ART

CIRCLE ON THE CANVAS The exhibit “Looking Forward,” by Nobu Fukui, is a collection of paintings featuring whimsical circles of bold colors. The works are inspired by his fascinations with the art of anime and comic book heroes and heroines. Selections include “The Rainbow Bridge” (2007), above. Through Saturday, July 7, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Stephen Haller Gallery, 542 W. 26th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-741-7777, free.

SOMETHING TO BRING HOME The annual Affordable Art Fair features more than 70 exhibitors offering contemporary art ranging in price between $100 and $10,000, with 75% of works priced at $5,000 or less. The School of Visual Arts presents a series of weekend lectures including “First Steps: Beginning and Developing Your Art Collection” and “The Paper Chase: Collecting, Owning and Preserving Works on Paper,” and the Children’s Museum of the Arts holds various children’s art workshops. Fair begins today, noon-5 p.m., tomorrow and Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday, noon-5 p.m., the Metropolitan Building and the Altman Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-255 2003, fair admission $15 general per day, $10 students and seniors per day, $50 benefit tickets in advance, $75 at the doors.

PULL THE RUG OUT “The Great American Cover Up: American Rugs on Beds, Tables, and Floors,” an exhibit of about 65 decorative carpets that span the end of the 18th- through the mid-20th centuries, is on view at the American Folk Art Museum. Among the highlights are several monumental masterworks, including the museum’s 13-foot “Appliquéd Carpet” (c. 1860), and the “Embroidered Carpet” (1832-35) by Zeruah Guernsey Caswell from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibit traces the history of American rug making, and sheds light on time-honored techniques including shirring and yarn sewing. The curator of special exhibitions and public programs at the folk art museum, Lee Kogan, is the organizer of the show. Through Sunday, September 9, Tuesday–Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday, 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., American Folk Art Museum, 45 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-265-1040, $9 general, $7 seniors and students, free for children under 12 accompanied by an adult.

COMEDY

FROM DOWN UNDER Calling herself New Zealand’s only Jewish comedienne, Deb Filler performs “Filler Up!,” a solo show based on the story of a fictitious “Deb” who tells her family’s life story while baking a real loaf of challah bread onstage. Tonight, 8 p.m., Jewish Community Center, 334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th Street, 646-505-5708, $20 general, $15 members.

DANCE

KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE Risa Jaroslow, who usually leads her self-titled dance company, performs a solo work, “A Jew in Poland,” which addresses the destruction and absence of old Jewish communities in Poland. She also participates in a postperformance discussion. The event is presented in connection with an exhibit currently housed at the Yeshiva University Museum, “And I Still See Their Faces: The Vanished World of Polish Jews.” Tonight, 6:30 p.m., Yeshiva University Museum, 15 W. 16th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-294-8330, $8 general, $6 students and seniors.

FAMILY

LOOKING FISHY “Crab Meets the Sea Monkeys” is a family-friendly event presented by the Staten Island Museum Junior Science Club. Children learn about the intricacies of crustaceans by observing the behavior of live crabs, learning about the life cycle of brine shrimp, dissecting a crayfish, and observing microscopic crustaceans in pond water. The science projects are led by Clay Walker. Saturday, 10 a.m., Staten Island Museum, 75 Stuyvesant Place at Wall Street, 718-727-1135 ext. 105, $8 general, $5 members.

WOOF FOR NEW YORKERS While Cathleen Schine reads from her book, “The New Yorkers: A Novel” (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), city dwellers are invited to bring and play with their dogs. The novel follows the life of a tight-knit Upper West Side community and the important role that dogs play in it. A contributor to the New Yorker magazine, Adam Gopnik, leads the reading. Saturday, 1 p.m., Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street, 212-534-1672, free.

FASHION

FROM PRATT TO PRADA The Pratt Institute and Barnes & Noble Chelsea present “Pratt Fashion Design: Class of 2008,” a juried exhibit of garments by 14 rising senior students of the fashion design program. The show includes more than 20 selections from students’ spring 2007 end-of-year collections. The clothes were pre-selected by industry critics and feature categories such as resort and ready-to-wear. Through Friday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 675 Sixth Ave. at 22nd Street, 212-727-1227, free.

FLAG DAY

WAVE THEM HIGH The Fire Department of New York’s Emerald Society Pipes and Drums and the Color Guard make appearances during the FDNY’s annual celebration of Flag Day. The festival features the singing of the national anthem and the blessing of the department’s fireboats. Today, 11 a.m., South Street Seaport, Pier 17, FDR Drive, between Fulton and South streets, 212-732-7678, free.

FOOD & DRINK

STIRRED AND SHAKEN The Obivia lounge hosts a vodka tasting led by a head bartender and co-proprietor of the watering hole, Michael Matzo. Mr. Matzo shares the secrets of mixing the perfect vodka martini and other popular vodka cocktails, from a James Bond Martini to a Butterfly and the alwaysclassic Cosmopolitan. The event is open to imbibers of all levels of knowledge, who mix under Mr. Matzo’s tutelage. Complimentary tapas are served. Tonight, 6 p.m., Obivia, 201 Lafayette St., between Broome and Kenmare streets, 212-226-4904, $20.

MUSIC

FIREWORKS IN THE SKY The Brooklyn Philharmonic celebrates summer with a performance of Handel’s “Royal Fireworks Music,” complete with a fireworks display over the East River. The concert also includes works by Mendelssohn, Gluck, Bartok, and Rossini, and the orchestra is conducted by George Mathew. The performance is included as the finale to the Target Children’s Day and Fireworks at South Street Seaport , presented by the River to River Festival, and is hosted by an afternoon host on the classical music station WQXR, Elliott Forrest. Saturday, 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m. fireworks, South Street Seaport, Pier 17, FDR Drive, between Fulton and Beekman streets, 212-732-7678, free.

READINGS

THE WEDDING SUITE As part of its inaugural “Out of the Book” series, McNally Robinson Booksellers hosts Ian McEwan, the author of the newly published “On Chesil Beach,” a novella that depicts the marital and sexual trauma suffered by a young couple in the early 1960s. The evening’s program begins with a brief dramatic scene adapted from Mr. McEwan’s book, performed by local actors. A screening of a short documentary film, directed by Doug Biro and featuring the author, precedes a panel discussion of the book’s themes. Among the featured panelists are authors Colum McCann and Kathryn Harrison. An after-party at Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction to cap the festivities is at 8:30 p.m. Tomorrow, 6 p.m., Two Boots Pioneer Theater, 155 E. 3rd St. at Avenue A, 212-254-3300, after-party at Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction, 34 Ave. A, between 2nd and 3rd streets, $5-$10, tickets available for purchase at McNally Robinson Booksellers or Pioneer Theater. For complete information, go to mcnallyrobinsonnyc.com.

SOIRÉES

THE GREAT STAGE Columbia University’s Miller Theater holds its 4th annual spring gala, honoring philanthropist Gerry Lenfest, a frequent contributor to artistic endeavors at the university. The gala features a performance by Masada Oud Music, a group of jazz and world music musicians picked by avant-garde jazz pioneer John Zorn. Tonight, 7 p.m., Columbia University, South Lawn, 116th Street and Broadway, 212-725-2960, $500 and up.

THEATER

SELF-OBSESSION Jason Schafer, a writer for the Showtime drama “Queer as Folk,” presents the premiere of his newest play, “I Google Myself.” The black comedy follows three different men with the same name: One is a gay pornography star with a difficult secret; one is a mechanic addicted to marijuana who maintains a poetry Web log and has anger management issues, and the last is a stalker with a penchant for balloons. The three men meet when one uses the search engine Google to look for others with his name. “I Google Myself” is directed by Jason Jacobs, and stars Reed Prescott, Tim Cusack, and John Gardner. Tonight through Saturday, July 7, Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place, between First Avenue and Avenue A, 212-352-3101, $18.

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.