ART

THE MOMMY DIARIES Among the highlights of the group exhibit “Epilogues,” on view at the Robert Mann Gallery, is Gail Albert Halaban’s “Untitled (Crib)” (2006), from her series “This Stage of Motherhood.” The images depict “infants and mothers — wealthy, ambitious moms — in upscale digs,” William Meyers wrote in the August 9 New York Sun. Through Friday, Monday–Friday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Robert Mann, 210 Eleventh Ave., between 24th and 25th streets, 212-989-7600, free.

BUILDING BLOCKS “David Adjaye: Making Public Buildings” is an exhibit of the Ghanaian architect’s projects, currently on view at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Mr. Adjaye is the architect of the “Idea Store,” an innovative library of sorts of which there are two London locations. Featured commissions include his design for the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art. Through Sunday, October 28, Wednesday–Friday and Sunday, noon–6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., 144 W. 125th St., between Lenox and Seventh avenues, 864-4500, $7 general, $3 seniors and students, free for members and children under age 12.

FAMILY

FOOD FIGHT! The New York Public Library hosts “IronChef: Teen Central,” a cooking competition modeled after the popular Japanese food program of the same name. Adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 with budding talent in the kitchen are invited to showcase their skills in a culinary battle to become the next Mario Batali or Giada De Laurentis. A pizza toss-off, in which participants must demonstrate facility with dough and toppings, is featured as part of the final stage of the tournament. The library provides crust, toppings, and all other ingredients. Today, 2:30p.m., NYPL ,Donnell Library Center, Teen Central at Nathan Straus Young Adult Center, 20 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-621-0618, free.

FILM

ACTION! The Korean Cultural Service NY presents a screening and discussion of Hong Sang-soo’s “Woman on the Beach” (2006). The film follows a film director (Seung-woo kim) who is trying to complete a script. He stumbles into relationships with two women he meets at an off-season resort. His destructive patterns of behavior are laid bare and, in the process, generate material for his new film. Filmmaker Hyun-Ock Im leads the discussion. Thursday, 6:30 p.m., Korean Cultural Service NY, sixth floor, 460 Park Ave. at 57th Street, 212-759-9550, free.

MUSIC

MAN BAND FOR CHAMBERS FANS The Frick presents an evening program of music by Haydn, Ravel, and Dvorák. The Rossetti String Quartet performs Haydn’s string quartet no. 23, Opus 20/5 and Ravel’s quartet in F major. Ensemble members include violinist Timothy Fain and violist Thomas Diener. Tomorrow,6p.m.,theFrickCollection, 1 E. 70th St., between Madison and Fifth avenues, 212-547-0715, $25.

SCANDINAVIAN RICHES The music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, conductor Osmo Vänskä, leads the Mostly Mozart Orchestra and violinist Joshua Bell in performances of Mozart’s Serenade no. 11 in E-flat major. Mr. Vänskä serves as the lead clarinetist for the piece. Other selections include Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no. 1 in D major, and Beethoven’s Symphony no. 1 in C major. Mr. Vänskä began his career as the principle chair of the Turku and the Helsinki Philharmonics. Tonight and tomorrow, 8 p.m., Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Broadway at 65th Street, 212-721-6500, $40–$70.

A THOUSAND NOTES “From Gershwin to Chopin: Karkowska Sisters Duo,” an evening of classical music, is presented by the Yeshiva University Museum. A pair of Juilliard-trained sisters, violinist Anna Karkowska and pianist Kasha Karkowska, perform a program inspired by the ongoing exhibit “And I Still See Their Faces: The Vanished World of Polish Jews.” A reception and viewing of the show precedes the concert at 6 p.m. Tonight, 7 p.m., exhibit runs through Sunday, September 2, Yeshiva University Museum, 15 W. 16th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-294-8330, free.

READINGS

RESTING ON HIS LAUREATE The Academy of American Poets and the Bryant Park Restoration Project host a reading by the winner of the academy’s Wallace Stevens prize and the nation’s newly appointed poet laureate, Charles Simic. The event is featured as part of the “Word for Word Poetry” series at the park. Mr. Simic’s dense poems of displacement, violence, and anxiety have won him national acclaim. He reads from his recent collection “My Noiseless Entourage” (Harcourt). Tonight, 6:30 p.m., through Tuesday, September 11, dates and times vary, Bryant Park, reading room, 42nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, rain venue: Barnes & Noble, 555 Fifth Ave. at 46th Street, free. For complete information, go to bryantpark.org/calendar.

LITERATURE FOR ALL The Bryant Park Summer Reading Series presents its Women’s Fiction Panel, featuring recent stars of the “chick-lit” and “lad-lit” worlds. Authors include Jennifer Belle, Caprice Crane, Megan Crane, and Carrie Karasyov. The panel is hosted and moderated by author Ned Vizzini. Tomorrow, 12:30 p.m., Bryant Park Reading Room, 42nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-697-3048, free.

TALKS

HISTORIC BROOKLYN The Lower East SideTenement Museum hosts its third trivia night with Brooklyn as its theme. The author of “Walking Brooklyn” (Wilderness), Adrienne Onofri, leads the event. Participants are invited to test their knowledge of the historic borough and sometime hipster enclave. Questions range from the Dutch name for Bushwick to the location of the Domino Sugar Building (hint: the response to the latter was featured in an article titled “The Waterfront That Sugar Built” by Francis Morrone in the August 16 New York Sun). Guides from the Levys’ Unique New York tour company are on hand to assist assembled teams and prizes are awarded. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Lolita Bar, 266 Broome St. at Allen Street, 212-982-8420, free with RSVP by phone or email, bookclub@tenement.org.

THEATER

BIG BOX “Walmartopia The Musical!” is a send-up of the growing presence big box stores such as Wal-Mart and Target enjoy in the lives of American consumers. In the play, a Wal-Mart employee and single mother speaks out against her company’s working conditions. Thereafter, she time-travels to 2036, where she finds that the store dominates all aspects of everyday life. The play is directed by Daniel Goldstein, and featured actors include Cheryl Freeman and Nikki James. Tonight, 8 p.m., open run, Tuesday–Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m., Sunday, 3 p.m., Minetta Lane Theater, 18 Minetta Lane, between Sixth Avenue and Macdougal Street, 212-307-4100, $45 and $65.

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.