ART

DIRTY DOZEN The Frederieke Taylor Gallery’s contribution to keep the summer group show season rolling is “Mystery,” an exhibit of photography and video by 12 artists, whose work was chosen because of its dark and questionable qualities. A still from Wayne Hodge’s six-part DVD series “Untitled (…Facing East/Facing West)” (2006) is above. Through Friday, August 10, 535 W. 22nd St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 646-230-0992, free.

EASTERN VISIONS The Museum of Biblical Art presents “The Christian Story: Five Asian Artists Today,” an exhibit featuring the works of Nalini Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), Sawai Chinnawong (Thailand), Nyoman Darsane (Bali), He Qi (China), and Wisnu Sasongko (Indonesia). The works depict scenes from the Hebrew and Christian bibles, combining Western interpretations of scripture with Eastern artistic influences. Through Sunday, September 16, Friday–Sunday and Tuesday–Wednesday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Thursday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., MOBIA, 1865 Broadway at 61st Street, 212-408-1500, $7 general, $4 students and seniors, free for members and children.

FROM THE HEAVENS TO EARTH Terry Rowlett, who is showing a collection of new paintings at Jenkins Johnson Gallery, juxtaposes images of religion and morality with scenes from modern daily life. He began painting while at school at the University of Georgia and the University of Arkansas. Through Friday, July 20, Monday–Friday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Jenkins Johnson Gallery, 521 W. 26th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-629-0707, free.

STRUGGLING TO ESCAPE The exhibit “Daring To Resist: Jewish Defiance in the Holocaust” celebrates individual and collective acts of resistance, which sought to undermine the Nazi goal of annihilating the Jewish people. Photographs depict efforts either to physically escape various confines, or culturally escape the pain of oppression through art. Selections from the exhibit include a picture of children studying in a clandestine school in the Kovno ghetto in 1941. Through July 4, 2008, Sunday–Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m., Wednesday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, 36 Battery Place at Little West 12th Street, 646-437-4200, $10 general, $7 seniors, $5 students.

SOUTH ASIAN SENSATION “Where the Sand Meets the Sky,” the latest exhibit of paintings by Bengali artist Jayashree Chakravarty, opens today at Bodhi Fine Arts. She is known for interspersing representations of ducks, sparrows, and insects into her paintings, and takes inspiration from Byzantine mosaics and French Impressionism. Through Tuesday, July 31, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Bodhi Fine Arts, 535 W. 24th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-352-2644, free.

FILM

BLACK STREETS “NYC Noir” is a five-week festival of films of the classic noir bent from the 1940s and 1950s, and thrillers inspired by noir from the 1970s. All of the films in the series are set in the city, from Times Square to the Queens waterfront to Brooklyn row houses. The series opens with weekend screenings of Alexander Mackendrick’s “Sweet Smell of Success” (1957), which stars Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis as a columnist and a publicist who sneak around the city looking for the big scoop. The film is considered to be the iconic definition of Broadway from the 1950s. Saturday and Sunday, times vary, Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St., between Varick Street and Sixth Avenue, 212-627-2035, $11 general.

FOOD & DRINK

SAKE TO ME The restaurant Kyotofu specializes in using tofu in all its dishes, including dessert. Kyotofu holds a summer sake tasting including sweet and savory tofu dishes, six sake pairings, and special cocktails made with a Japanese vodka called shochu. Sakes include a rose hip and hibiscus sparkling sake, and shochus include a peach liqueur. Dishesinclude green tea soba noodles with summer flowers, sake-soaked braised cod with summer vegetables, and miso-chocolate cakes with tofu ice cream. Tonight, 7 p.m., Kyotofu, 705 Ninth Ave., between 48th and 49th avenues, 212-974-6012, $60.

TALKS

PUBISH OR PERISH McNally Robinson hosts a discussion with four writers who share their experiences with getting novels published. The authors also discuss technique, writing habits, and navigating the changing book publishing industry amid shrinking book review sections in the nation’s dailies, and the repercussions of the digital age. Featured authors include Richard Vetere, Jim Lasko, Carol Hoenig, and S.H. Post. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., McNally Robinson Booksellers, 52 Prince St., between Lafayette and Mulberry streets, 212-274-1160, free.

I WANT MY BIENNIAL “The Most Curatorial Biennial of the Universe” is the title of a discussion of an ongoing exhibit of the same name at apexart gallery. The exhibit of more than 600 works was commissioned through an open call to artists and curators as a response to two issues of varied significance to the arts community: poverty, andthelackofa”biennial” in which to showcase overlooked work. Featured panelists include a senior editor at Paper magazine, Carlo McCormick, and the director of the International Studio and CuratorialProgram, Sara Reisman. The founding and executive director of apexart, Steven Rand, is moderator of the talk. (Proceeds from works sold at the exhibit are donated to the Robin Hood Foundation, which benefits the disadvantaged residents of the city.) Wednesday, 7 p.m., exhibit through Saturday, August 11, apexart, 291 Church St., between Walker and White streets, 212-431-5270, free.

MUSIC

GROOVE THEORY The third annual Soul of the Blues festival, sponsored by Bagel & Rat Entertainment and the Downstate New York Blues Association, presents musicians who perform within a diverse range of blues styles, from boogie to rock to groove-based blues. The festival opens with performances by barrelhouse boogie pianist Tommy Keys, Brooklyn vocalist Debbie Deane, and London-born R&B vocalist Oli Rockberger. Tomorrow, guitarist Dan Freedman (known for papering the city with his guitar-lesson flyers) shows off his skills during a blues-jam trio night. Tonight and tomorrow, 8:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St., between Bleecker Street and Sixth Avenue, 212-989-9319, $10, with a $6 food-and-drink minimum per person.

A SEASON FOR CLASSICS As part of the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts series in Central Park, the Brooklyn Philharmonic presents the creatively-titled program “The Eight Seasons,” featuring performances of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Piazolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.” The concert is conducted by a resident conductor and the music advisor of the Chicago Opera Theater, Alexander Platt. Performers include Canadian-born violinist Lara St. John. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Central Park, Naumberg Bandshell, mid-park at 72nd Street, 718-340-3018, free.

HIP-HOP PIONEER Kurtis Blow is considered to be one of the fathers of hip-hop, born in the Bronx and known for his strides in making hip-hop mainstream within the music industry. He was the first rap artist to undertake a national concert tour, the first to sign with a major label, and the first to reach gold-record status (500,000+ records sold). He performs with whom many consider to be the inventor of “scratch” turn-tablism, DJ GrandWizzard Theodore. The concert is hosted by a presenter on NYC TV’s seminal hip-hop show the Bridge, Ralph McDaniels. Wednesday, 7 p.m., Crotona Park, 173rd Street and Crotona Park East, 212-360-2756, free.

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC The Queens Symphony Orchestra continues its Concerts in the Parks series — which features free public performances in parks across Queens — with the program “A Night at the Movies,” featuring musical hits from the big screen, including cinematic soundtracks from “2001 A Space Odyssey” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” Performers include soprano Kate Oberjat. Wednesday, 5 p.m., Forest Park Bandshell, Jackie Robinson Parkway at Myrtle Avenue, Woodhaven, Queens, 718-326-4455, free.

READINGS

DREAM CATCHER Editor Catherine Corman discusses her latest work, “Joseph Cornell’s Dreams” (Exact Change), an anthology of the artist’s diaries. Cornell was best known for his sculptures and collages of magical boxes; in the diaries, he writes about how he was most fascinated with children’s reactions to his work. A screening of his avant-garde film “Rose Hobart,” is also featured. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, 212-660-6643, free.

THEATER

STAGE CELEBRATION The SoHo Think Tank presents its annual summer festival of new work, Ice Factory 2007. The festival continues with performance of Alena Smith’s “The Lacy Project,” about the struggle of a young woman, as she turns 22, to walk away from her famous childhood as a model for her photographer-mother. The play is directed by Susanna Gellert. Wednesday through Saturday, 7 p.m., Ohio Theater, 66 Wooster St., between Broome and Spring streets, 212-868-4444, $15 general, $10 students and seniors.

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