of roads and bridges, initiated attractions such as Lincoln Center, and revitalized city parks. Still, his sprawling projects drew the ire of those who believed his grand ideas disrupted neighborhoods and increased the city’s dependence on the automobile. Through Monday, May 28, Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street, 212-534-1672, $9 general, $5 students and seniors.

WHAT DID I DO TO BE SO BLACK AND BLUE? “Breaking Barriers: Louis Armstrong and Civil Rights” is an exhibit of film clips and artifacts from the 1950’s that includes the jazz trumpeter’s FBI file. Armstrong had come under criticism from early on for playing before segregated, white audiences. But the influential singer and musician, a flashy stage personality easily recognizable in photos by an ever-present toothy smile, was also a quiet financial supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. and other black activists. Through Monday, October 8, Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, noon–5 p.m., Louis Armstrong House Museum, 34-56 107 St., between 34th and 37th streets, Corona, Queens, 718-478-8274, $8 general, $6 seniors, students, children, and group rate, free for members. For complete information, go to louisarmstronghouse.com.

DANCE

PAIR OF DEBUTS The choreographic duos Isabel Lewis/Erika Hand and Katie Workum/Will Rawls make their debuts at Dance Theater Workshop. Ms. Lewis and Ms. Hand’s piece, “The Live Performance,” recounts an interpreted history of dance, and Ms. Workum and Mr. Rawls’s piece navigates their own relationship. Tonight through Saturday, 7:30 p.m., DTW, 219 W. 19th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, 212-924-0077, $20 general, $12 members.

FAMILY

BRINGING UP BABY The Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust hosts “A Jewish Perspective on Infertility,” an open discussion of the theological and complicated ethical issues concerning infertility and the treatment thereof among Jewish couples. The panel is moderated by journalist Lisa Castleman Glazer, and featured panelists include clinical psychologist Sara Barris; Rabbi Barry Freundel of the Georgetown Synagogue, Kesher Israel, and Pamela Madsen, a New York mother whose IVF treatments produced two sons. Tonight, 7 p.m., Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place at First Place, 646-437-4202, free.

MUSIC

PROTEST MUSIC Maskanda is a style of Zulu music born at the turn of the 20th century in the face of labor difficulties the tribe was experiencing. Maskanda songs feature a picking guitar style, instrumental introductions, and spoken sections of izibongo, Zulu praise poetry. The musician Shiyani Ngcobo makes his American debut with his take on this traditional genre. Friday, 8:30 p.m., Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall, 881 Seventh Ave. at 57th Street, 212-247-7800, $30-$42.

PHOTOGRAPHY

WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE “Water” is a new group show opening at the Salvatore Ferragamo flagship store on Fifth Avenue. The show focuses on artists’ perception of water as an artistic symbol and as a constant presence in daily life. The show is curated by Blair Voltz Clarke. Selections include Vincent Mazeau’s “January Sun” (2005). Begins tonight. Open run, Monday-Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Thursday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday, noon–6 p.m., Salvatore Ferragamo, 661 Fifth Ave., between 52nd and 53rd streets, 212-759-3822, free.

TALKS

WHITE NOISE “Race in Jazz Academia” is the subject of a panel discussion featured as the inaugural event in a series of lectures presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center. Featured panelists include poet and essayist Amiri Baraka, a saxophonist and a professor at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, Salim Washington, and a professor of music at Harvard University, Ingrid Monson. A professor of music at Rutgers University, Lewis Porter, is moderator of the event. Tonight, 7 p.m., JALC, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Irene Diamond Education Center, 33 W. 60th St. at Broadway, 212-721-6500, $17.50.

READING PASSAGES CLOSELY The Richard Gilder Distinguished Lecturer Series, presented by the New-York Historical Society, features an Adams University Professor Emeritus of Harvard University, Bernard Bailyn. His topic, “How Historians Get It Wrong: The American Constitution, for Example,” focuses on important misconceptions by historians about the Constitution, and how future historians can work on reinterpreting difficult passages. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., N-YHS, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-868-4444, $18 general, $12 students, seniors, and educators, $10 members.

MORE WATER The panel discussion “World Water: Perspectives on Freshwater Resources in the 21st Century” focuses on ways developing societies can access clean, safe water, as global water consumption grows at twice the rate of the world’s population. The panelists also discuss how the city’s water supply has traveled from local ponds to upstate reservoirs since the 18th century. Panelists include a fellow at the Institute of Urban Studies at the City University of New York, Albert Appleton, and a professor of economics at the Universidad Autonama Metropolitana in Mexico City, David Barkin. A professor of architecture at the Cooper Union, Kevin Bone, is moderator of the event. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., Cooper Union, 7 E. 7th St. at Third Avenue, 212-353-2200, free.

DUST TRACKS ON A ROAD Poet and author Quincy Troupe discusses the art of writing autobiography in a talk presented by the Institute of African American Affairs of New York University. Mr. Troupe has collaborated with such figures as jazz legend Miles Davis, and businessman Chris Gardner, whose homeless-to-happily-ever after tale, “The Pursuit of Happyness” (Amistad), is the subject of a feature film. Mr. Truope is also the editor of the university’s literary journal Black Renaissance Noir. Friday, 6 p.m., NYU, Institute of African-American Affairs, 7th floor, 41 E. 11th St., between Broadway and University Place, 212-998-4222, free.

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.