ART

MONUMENTAL ART The City University of New York Graduate Center presents the opening of “Beverly Pepper: Drawings, Models, and Sculptures for Six Site-Specific Works.” The exhibit documents the evolution of six of Ms. Pepper’s works, created during a more than four decades-long career. After years of painting, the 83-year-old shifted her focus to creating monumental outdoor sculpture. Many of her pieces can be seen in public spaces throughout Europe and America. Tomorrow, exhibit through Saturday, April 21, Tuesday–Saturday, noon–6 p.m., CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave. at 34th Street, 212-817-7394, free.

FROM WOOD TO ART The late sculptor Albert Hoffman received a formal education that lasted only until the eighth grade, when it was cut short by the Great Depression. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Hoffman returned to the East Coast, settling in Atlantic City, where he began carving wooden reliefs, many of them inspired by stories of Jewish folklore that his father told him during his childhood. Through Saturday, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Andrew Edlin Gallery, 529 W. 20th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 6th floor, 212-206-9723, free.

TRUE COLORS “Abstraction in Reverse” is a series of new paintings by Takako Yamaguchi. The exhibit addresses the question of the “semi-abstract,” depicting Ms. Yamaguchi’s struggle to balance fantasy and reality in her paintings. Through Saturday, March 10, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, 529 W. 20th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, suite 6W, 212-366-5368, free.

BOB THE BUILDER “Robert Moses and the Modern City: Remaking the Metropolis” is an exhibit that examines the contributions of the celebrated and often controversial urban planner and developer. 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.

DANCE

HEAR ME ROAR “The Tiger Situation,” a new piece choreographed by Anna Sperber, is an examination of stillness versus dynamic movement. Ms. Sperber is a native of Brooklyn, and runs a performance space and studio in Bushwick called Brazil. Tonight through Saturday, 7:30 p.m., 219 W. 19th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, 212-924-0077, $20 general, $12 members.

FESTIVALS

FROM THE SHORES OF BRITAIN Wales Week, a celebration of the British nation in America, continues with a Welsh Daffodil Ceremony, a presentation of 1,000 Tenby daffodil bulbs to the British Memorial Garden by the First Minister for Wales, the Honorable Rhodri Morgan, to the president of the garden, Camilla Hellman. The Lower School Chorus of the Town School New York sings Welsh songs as part of the ceremony. Tomorrow, 2:30 p.m., Hanover Square, 216 E. 45th St., between Second and Third avenues, 800-959-2537, free.

FILM

WORDS ON A SCREEN The repertory film program at BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcinématek, presents “Graham Greene Noir,” a program that focuses on screen adaptations of the writer’s works that were made in the 1940s, including “Ministry of Fear” (1944), “Brighton Rock” (1947), and “The Third Man” (1949). The program continues with “This Gun for Hire” (1942), about a hit man’s adventures with an icy blonde. The film was directed by Frank Tuttle, and featured actors include Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. A Cinemachat with film historian Elliott Stein follows the 6:50 p.m. show. Tonight, 4:30, 6:50, and 9:15 p.m., BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Ave., between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place, 718-636-4100, $10 general, $7 students, seniors, and members.

MUSIC

UPTOWN GIRL IN A DOWNTOWN WORLD The daughter of “Piano Man” Billy Joel, Alexa Ray Joel, sings a bluesy, intimate concert for her growing fan base — one largely cultivated through MySpace and word-of-mouth. Tonight, 10 p.m., Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St., between Ludlow and Essex streets, 212-260-4700, $10.

‘YOUR BODY IS A WONDERLAND’ A soulful, if oft-maligned, singer and guitarist, John Mayer, gives a concert that includes selections from his Grammy-winning third album, “Continuum.” Mr. Mayer, who has veered into introspective, political lyrical territory with the single “Waiting for the World To Change,” appeases his legion of young female fans with performances of such syrupy fare as “Daughters.” Tomorrow, 8 p.m., Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Pl., between Seventh Avenue and 32nd Street, 212-307-7171, $45–$55.

INSPIRED BY THE CITY OF LIGHT A band of French new wave revivalists, La Laque, performs a blend of ’60s- and post-modern pop. The American-born Brooklynites sing mainly in French. Band members include lead singer Devery, whose sultry look — opera gloves and vintage little black dresses — is quickly making her a fashion reference in downtown circles. But sartorial praise aside, the band has earned a reputation for playing stage shows with fervor. Accompanying acts L’Amour or Less and Mancini, are also featured as part of Union Hall’s “Evening in Rock From Paris to Brooklyn.” Saturday, 6 p.m., Union Hall, 702 Union St. at Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-638-4400, $8.

PAINTINGS

STARK WORKS Brooklyn-based painter Joe Fyfe created the works for his latest exhibit at James Graham & Sons at home and in Southeast Asia. A contributing editor for The New York Sun, David Cohen, wrote in the February 22 Sun that Mr. Fyfe “is a brutalist. His art is not so much reductive as severely blunt.” Selections include “Jatetok” (2006), top, and “For Steve” (2004), above. Through Saturday, March 10, Tuesday–Friday, 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., James Graham & Sons, 1014 Madison Ave., between 78th and 79th streets, 212-535-5767, free.

PHOTOGRAPHY

WIDE OPEN SPACES Richard Renaldi’s exhibit “The Plains” is a collection of portraits and scenes from the American Great Plains. The photographer visited towns including Laughlin, Nev., Havre, Mont. and Thunder Basin, Wyoming. An art critic for The New York Sun, David Grosz, wrote that Mr. Renaldi’s works “communicate sociological details about an area of the country that, spiritually at least, is about as far as you can travel in America from a Chelsea gallery.” Through Saturday, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Yossi Milo Gallery, 525 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-414-0370, free.

READINGS

DECLARATION OF FREEDOM The author of “The First Emancipator: Slavery, Religion, and the Quiet Revolution of Robert Carter” (Random House), Andrew Levy, discusses the subject of his book. Carter was a Virginian colonial aristocrat who freed 450 slaves, the largest emancipation of slaves before the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Mr. Levy is a professor of English at Butler University in Indiana. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-868-4444, $15 general, $10 students and seniors, $8 members.

SOIRÉES

HELPING ISRAEL The Bnai Zion Foundation presents the second of its Sports Legends Dinner Series, featuring a former Giants linebacker, Carl Banks. An auction of sports memorabilia is offered. The nonprofit organization raises funds in support of various humanitarian projects in Israel and America. Tonight, 6 p.m., Bnai Zion Auditorium, 136 E. 39th St. at Lexington Avenue, 212-725-1211, $125.

TALKS

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS The New School hosts “The Constitution in Crisis,” a talk given by a professor of history at Columbia University, Eric Foner. Mr. Foner discusses the history of freedom under the American Constitution. The talk is presented as the second in a four-part lecture series and is curated by a visiting professor at the school, Sam Haselby. Tonight, 7 p.m., New School, Theresa Lang Center, 55 W. 13th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-229-5353, free.

NO MORE HAPPY ENDINGS Makor hosts author Louise Murphy, who discusses “The True Story of Hansel and Gretel” (Penguin), as part of the program’s “Books and Bagels” series. In her novel, Ms. Murphy evolves the classic fairy tale into a poignant story of survival set in Poland during World War II. Two Jewish children are left to wander the woods after their father and stepmother are forced to abandon them, but not before advising them never to say their Jewish names, but to identify themselves as Hansel and Gretel. A rabbinic intern at Makor, Rachel Silverman, is moderator of the talk. Tonight, 7 p.m., 92nd Street Y, Makor, Steinhardt Building, 35 W. 67th St., between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, 212-601-1000, $12.

NEW YORK AND BEYOND The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts presents “Painting in New York City, Then and Now,” a talk held in conjunction with the exhibit “High Times, Hard Times: New York Painting 1967-1975.” The discussion focuses on how the legacy of painting in the city during that time period affects the visual arts today. Panelists include David Diao, Guy Goodwin, Mary Heilmann, and Dorothea Rockburne. An associate professor of art history and criticism at Hunter College, Katy Siegel, is moderator of the talk. Tomorrow, 6:45 p.m., National Academy Museum, 1083 Fifth Ave. at 89th Street, 212-369-4880 ext. 300, $5, reservations required.

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