ART

LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT The Oliver Kamm/5BE Gallery presents “The World Is Yours,” a group exhibit featuring the work of five artists, each of whom embarked on the creation of his own language in creating these works. Among the highlights is the work of African artist KB Jones, including “All Rope Diverges” (2007), above, and “I’m Gonna Start Me a Graveyard of My Own” (2007), top. In Ms. Jones’s work, figures typically emerge and dissolve. Liz Jonckheer is curator of the show. Through, Friday, August 17, Monday–Friday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Oliver Kamm/5BE Gallery, 621 W. 27th St., between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues, 212-255-0979, free.

RIGHT BEFORE THE EYES Barbara Mathes Gallery presents an exhibit of paintings by German artist Karin Kneffel, who takes both somber and over-size looks at ordinary items: In one painting, a distant cityscape is seen through a giant bunch of ripe cherries. Selections include “Carpet” (2006). Through Saturday, September 8, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Barbara Mathes Gallery, 22 E. 80th St., between Fifth and Madison avenues, 212-570-4190, free.

HELLENIC ENCHANTMENT The Queen Sofia of Spain Institute presents an exhibit of 50 blackand-white photographs by Robert McCabe from his latest monograph, “Greece: Images of an Enchanted Land, 1954–1965.” The exhibit was mounted to honor Queen Sofia’s trip in 1954 to Greece, where she met her future husband, Prince Juan Carlos of Spain. Selections include Mr. McCabe’s “Mykonos Dancers” (c. 1954), and “Thera Aegaion” (c. 1954). Through Saturday, August 25, Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Queen Sofia of Spain Institute, 684 Park Ave. at 68th Street, 212-628-0420, free.

GOT TO HAVE FAITH The Greenberg Van Doren Gallery presents the opening reception for “True Faith,” a summer group exhibit of works by 13 artists from the New York metropolitan area. Paul Brainard is curator of the show. Although the images in the exhibit appear to be arbitrarily chosen, all are united by a direct relationship to the touch of the hand, whether figurative works or highly abstract. Featured artists include Barry Ratoff, Franklin Evans, and Gina Magid. Among the highlights is Jeff Konigsberg’s “Connect” (2006), a pencil and ink drawing which vividly explores the intersection of architecture and landscape through the accumulated lines that have become a signature for the artist. Through Friday, August 17, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Greenberg Van Doren, 730 Fifth Ave. at 57th Street, 212-445-0444, free.

LIGHT SHOW The Art Collection of the Mid-Manhattan branch of the New York Public Library presents Olive Ayhens’s “Rivers of Light,” an exhibit inspired by the aftermath oftheeventsofSeptember11,2001. An oil painting on linen, “Bristlecones on the Balcony” (2003) is among the featured works. Ms. Ayhens has been working with heavy paint layers to depict light at night, the movement of bridges, and the frightening images and shadows that often appear under expressways and geysers on city roads. Through Thursday, August 23, Monday–Wednesday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Thursday–Saturday, 10 a.m.– 6 p.m., NYPL, third floor,455 Fifth Ave. at 40th street, 212-340-0833, free.

FROM KOREA TO BROOKLYN The Korean-born (and Brooklyn resident) artist Il Lee presents his latest exhibit, “Ballpoint Drawings,” which features large format blue and black ink drawings, including a 50-foot drawing installation. His work is inspired by the sumukhwa technique of ink-and-wash painting. Selections include “BL-071” (2007). Through Sunday, September 30, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, noon–6 p.m., Friday, noon–8 p.m., Queens Museum of Art, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, New York City Building, Grand Central Parkway and Meridian Road, Flushing, Queens, 718-592-9700, $5 general, $2.50 children and seniors.

DANCE

STREET FAIR The Dance Theatre of Harlem hosts its annual Street Festival 2007, a day of arts, crafts, food, and fashion. Vendors are on hand selling their wares and a “Harlem’s Got Talent” competition showcases the finest above 110th Street. Among the highlights are performances by students of the dance company’s Masters and Mentors Summer Intensive program; the Langston Hughes House Youth Ensemble; a salsa duo, Los Hermanos Morenos, and the “Hip-Hop Magician.” A DJ at the WBAI 99.5 FM community station, Andrea “Sister From Another Planet” Clarke, provides the music. Saturday, noon–7 p.m., West 152nd Street, outdoor stage, between Amsterdam and St. Nicholas avenues, 212-690-2800, free.

FAMILY

TIP OF THE TOES A feisty fictional mouse created by illustrator Helen Craig and author Katherine Holabird, Angelina Ballerina, is the subject of a story hour and dance performance. The outdoor event is featured as part of the “Word for Word 2007” series presented at Bryant Park. The tiny dancing rodent appears in a series of children’s books of the same name and is beloved among budding balletomanes. The New York Ballet Theater brings a selection of the characters and stories to the stage. Saturday, noon–1 p.m., Bryant Park Reading Room, 42nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, rain venue: Barnes & Noble, 555 Fifth Ave. at 46th Street, free.

HE CAME FROM OUTER SPACE The Riverdale Y Hosts “Summer Cinema Under the Stars,” an evening of outdoor film for families. A luau featuring a spread of fruit kabobs, fish and chips and dip, and family-friendly frozen drinks is served at a tiki bar. Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning “E.T.” (1982), about a family that assists a stranded extraterrestrial botanist to return home, is shown. A young Drew Barrymore has her star turn in the science fiction adventure. Youngsters are invited to come clad in pajamas and parents to bring lawn chairs (mats are also provided) at this event. Saturday, 9:15 p.m., Riverdale Y, 5625 Arlington Ave., between at 256th Street and Riverdale Avenue, 718-548-8200, ext. 200, $8. For complete information, go to riverdaley.org.

FILM

THE ARCADE FIRE A special advance screening of Seth Gordon’s “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” (2007) and a discussion of the gaming documentary is presented by the Museum of the Moving Image. The reigning “Donkey Kong” champion, Steve Wiebe, and his son are on hand to talk about the film. In it, die-hard classic arcade game fans compete to break world records, and an arcane subculture is explored. Sunday, 3 p.m., Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, 718–784–4520, $10 general, $7.50 students and seniors. $5 children under age 18, free for members. For complete information, go to movingimage. us.

‘GREEN’ HOUSE GASES The IFC Center hosts a screening of Todd Haynes’s “Safe” (1999) as part of its “Waverly Midnights” series, devoted in part this month to the work of the late film editor James Lyons. Lyons was lauded for his masterful cutting and contributed to five films directed by Mr. Haynes. In “Safe,” a timid California housewife, played by Julianne Moore, enjoys the love of a wealthy husband. She soon suffers a seizure that leaves her increasingly sensitive to everyday chemicals and fumes. When doctors can find no diagnosis for her ailments, she retreats from her once well-ordered life and enters a mysterious retreat for the “environmentally ill.” Friday and Saturday, midnight, IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave. at West 3rd Street, 212-924-7771, $10.75 general, $7 seniors and ICP members.

JACK OF ALL TRADES The Museum of the Moving Image presents “Uneasy Riders: American Film in the Nixon Years, 1970-1974,” a cinematic series that highlights films produced during a period marked by a turbulent presidency and the unrest of the Vietnam War. A screening of Robert Rafelson’s “The King of Marvin Gardens” (1972) is among the selections and is followed by a discussion with its screenwriter, Jacob Brackman. The crime-drama depicts a withdrawn radio disc jockey, played by Jack Nicholson, whose brother, played by Bruce Dern, reels him into a real estate scam that invites the ire of organized crime associates in Atlantic City. An assistant curator at MMI, Livia Bloom, moderates the talk. Saturday, 3 p.m., through Sunday, September 2, dates and times vary, Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, 718-784-0077, $10 general, $7.50 students and seniors, $5 children under 18, free for members. For complete information, go to movingimage. us.

MUSIC

OSAKA’S FINEST As part of its “Music Under the Stars” concert series, Flushing Town Hall presents a Japanese-born jazz pianist, Miho Nobuzane. Ms. Nobuzane performs a range of styles, including Brazilian, jazz, R&B, funk, Latin, classics of the Motown Records catalog. She has toured and performed with such jazz giants as Oscar Peterson and Herbie Hancock. Friday, 8 p.m., Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd. at Linden Place, Flushing, Queens, 718-463-7700, free.

SUMMERSTAGE

THE COLOR OF WATER The City Parks Foundation SummerStage program presents its fourth evening of dance with a performance by the Complexions Contemporary Ballet and the Take Dance Company. The young, multiethnic Complexions dance an adventurous mix of experimental movement and pop culture references. Dancing the athletic choreography of its founder Takehiro Ueyama, the three-year-old Take Dance troupe dances such selections as “One,” a piece inspired by nature, and “Looking for Water,” performed for the first time in New York. Friday, 8 p.m., Central Park SummerStage, Rumsey Playfield, enter on 69th Street at Fifth Avenue on the east side, or 72nd Street at Central Park West on the west side, 212 360-2756, free.

UP WITH PEOPLE The City Parks Foundation presents a concert program of African music that includes performances by a fivemember world music group, Zap Mama, and singer Angelique Kidjo. Zap is led by its founder, Marie Daulne, and performs its signature harmonic and percussive sounds without the use of accompanying instruments. Ms. Kidjo merges the Beninese music she heard as a child with a blend of contemporary genres, from reggae to zouk. She has collaborated with such artists as Alicia Keys and Peter Gabriel. Sunday, 3 p.m., Central Park SummerStage, Rumsey Playfield, enter on 69th Street at Fifth Avenue on the east side, or 72nd Street at Central Park West on the west side, 212 360-2756, 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.