ART

CRITICAL MOVEMENT “The Abstract Impulse: Fifty Years of Abstraction at the National Academy, 1956–2006,” an exhibit currently on view, is a celebration of the artistic movement. For many years, the institution failed to recognize the vital role of modern abstract art. The exhibit “attempts to redress the oversight, which was not fully acknowledged until 1980,” Lance Esplund, wrote in the August 9 New York Sun. The show includes 47 paintings, prints, and sculptures, including Richard Haas’s “Blue Bursts In” (1966), and Stephen Greene’s “Night” (1982), above. Through Sunday, January 6, 2008, National Academy, 1083 Fifth Ave. at 89th Street, 212-369-4880, free.

HOME SWEET HOME “Spaces to See, Stories to Tell” is the first solo exhibit in America for performance photographer and filmmaker Babette Mangolte. The show focuses on her aesthetic trajectories. Among the highlights are photographs of her loft in TriBeCa, film stills from her experimental shorts, and a view of Canal Street from her montage “Composite Buildings” (1978). Through Sunday, September, 2, Wednesday–Friday, 2–6 p.m., Broadway 1602 Gallery, 1182 Broadway, between 28th and 29th streets, 212-481-0362, free.

NORTHERN LIGHTS “Americans in Paris: Abstract Painting in the Fifties,” currently on view at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, features the work of 11 artists who made postwar pilgrimages to France between 1946 and 1950. Manyof those artists, including abstract expressionist Norman Bluhm, came seeking freedom from the pressures of the New York art scene. Bluhm’s “Northern Light” (1959) is among the highlights. Through Saturday, September 29, Tibor de Nagy Gallery, 724 Fifth Ave., between 56th and 57th streets, 212-262-5050, free.

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.

FILM

TIP OF THE CONTINENT Mark Dornford-May’s “U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha” (2005) is a South African adaptation of George Bizet’s “Carmen.” The film is in Xhosa, one of the region’s 11 official languages. DJ Stone and Toby Tobias also perform contemporary South African music. Tonight, 7 p.m., Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd. at Broadway, Long Island City, Queens, 718-956-1819, free.

A LIFE ON FILM Scotsman Bill Douglas made only four feature films, before he died of cancer at age 54 in 1991. The plots for his films mainly feature stories culled from his childhood. Anthology Film Archives mounts a retrospective of Douglas’s films, including the trilogy of films comprised of, “My Childhood” (1972), about his life (told through the 8-year-old character, Jamie) growing up in the mining town of Newcraighall; “My Ain Folk” (1973), about Jamie’s adolescence, and “My Way Home” (1978), about the adulthood of Jamie, who moves in with his grandmother and is eventually conscripted into the Royal Air Force. “My Childhood” and “My Ain Folk” screen tonight. Tonight and tomorrow, 7 p.m., through Sunday, screening times vary, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave. at 2nd Street, 212-505-5181, $8 general, $6 students and seniors, $5 members.

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

MUSIC

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 principal chair of the Turku and the Helsinki Philharmonics. Tonight, 8 p.m., Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Broadway at 65th Street, 212-721-6500, $40–$70.

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. Tonight, 6 p.m., the Frick Collection, 1 E. 70th St., between Madison and Fifth avenues, 212-547-0715, $25.

READINGS

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. Today, 12:30 p.m., Bryant Park Reading Room, 42nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-697-3048, free.

SPORTS

OPEN PREVIEW The Forest Hills Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Classic, a competitive warm-up, kicks off before the start of the U.S. Open. Sixteen WTA members participate in the five-day series, which also features family-friendly events, an outdoor lunch tomorrow, and a vodka and champagne tasting on the day of the final round. Tennis workshops are also offered throughout the week. Through Saturday, Wednesday–Thursday, 10 a.m., Friday, 1 p.m., Saturday, Champagne tasting, 11 p.m., final round, 2 p.m., West Side Tennis Club, 1 Tennis Place at Burns Street, Forest Hills, Queens, 718-268-2300, free for all rounds except final round, $10 for final round.

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.