ART

ARMORY WEEKEND BEGINS This weekend, the city plays host to numerous art fairs. The two biggest the Art Dealers Association of America’s Art Show (Tomorrow through Monday, Thursday–Saturday, noon–8 p.m., Sunday and Monday, noon–6 p.m., Seventh Regiment Armory, Park Avenue at 67th Street, 212-940-8590, $20 per day) and the Armory Show–International Fair of New Art (Friday through Monday, Friday–Sunday noon–8 p.m., Monday, noon–5 p.m. Pier 94, Twelfth Avenue at 55th Street, 212-246-5450, $20 general $10 students, $40 for four-day pass), are coinciding for the first time. Nipping on the heels of these two shows are the Fountain Art Fair (Today through Monday, today, artists’ reception, 5 p.m.–midnight, Friday–Monday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m., 660 Twelfth Ave. at 49th Street, 917-650-3760, free), the Scope International Contemporary Art Fair (Today through Monday, today, reception, 6–8 p.m., Friday–Monday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Lincoln Center, Damrosch Park, the Scope Pavilion, 62nd Street and Tenth Avenue, 212-268-1522, $10 general, $100 for tomorrow’s VIP reception), the Pulse New York Art Fair (today through Sunday, today, private preview brunch, 9 a.m.–noon, public viewing, noon–6 p.m., Friday and Saturday, noon–8 p.m., Sunday, noon–5 p.m., 69th Regiment Armory, Lexington Avenue at 26th Street, 212-255-2327, $15 general, $10 students and seniors), and the Red Dot Fair (Friday through Monday, Friday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., opening reception, 6–8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Monday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Park South Hotel, 122 E. 28th St., between Lexington and Park avenues, 917-273-8621, $8 general, $75 for opening reception).

BOOKS

FROM THE HANDS OF A WRITER

The annual Greenwich Village Antiquarian Book Fair was founded in 1979 as a fund-raising benefit for Public School 3, an alternative elementary school serving 500 city students. Now, 70 East Coast dealers offer their rare and collectible wares, including maps, prints, paper memorabilia, in addition to books. Friday through Sunday, Friday, 6–10 p.m., Saturday, noon–6 p.m., Sunday, noon–5 p.m., P.S. 3, 490 Hudson St., between Christopher and Grove streets, 212-925-3910, $12 on Friday for three-day pass, $6 on Saturday for two-day pass, $4 on Sunday.

FESTIVALS

MEN IN COSTUMES The New York Comic Convention celebrates the best of comic and science fiction television, literature, and cinema. This year’s convention honors the creator of “Spider-Man,” Stan Lee, with lectures and author signings. Featured speakers include the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert; author Stephen King; an actress on the NBC program “Heroes,” Hayden Panettiere, and filmmaker Wes Craven. Friday through Sunday, Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. for trade registrants, 4–9 p.m. for the public, Saturday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Jacob Javits Center, Eleventh Avenue, between 34th and 39th streets, 888-605-6059, $30-$40. For complete information, go to nycomiccon.com.

MUSIC

IN ALL THE OLD, FAMILIAR PLACES Town Hall presents “Andrea Marcovicci: I’ll Be Seeing You … Love Songs of World War II,” a concert by the cabaret singer. The show, which is performed with a chamber orchestra in two acts, employs songs and stories to recreate an era in American song that featured such influential songwriters as Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer. The musical director is Shelly Markham. Friday, 8 p.m., Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, 212-840-2824, $40–$45.

HONORING THE QUIET BEATLE The Jivamukti Yoga School hosts “Here Comes the Sun,” a musical tribute to George Harrison. An author of a biography of the same name, Joshua Greene, leads an evening of narrative, visuals, music, and storytelling. Guitarists Godfrey Townsend, John Montagna, and Tommy Williams are among the featured performers who give an acoustic performance of Harrison’s solo compositions. Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Jivamukti Yoga School, 841 Broadway, between 12th and 13th streets, 212-353-0214, $20.

PAINTINGS

SECRET LANGUAGES “Code Unknown” is an exhibit of new paintings by Angela Dufresne. The artist creates portraits of other artistic women, and of abstract interior scenes. Ms. Dufresne lives and works in Brooklyn. Selections include “Les Rallizes Denudes Concert Renovation of the Palace Justice, Paris, France for the Concert on June 20th, 2007” (2007). Through Saturday, March 31, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Monya Rowe Gallery, 526 W. 26th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, #605, 212-255-5065, free.

READINGS

BLUE, BLUE, ELECTRIC BLUE “Architecture of the Air: The Sound and Light Environments of Christopher Janney” (Sideshow Media) features pictures and analyses of the work of Mr. Janney, who considers himself both a musician and an architect. His works, called “Urban Musical Instruments,” include “Touch My Building” (1998), a bank garage in North Carolina that features colored glass panels and neon fins that trigger sound and light. Mr. Janney celebrates the launch of his book in a conversation with the lead singer of the Talking Heads, David Byrne, and an architect from the renovation firm Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, Elizabeth Diller. Friday, 5 p.m., American Institute of Architecture, Center for Architecture, 536 La Guardia Place, between Bleecker and 3rd streets, 212-683-0023, free.

FABULOUS DESIGNS Pamela Golbin’s “Balenciaga Paris” (Thames & Hudson) follows the life and the works of Cristobal Balenciaga, who created his designs between 1937 and 1968. In 1996, the designer Nicolas Ghesquière took over the House of Balenciaga, updating the label’s contemporary style. A curator at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris, Ms. Golbin participates in a discussion in English about her book. Friday, 7 p.m., French Institute–Alliance Française, Le Skyroom, 22 E. 60th St., between Park and Madison avenues, 212-355-6100, $12.

TALKS

LIKE WATER FOR SCULPTURE Artist Keith Sonnier gives a talk about his works and process as part of the “Seminars With Artists” series, presented by the Whitney Museum of American Art. Mr. Sonnier has developed a style of minimalism in his sculptural work for which he employs found objects. His most recent installation, “Double Monopole” (2006), makes use of 60-foot steel frames, neon, and falling water. Tonight, 7 p.m., the Whitney, 945 Madison Ave. at 75th Street, 212-570-3676, $8 general, $6 members, senior citizens, and students.

TOUR

BIG CRIME The “Official” Gangs of New York Tour by Big Onion Tours explores the legend of Five Points and the inspirations behind Herbert Asbury’s 1928 book, “The Gangs of New York.” Stops include Paradise Square, “Murderers Alley,” the African Burial Ground, the lost intersection of Five Points, and sites associated with Bill “The Butcher” Poole. Friday, 1 p.m., meeting point at the southeast corner of Broadway and Chambers Street, City Hall Park, 212-439-1090, $15 general, $12 seniors, $10 students and members of the New-York Historical Society.

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