ART

ABSTRACTION IN THE AMERICAS “The Geometry of Hope: Latin American Abstract Art from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection,” takes an in-depth look at Latin American abstraction from the 1930s to the ’70s. The exhibit features 115 works by 30 artists, and focuses on key cities in the development of abstraction, from Montevideo in the 1930s, to Caracas in the ’60s and ’70s. Artists include Joaquín Torres-García, Tomás Maldonado, Lygia Clark and Jesús Rafael Soto. Tonight through Saturday, December 7, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Wednesday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., New York University, Grey Art Gallery, 100 Washington Square. East at Washington Place, 212-998-6780, $3 general, free for NYU students, faculty, and staff.

PARTY ANIMALS “American Summer,” a solo exhibit of work by photographer Jessica Craig-Martin, is on view at the Greenberg Van Doren Gallery. The show features 16 glossy color photographs taken at private parties, galas, and benefits. Ms. Craig-Martin has long enjoyed access to the goings-on of well-heeled society. In her new works, she focuses on the Hamptons, where she documented events such as the Parrish Art Museum annual gala. Through cropping and oblique angles, the artist presents a subversive take on the society pages and the public fascination with them. Through Saturday, October 6, Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, 730 Fifth Ave. at 57th Street, 212-445-0444, free.

A PATCHWORK LIFE “Ita B’Ita: Ita Aber in Her Time,” a retrospective of the work of the artist, is presented at the Yeshiva University Museum. The exhibit represents Ms. Aber’s creative output in the last 60 years, during which time she has worked in fiber, painting, sculpture, and embroidery, among other media. Ancient Jewish art and a contemporary feminist perspective inspire many of the works. Through Sunday, October 14,Tuesday–Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Yeshiva University Museum, 15 W. 16th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-294-8330, free.

DESIGN

WITHIN REACH “Design for the Other 90%” is on view at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. The exhibit focuses the work of designers who have created affordable and socially responsible objects for the vast majority of the world’s population — a group typically underserved by professional designers. Cynthia Smith is curator of the exhibit. The show is divided into sections including water, shelter, and sanitation. Through Sunday, September 23, Monday–Thursday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday, noon–6 p.m., Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, 2 E. 91st St. at Fifth Avenue, 212-849-8400, $12 general, $9 seniors and students, free for Cooper-Hewitt and Smithsonian Institution members, and children under 12.

TWILIGHT ZONE German artist Friedrich Kunath’s “Twilight,” a collection of sculpture, painting, and photography, is presented at Andrea Rosen Gallery. Transforming the exhibition space into a hallway furnished with a grand piano, coffin, and bathtub, Mr. Kunath explores the limits of what is possible with renderings of a deep-fried snowman and a jacket hanging on a piece of paper. Friday through Saturday, October 13, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Andrea Rosen Gallery, 525 W. 24th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-627-6000, free.

CITY IN BLACK AND WHITE Photographer Andreas Feininger is best known for his stunning, black-and-white New York cityscapes. With “Andreas Feininger: Stockholm 1933–1939,” Scandinavia House showcases the Life magazine photographer’s early work. Trained at the Bauhaus school in Germany, Feininger relocated to Stockholm when the Nazi regime came to power. There, he focused on urban street scenes and harbor panoramas, often using a camera of his own design, and honed the technical skill that would later capture the attention of American audiences. Saturday through Wednesday, November 7, Tuesday through Saturday, noon-6 p.m., Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America, 58 Park Ave., between 37th and 38th streets, 212-879-9779, $3 general, $2 students and seniors.

FOOD & DRINK

CORK WONDER Wild Oak Wines is a new line of limited production, Sonoma County wines from the St. Francis Winery. The New York Wine Guild celebrates the line with a tasting, beginning with a Taittinger Champagne reception with hors d’oeuvres, followed by a tasting of six wines, including the latest release of Pagani Zinfandel. The chief executive officer of St. Francis, Christopher Silva, leads the tasting. Tonight, 6:30 p.m., New York Wine Guild, 269 Eleventh Ave., between 27th and 28th streets, 212-594-9597, $40.

PAINTINGS

FACIAL RECOGNITION Natalie Frank’s paintings often defy categorization. Many of her characters are of an undistinguished gender, and some are wildly theatrical. In one work, “The Stammerer” (2007), an unclothed woman lies on a couch, mouth agape, as two people carry on a casual conversation behind her. The artist’s latest works are showcased in the exhibit “Where She Stops” at Mitchell-Innes & Nash. Selections include “Robert”(2007),above, and”Portrait” (2007), right. Through Saturday, October 13, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Mitchell-Innes & Nash, 534 W. 26th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-744-7400, free.

TALKS

WORDS ABOUT WORDS The future of book reviewing is a pervasive topic in many of the nation’s literary circles. This past year’s Book-Expo was host to three different panels concerning the issue. Housing Works Bookstore Café and the National Book Critics Circle present three more panel discussions with the fate of the book review as their focus. “Literary Magazines Go Electronic,” tomorrow night, asks whether libraries will continue to stock print criticism journals. Participants include a writer for the New Yorker magazine, D.T. Max, and the editor of A Public Space, Brigid Hughes. On Friday afternoon, “Grub Street 2.0” takes on the future of newspaper book coverage. Panelists include a senior editor for Harper’s magazine, Jennifer Szalai. Other panelists include publisher Nan A. Talese, and the editor in chief of Bookforum, Eric Banks. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Friday, 4:30 and 5:45 p.m., Housing Works Used Book Café, 126 Crosby St., between Houston and Prince streets, 212-334-3324, free, donations of books are welcome.

THEATER

BECOMING 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.

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.