ART

GIVING PEACE A CHANCE The Rubin Museum of Art presents the opening of the “Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama,” an exhibit that explores the Dalai Lama’s multiple roles and iconic status through the works of more than 80 contemporary artists from around the world. The exiled Tibetan lama’s work and identity are addressed in a range of media, from painting and sculpture to installation and video. A selection of paintings and sculptures from the museum’s collection, depicting the historical lineage of the Dalai Lama, is included. Through, Monday, September 3, Monday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Wednesday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Thursday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St, between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-620-5000, $10 general, $7 students, seniors, artists, and museum neighbors, free for children and members. For complete information, go to rmanyc.org.

DANCE

SHE WAS BUSY BEING FREE As part of the “Made in CataluNYa” festival, a celebration of Catalan culture in New York, choreographer Sol Picó dances “Kiss Me the Cactus,” her award-winning piece on tackling fear in a dynamic and humorous way. Ms. Pico is accompanied by her contemporary dance troupe. The festival is presented by the Barcelona-based Institut Ramon Llull. Tonight, 8:30 p.m., Baryshnikov Arts Center, 37 ARTS, 450 W. 37th St., between Ninth and Tenth avenues, 646-731-3200, free.

SCHOOL STAGE The Hunter College Dance Company performs a new work by choreographer Ronald Brown, who is a resident at the college this year. Mr. Brown, a Brooklyn native, combines modern dance with hip-hop and ballet styles. The company also performs works by choreographersin-residence Larry Keigwin and Keely Garfield, and a reconstruction of Twyla Tharp’s “Country Dances.” Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m., Hunter College, Kaye Playhouse, Lexington Avenue, between 68th and 69th streets, 212-772-4448, $15 general, $10 students.

DRAWINGS

PENCIL ON PAPER Forum Gallery presents 31 drawings by Russian artist Oleg Vassiliev. Born in Moscow in 1931, Mr. Vassiliev is one of the most important artists to emerge from behind the Iron Curtain, as he produced anti-communist art while the Russian government promoted socialist realism during the 20th century. Selections from the exhibit include “The Churchyard” (2005), top, and “Large Broken Tree” (1989), above. Through Saturday, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Forum Gallery, 745 Fifth Ave., between 57th and 58th streets, 212-355-4545, free.

FAMILY

KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE The New York Foundling’s Vincent J. Fontana Center hosts a public forum on bullying prevention for parents and educators. Panelists discuss what communities can do to safeguard children from bullying and its ramifications. Participants include the executive director of the Foundling Center, Bill Baccaglini, a school counselor with the New York City Department of Education, Bob Caputo, and the director of the nonprofit organization Helping Kids Thrive, Lisa Sjostrom. Tonight, 6 p.m., the Foundling Center, 27 Christopher St. at Waverly Place, 212-660-1315, free.

FILM

WORDS ON A SCREEN The repertory film program at BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcinématek, presents the final screening in its series “Graham Greene Noir,” which focuses on screen adaptations of the writer’s works that were made in the 1940s. The program ends with ” The Third Man” (1949), which features Orson Welles as he wanders through Vienna. The film was directed by Carol Reed, and also features Joseph Cotton and Alida Valli. Wednesday, 4:30, 6:50, and 9:15 p.m., BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Ave., between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, $10 general, $7 students, seniors, and members.

MUSIC

FROM THE JAZZ SUITE The Manhattan School of Music Jazz Philharmonic performs “Expedition Suite,” an eight-movement work originally commissioned by the WDR Big Band of Cologne, Germany, and the WDR Rundfunk Ochestra. The composers of the piece are Joe Lovano, Charles Mingus, and Michael Abene. Also included on the Philharmonic’s program is Charles Schiermeyer’s “Peggy’s Tango.” Mr. Schiermeyer is a second-year masters’ student at MSM. Friday, 7:30 p.m., MSM, John C. Borden Auditorium, 120 Claremont Ave. at 122nd Street, 917-493-4428, $10 general, $5 students and seniors.

READINGS

DEAD AND GONE The obituaries editor of The New York Sun, Stephen Miller, joins fellow obituary writer Marilyn Johnson in a discussion of her book “The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries” (HarperCollins), which details Ms. Johnson’s lifelong fascination with writing obituaries and her career in writing about the former lives of personages. Both Mr. Miller and Ms. Johnson also collect wacky obituaries. Tonight, 7 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, 212-473-1452, free.

A TANGLED WEB The Betsy-Tacy Society Book Club meets for a discussion of E.B. White’s classic tale, “Charlotte’s Web,” about a bashful pig (destined for the butcher’s counter) befriended by an affectionate spider that eventually saves his life. The nonprofit literary club is open to the public and meets regularly to discuss young adult literature — from an adult perspective. Formed at the now shuttered Coliseum Books, the book club has relocated to the McNally Robinson bookstore. Tonight, 7 p.m., McNally Robinson, 52 Prince St., between Mulberry and Lafayette streets, 212-274-1160, free.

TALKS

DIGGING THROUGH THE DIRT “Uncovering the Past: Experts Tell Us Where We’ve Been” is a fourpart lecture series presented by the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan. An archaeologist at the University of Minnesota, Andrea Berlin, discusses “The Phoenicians and the Maccabees: Excavations at Tel Kedesh, Israel,” which was a site of political and social interactions among Jews, Phoenicians, and Greeks during the second century BCE. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., JCC, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street, 646-505-5708, $15 general, $10 members.

THE DANGER ZONE “Women, War and Photography: A Tribute to Catherine Leroy” is a panel discussion about the French photographer who first began shooting war images during the Vietnam War in 1966 when she was 21 years old. The panelists also discuss the importance and history of female war photographers during the 20th century. Participants include photojournalists Carolyn Cole, Samantha Appleton, David Burnett, and Carol Guzy. The event is presented by the Aperture Foundation. Wednesday, 7 p.m., the New School, 66 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-229-5353, free.

OH, HERODOTUS This year’s theme of the 2007 Ranieri Colloquium on Ancient Studies at New York University is “Herodotus Now: The Personal and the Political.” Scholars discuss the timeliness of the Greek historian, who is called by some the “father of lies” and the “founder of the discipline of history.” Participants in the two-day conference include a professor at NYU and Cambridge University, Paul Cartledge, a professor at Swarthmore College, Rosaria Munson, and a professor at Brown University, David Konstan. Thursday, 6–7:15 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., NYU, Silver Center, Irving H. Jurow Lecture Hall, 100 Washington Square East at Washington Place, 212-998-8100, free.

NICE PAINTINGS The National Academy presents “John Singer Sargent and the American Figurative Tradition,” a lecture by independent curator and scholar Trevor Fairbrother. The lecture is presented in conjunction with the Academy’s current exhibit, “Life School: The Figure in American Art, 1785–1963.”Thursday, 6:30 p.m., the National Academy Museum, 1083 Fifth Ave. between 89th and 90th streets, 212-369-4880, free.

ROCK ON, FRIENDS Housing Works Bookstore Café presents an evening of discussion and music about contemporary rock ‘n’ roll with George Saunders, author of the short story collection “In Persuasion Nation” (Penguin Group), and Jonathan Lethem, author of the novel “You Don’t Love Me Yet” (Doubleday). The Brooklyn band the Night Time also performs. Friday, 7 p.m., Housing Works, 126 Crosby St., between Houston and Prince streets, 212-334-3324, $5 general, donations of used books suggested.

THEATER

LIFETIME INFLUENCES Athol Fugard’s “Exits and Entrances,” presented by Primary Stages, is an autobiographical two-character play that chronicles the friendship between a young idealistic playwright and an older actor struggling unhappily to find meaning and dignity in his fading career. Set in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 1956 and 1961, the play is based on Mr. Fugard’s relationship with stage actor André Huguenet, who was known at one time as the Olivier of South Africa. The play is directed by Stephen Sachs, and actors include Morlan Higgins and William Dennis Hurley. Through Saturday, April 28, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Wednesday–Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m., 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th St., between Park and Madison avenues, 212-840-9705, $60.

NEEDLES IN THE GRASS Brian Harris’s “Tall Grass” is a dark comedy about three couples with three problems: A lazy young executive is obsessed with a careerobsessed woman; a middle-aged couple’s fantasies lurch out of control, and two octogenarians fight for their lives. The play is directed by Nick Corley, and featured actors include Mark Dold, Edward O’Blenis, and Marla Schaffel. Through Sunday, April 15, Tuesday–Saturday, 8 p.m., Theatre Row, the Beckett Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St., between Ninth and Dyer avenues, 212-279-4200, $51.25.

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.