ART

SPEAKING IN FIGURES “Body Beware: 18 American Artists” features paintings and sculptures that each present an individual view on anatomy or human interaction. Artists include Pavel Tchelitchew, Walt Kuhn, Romare Bearden, and Federico Castellon. Through Friday, July 27, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, 24 W. 57th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-247-0082, free.

SIDEWALKING “The Secret Lives of Streets” is an exhibit organized by 10 Brooklyn high school students who researched how Brooklyn’s streets were originally named. The students used the resources of the Brooklyn Historical Society to complete their research, in a pilot after-school program called Exhibition Laboratory. The teenagers curated the entire exhibit, showing how culture, historic Brooklyn events, and notable Brooklyn residents factored into the naming of the streets. Through Sunday, September 2, Wednesday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m., Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepoint St. at Clinton Street, 718-222-4111, free.

NEO-GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents an exhibit of new paintings by a German artist, Neo Rauch. The show includes 14 paintings that feature Mr. Rauch’s distinctive industrial palette. The works depict a parallel world of hypertrophied humans, for which the acclaimed 47-year-old artist references Surrealism, publicmurals, and the heroic 1950s workmen and women of Eastern bloc political posters — all elements of the Socialist Realist aesthetic of communist East Germany, where Mr. Rauch grew up and received his artistic training. Gary Tinterow is curator of the exhibit. Through Sunday, October 14, the Met, 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd Street, 212-535-7710, $20 suggested donation, $10 seniors and students, free for members and children under 12. For more information, go to metmuseum.org.

FILM

MIRROR, MIRROR Filmmaker Jennifer Fox is known for her documentary films “Beirut: The Last Home Movie” and “An American Love Story.” For her latest film, “Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman” (2007), she turns the camera on herself for a visual autobiography, documenting her struggle in balancing her work while maintaining two long-distance romantic relationships, one with a Swiss boyfriend and the other with a married South African man. In the film, she also interviews 17 women from around the world who offer their own perspectives on love, marriage, and independence, The six-hour film is shown in two parts: Each is a separate screening and is just under three hours. Opens Wednesday, part 1, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 1:15 and 8 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, 5 p.m., part 2, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 5 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, 1:15 and 8 p.m., Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St., between Varick Street and Sixth Avenue, 212-627-2035, $10.50 general, $5.50 seniors and members.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY The New-York Historical Society celebrates America’s birthday with a day-long family celebration that includes a display of Revolutionary-era documents and artifacts. Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk tells short stories from 1776 at 1 and 3 p.m. Actors portraying George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Frederick Douglass are on hand to relate stories about leaderships throughout the day. Families are invited to sit for portrait drawings made in a 1770s style. Wednesday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., N-YHS, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-873-3400, free.

SUMMERTIME EATING For those who lack a backyard or front stoop to mount a July 4 barbecue, the restaurant 5 Ninth offers a summertime menu including house smoked brisket, New Orleansstyle barbecued catfish, and fried chicken. Side dishes include coleslaw, baked beans, corn on the cob, biscuits with gravy, and collard greens. Wednesday, noon–11 p.m., 5 Ninth, 5 Ninth Ave., between Little West 12th and Gansevoort streets, 212-929-9460, $29 per person.

STAGE CELEBRATION The Soho Think Tank presents the opening of its annual summer festival of new work, Ice Factory 2007. The festival opens with a July 4 barbecue party and the premiere of Kirk Wood Bromley’s play “No More Pretending (aka The Return of Indiebot),” performed by the Inverse Theater. The story follows three actors, one of whom has dropped out of theater, one who has become famous onstage, and another who is still struggling to make a name for himself. The play is directed by Howard Thoresen, and featured actors include Meg MacCary. Wednesday through Saturday, 7 p.m., Ohio Theater, 66 Wooster St., between Broome and Spring streets, 212-868-4444, $15general, $10students and seniors.

FIRE IT UP The Macy’s July 4th 2007 Fireworks Spectacular, the 31st of its kind, takes over the East Side of Manhattan every summer. It’s worth it to start planning your July 4 fireworks trip in advance to avoid the enormous crowds at South Street Seaport and on the FDR Drive. If you’re lucky enough to live in an apartment building overlooking the East River, take advantage of your rooftop view. If not, parents and children can enjoy the fireworks from the FDR Drive. Bring chairs, snacks, and drinks, and be prepared to arrive early, with lots of patience — the spectacle doesn’t begin until nightfall. Wednesday, 9 p.m., the East River, between 23rd and 42nd streets, and South Street Seaport at Fulton Street, 212-494-4495, free.

MUSIC

DANCE, DANCE The Let’s Zydeco dance and music series presents zydeco singer and accordionist C.J. Chenier, who has led his Red Hot Louisiana Band for the past two decades. He took over the band from his late father, Clifton, with critical success. A complimentary Cajun and zydeco dance lesson takes place at 6:30 p.m. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Connolly’s, 121 W. 45th St., between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, 212-685-7597, $22.

GROOVY KIND OF LOVE The City Parks Foundation presents a free summer outdoor concert series. The first installment in Brooklyn features the Delfonics, known in the 1960s for what they called the “Philly sound,” which featured traditional R&B harmonies paired with raw-sounding instrumentals. The group is best known for its single “La-La (Means I Love You).” Thursday, 7 p.m., Von King Park, Tompkins Avenue, between Lafayette and Green avenues, Brooklyn, 212-360-8290, free.

SUNDAY STRINGS The Music in the Garden series at the Noguchi Museum in Queens presents the Gli Altri ensemble in a performance of Jefferson Friedman’s String Quartet No. 2. The quartet includes violinists Amie Weiss and Annaliesa Place, violist Miranda Sielaff, and cellist Clarice Jensen. Sunday, 3 p.m., the Noguchi Museum, 9–01 33rd Road at Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, Queens, 718-204-7088, free with museum admission, $10 general, $5 students and seniors.

PAINTINGS

AN EAR AND EYE FOR BEAUTY Today is the last day to view the exhibit “Van Gogh and Expressionism” at the Neue Galerie Museum for German and Austrian Art before the museum closes for the rest of the month. The exhibit, organized by curator Jill Lloyd, explores the influence that Vincent van Gogh had on 19th-century European Expressionism and features canvases by the artist and other painters including Egon Schiele, Otto Dix, and Gustav Klimt. Selections include van Gogh’s “Fishing Boats on the Beach at Les Saintes-Maries-dela-Mer” (1888), above. Through today, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Neue Galerie, 1048 Fifth Ave. at 86th Street, 212-628-6200, $15 general, $10 students and seniors.

SOIRÉES

TWICE AS HIGH The high-flying aerial acrobatic ensemble Anti-Gravity Team performs a special charity show to benefit the non-profit organization Team Continuum, which is dedicated to taking immediatecareofanyoneinvolved in fighting cancer, from patients to friends and family members. Tonight, 8 p.m., Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 W. 34th St. at Eighth Avenue, 212-713-6300, $50.

ANIMAL BUSINESS The Brooklyn Animal Foster Network holds its third annual benefit party, “Stray Pride,” to raise funds for medical services. Food, bingo, face painting, raffles, karaoke, and pet adoptions are all offered. Sponsors include the Veterinary Emergency and Referral Group in Cobble Hill. The network consists of more than 400 foster homes that work to place stray and abused pets in safe homes. Sunday, 2 p.m., Ginger’s Bar, 363 Fifth Ave. at 5th Street, Brooklywn, 718-789-6865, 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.