ART

A BETTER PLACE “The New Society for Universal Harmony” is an artistic reconstruction by Lenore Malen of an 18th-century utopian society founded by Franz Anton Mesmer. Mesmer believed that a universal magnetic fluid linked all forces in nature and that an imbalance of the fluid caused illness in human beings — he later utilized proto-hypnotic devices to treat his fellow commune members. Ms. Malen tells her reconstruction story through videos, photographs, and testimonials. Selections from the exhibit include the video “Be Not Afraid” (2007), a scene of which is shown above. Opens tonight through Saturday, October 13, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., CUE Art Foundation, 511 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-206-3583, free.

IDENTITY POLITICS ON PAINT “Midnight’s Daydream,” an exhibit at the Studio Museum in Harlem, explores the “the witching hour.” The show highlights the work of the museum’s 2006–07 artists-in-residence, Titus Kaphar, Wardell Milan II, and Demetrius Oliver. Among the highlights is a diptych titled “Conversation Between Paintings no. 3: Descent” (2007). Mr. Kaphar engages historical issues of race in Europe and the New World by juxtaposing and mashing two works: John Baptiste de Medina’s portrait “James Drummond, 2nd Titular Duke of Perth” (c. 1700) and Anne-Louis Girodet’s “Jean-Baptiste Balley” (1797), a likeness of the Senegalborn representative of Santo Domingo (now Haiti) in the French Parliament. Through Sunday, October 28, Studio Museum in Harlem, Wednesday–Friday and Sunday, noon–6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., 144 W. 125th St., between Lenox and Seventh avenues, 212-864-4500, $7 general, $3 seniors and students, free for members and children under age 12.

BLURRING THE EDGES Founded in 1972, the Pastel Society of America is the nation’s oldest organization devoted to the pastel medium. The Society holds its 35th Annual Exhibition, featuring more than 200 works, with an emphasis on those created by this year’s Society Hall of Fame honoree, Sally Strand. Selections from the exhibit include Ms. Strand’s “Still Life with Tangerines — Ocean View” (2002). Friday through Sunday, September 30, Wednesday–Friday and Monday,10 a.m.–noon and 2–5 p.m., Tuesday, 3–5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park So., between Irving Place and Park Avenue South, 212-475-3424, free.

DANCE

GET UP, GET DOWN The Dancenow | NYC Festival celebrates the vibrant creativity of the town’s dance community, bringing a sampling of dance in all styles and forms to the stage. Three different performance programs — 4OUp, Base Camp, and Upclose — feature over 70 dancers and dance companies. A highlight of the festival is the 10th Anniversary Project, which features dance companies celebrating their 10th birthday, including nicholasleichterdance, Gina Gibney Dance, and Young Dance Makers. The Base Camp program is featured tonight and tomorrow, Upclose is featured on Saturday afternoon, and 4OUp is performed on Saturday night. Tonight and tomorrow, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m., Dance Theater Workshop, 219 W. 19th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, $20 in advance, $25 at the doors for all night performances, $15 in advance, $20 at the doors for Saturday afternoon performance.

FILM

MOVIE MEMORIAL In response to an open call for submissions from the Brooklyn Arts Council, local filmmakers look back to the September 11 terrorist attacks and their aftermath. Highlights include Tyler Cartner’s “Demons,” a child’s interpretation of 9/11; Nina Davenport’s interviews with ordinary Americans during a November 2001 cross-country road trip; and “American Dreams #3,” in which Moira Tierney pieces together footage of World Trade Center survivors making their way home across East River Bridges. Filmmakers are available each evening for questions and discussion. Tomorrow through Monday, 6 p.m.– 10 p.m., Brooklyn Arts Council, 55 Washington St., between Front and Water streets, suite 218, DUMBO, Brooklyn, 718-625-0080, free.

MUSIC

BROOKLYN TWO-STEP New Yorkers get a taste of Southern culture during the fourth annual Brooklyn Country Festival, curated by Alex Battles. The festival features homegrown city bands that have taken up country and bluegrass. Tomorrow, the Y’All Stars and the CasHank Hootenanny Jamboree perform. Among the bands performing on Friday are Sweet William and the Defibulators. On Saturday, Grizzly’s Banjo Assault, Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co., and the Doc Marshalls perform during a daylong, down-home marathon. Tonight, 8 p.m.–midnight, Buttermilk Bar, 577 Fifth Ave. at 16th Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-788-6297, free; Friday, 8 p.m.–1 a.m., Saturday, 4 p.m.–1 a.m., Southpaw, 125 Fifth Ave., between Sterling Place and St. John’s Place, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-230-0236, $10 general on Friday and Saturday.

OH, BOY An Austin, Tex.-based band, Oh No! Oh My! employs a do-it-yourself style with regard to its music and its career. The group is composed of members with a median age of 19. The band self-recorded its latest EP, “Between the Devil and the Sea,” and is currently on tour with Au Revoire Simone. Oh No! Oh My! take over the city twice, in Brooklyn during the afternoon, and Mercury Lounge at night. Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Sound Fix Lounge, 110 Bedford Ave. at N. 11th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 718-388-8090, free; and 9:30 p.m., Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St. at Avenue A, 212-260-4700, $12.

DANCE FEVER “The Beat Goes On” as the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum concludes its summer sessions series with an evening of revelry and eclectic sounds provided by Nicky Siano, a pioneer of the the dance music sound that sampled early funk and soul. Mr. Siano is also the founder of the Gallery, a New York haunt that enjoyed its heyday in the early 1970s. Friday, 6–9 p.m., Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, 2 E. 91st St. at Fifth Avenue, free with museum admission, $12 general, $9 seniors, students, and museum and Smithsonian Institution members, free for children under age 12.

READINGS

LENIN PLAYED TENNIS The Strand Bookstore hosts a reading by the author of “The Last Novel” (Shoemaker & Hoard), David Markson. In his newly published book, Mr. Markson creates a cross between a writer’s guide, bits of trivia, and a collection of satirical maxims about a variety of literary and historical notables. An aged protagonist named Novelist is also introduced, and comments wearily on his depression. Tonight, 7 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, 212-473-1452, free.

A ONE-WOMAN MAN The Caribbean Literary and Cultural Center presents a reading by author Gigi James, who reads from her debut novel, “I Didn’t Sign Up For This!” (First World), about Jillian, a young physician, who comically recalls a happy life with her exhusband, Tony. Jillian’s marriage to the man she believed was the perfect husband falls apart when she discovers Tony’s extramarital affairs with four other women. A question-and-answer session follows. Wine and cheese are served. Saturday, 3 p.m., Caribbean Literary & Cultural Center, second floor, Flatbush Branch Library, 22 Linden Blvd. at Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-287-8597, free.

SHOPPING

ANOTHER WOMAN’S TREASURE At the City Opera Thrift Shop, a Fall Preview gives shoppers a first look at a growing collection of designer garments, accessories, home furnishings, books, art, and more at reducedprices. Thepreviewisheld in conjunction with the start of the New York City Opera’s 2007–08 season and its third annual “Opera-for-All” festival, for which tickets are sold at $25. Among the finds is a Marc Jacobs overnight bag for $495, a Gucci black leather jacket for $475, and a Wedgwood tea set with a Sandringham (pink) pattern for $150. Tonight, 5 p.m.–8 p.m., City Opera Thrift Shop, 222 E. 23rd St., between Second and Third avenues, 212-684-5344, $10 suggested donation.

THEATER

IN THE HEART OF THE SEA Burgess Clark’s “Purple Hearts” revisits the true story of sailors who were trapped on the sunken U.S.S. West Virginia after the attacks on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The sailors survived for three weeks waiting to be rescued. The Invisible City Theatre Company stages the play, which won the “Best of the Fest” award at the Edinburgh International Festival. “Purple Hearts” is directed by David Epstein, and featured actors include Ryan Serhant, Dan Patrick Brady, and Rebecca White. Tonight through Saturday, September 22, Wednesday–Saturday, 8 p.m., Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond St., between Lafayette Street and the Bowery, 212-352-3101, $18.

A RHODES SCHOLAR David Rhodes’s one-man show “Rites of Privacy” allows audiences to follow him as he takes on a series of different characters — including himself. Those figures include a fading Southern pageant queen, a fish-out-of-water Jewish resident in New Hampshire, and a suspicious European socialite. The director of the play is Charles Loffredo. Through Sunday, September 23, Tuesday–Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 7 p.m., Urban Stages, 259 W. 30th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, 212-868-4444, $35.

FAIRY QUEEN The Public Theater presents “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” its ongoing season of Shakespeare’s comedic romp. In the play, four lovers flee Athens for the forest. Once in the woods, the foursome crosses paths with a band of fairies and a group of amateur actors, unaware that their romantic squabble and parental difficulties will soon be overshadowed by magic. Daniel Sullivan directs, and featured actors include Tim Blake Nelson, Chelsea Bacon, Mireille Enos, Keith David, and Martha Plimpton. Through Sunday, September 9, Tuesday–Sunday, 8 p.m., Central Park, Delacorte Theater, entrance at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue or 81st Street and Central Park West, 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.