ART

WE ALL SCREAM The Barometer Gallery features “deathless bric-a-brac” as it refers to collections of vintage dishware, furniture, and knicknacks, curated by Anna Studebaker, as well as handcrafted jewelry by Jenna Wainwright. For the showroom’s latest exhibit, the “Ice Cream Show,” the works of selected artists have the frosty food as their focus. Highlights include a chandelier of ice cream cones by Max Kuller, and drawings and paintings by P.J. Campbell. Through Saturday, November 17, Saturday and Sunday, noon–7 p.m., and by appointment, Barometer Gallery, 89 Walker St., between Lafayette Street and Cortlandt Alley, 917-796-7367, free.

THE WORLD OUTSIDE An artist of Cuban-Dominican heritage, Quisqueya Henriquez, is given her first major survey, at the Bronx Museum, with a selection of sculptures, installations, drawings, photographs, videos, and light/sound works created between 1991 and 2007. Through Sunday, January 27, Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, 718-681-6000, $5 general, $3 students and seniors.

DRESS TO IMPRESS The Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation and the Nathan Cummings Foundation have partnered to present “Well Dressed,” a group exhibit documenting the cultural and physical impact that clothing has on society. Garments, as well as drawings and paintings comprise the exhibit. Selections include Mark Newport’s “Me and the Boys” (2005). Exhibit through Friday, December 14, Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Nathan Cummings Foundation, 475 Tenth Ave., between 36th and 37th streets, 212-787-7300, free.

WHEN ART STINGS LIKE A BEE The 33 Bond Gallery presents “A Muzzle of Bees,” an autumnal group showcase for 14 artists. The exhibitincludeslarge, cartoon-like billboards, chandeliers made from test tubes, and a sculpture crafted of almonds. Artists include Karla Wozniak and Nathan Redwood. Through Saturday, October 13, Wednesday–Friday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday, noon–6 p.m., 33 Bond Gallery, 33 Bond St., between Lafayette Street and the Bowery, 212-845-9257, free.

LETTERS TO A YOUNG ARTIST An exhibit of correspondence between an artist and his young colleague, “Painted With Words: Vincent van Gogh’s Letters to Émile Bernard,” has its opening at the Morgan Library & Museum. The show collects 20 letters and sketches written between 1887 and 1889, and offers a rare look at the life and creative process of a master of modern art. The letters chronicle van Gogh’s struggles, as he reached his artistic maturity in isolation in Arles and St. Rémy. Friday, runs through Sunday, January 6, Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Ave. at 36th Street, Tuesday–Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday, 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., 212-685-0008, $12 general, $8 students, seniors, and children. For complete information, go to themorgan.org.

DANCE

THE GOOD EARTH Choreographer Tere O’Connor and her troupe dance her newest work “Rammed Earth,” a tribute to the bold new structures being erected in the world’s major cities. The work explores concepts of adaptability in contemporary architecture, and brings into focus the architectural references in dance. Audience members are incorporated into the production as they are moved into different viewing positions throughout the performance. Dancers include Heather Olson, Matthew Rogers, Hilary Clark, and Christopher Williams. Wednesday–Saturday, 7 and 9 p.m., Sunday, 5 and 7 p.m., the Chocolate Factory, 5-49 49th Ave., between Vernon Boulevard and 5th Street, Long Island City, Queens, 718-482-7069, $15 general, $10 members.

SHALL WE DANCE? A New York-based choreographer, Ko t a Yamazaki, performs as part of “Invitation To Dance by Cécile Pitois,” a program presented by the French Institute Alliance Française. A visual artist, Ms. Pitois, has also mounted an installation at FIAF titled”Inhale–Exhale From A to C,” dedicated to the city of New York. She invites viewers to walk, sit, and meditate, or merely be on the artwork. Mr. Yamazaki, who has lived everywhere from France to Japan and Senegal, creates a site-specific dance. Tonight, 7 p.m., French Institute Alliance Française, 22 E. 60th St. at Madison Avenue, 646-388-6682, free with reservations.

FAMILY

WINDY CITY The Metropolitan Playhouse stages “Tales from the Wind and the Sun,” a play that recounts the journey of a lonely traveling puppet dragon who unwittingly becomes entangled in a contest of strength between the wind and the sun. The tale features traditional narratives from Native Americas, African, European, and South American cultures. Featured performers include live actors, some in the guise of colorful handmade puppets. The theatrical work is developed by Diego Carvajal and Jon Levin, and composer Jonah Bloch-Johnston provides original music. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m., Metropolitan Playhouse, 220 E. 4th St., between avenues A and B, 212-995-5302, $10 adults, $8 children.

FESTIVALS

BROOKLYN’S NEXT WAVE The Brooklyn Museum of Art partners with the Brooklyn Academy of Music as the performing arts venue celebrates its 25th annual “Next Wave Festival.” An evening of live music, dance performances, and spoken word is on tap, culminating in a dance party inspired by the ongoing exhibit “Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art.” Highlights include a professor and writer, Elizabeth Nunez, who reads from her recent novel, “Prospero’s Daughter” (Ballantine), a retelling of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” set in the Caribbean, on Saturday at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m., a featured artist in the “Infinite Island” show, Trinidad-born Nicole Awai, discusses her work. Featured Next Wave violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain also performs. “One Love” (2003), directed by Rick Elgood and Don Letts, screens at 8:30 p.m. The film, which features reggae singer and Bob Marley scion Ky-Mani Marley, follows star-crossed, young Jamaican lovers from different worlds brought together by music. DJ Rich Medina spins a blend of chart-topping hip-hop and Caribbean rhythms during a bash, beginning at11p.m. Saturday, eventsbeginat5 p.m., Brooklyn Museum of Art, 200 Eastern Pkwy., between Washington Avenue and Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000, free.

FILM

OFF-TRACK FILMMAKING The French Institute Alliance Française and Paris’s Centre Pompidou present “The Best of Hors Pistes,” a highlight reel from the second edition of the unconventional film series. The Parisian center’s “low wave” film festival features works that push boundaries with innovative styles and blur the lines between cinema and fine art. This screening, curated by Geraldine Gomez, gathers some of the most interesting outsider films and videos. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., French Institute Alliance Française, 22 E. 60th St. at Madison Avenue, 646-388-6682, $10 general, $7 students, free for members.

MULTIMEDIA

CHASING WATERFALLS Sadie Benning’s “Form of a Waterfall,” an exhibit of drawings, video, and cassette-recorded music, is on view at the Orchard 47 gallery. Ms. Benning, a co-founder of the electro-pop band LeTigre, weaves the same feminist “riot grrl” commentary into her art that marked the band’s music. The show features abstract drawings that evoke quasi-erotic mandalas and diary collages of music and self-portraiture. They are accompanied by an interactive selection of Ms. Benning’s audio-cassette compositions. Through Sunday, October 7, Thursday–Sunday, 1–6 p.m., Orchard, 47 Orchard St., between Stanton and Rivington streets, 212-219-1061, free.

READINGS

LET’S PLAY HARDBALL The exuberant host of the MSNBC network’s politically themed “Hardball,” Chris Matthews, reads from his new book, “Life’s a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success” (Random House). In it, Mr. Matthews charts his experiences with the broadcast’s most notable talking heads and pundits. He also exposes how the country’s influential elected officials, from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush, manage to ascend great political heights, including the tried-and-true tactics and tricks.Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Center, 1972 Broadway, between West 66th and 67th streets, 212-595-6859, free.

SECRET AGENT MAN A Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper correspondent, Tom Weiner, reads from and discusses his newly published “Legacy of Ashes: A History of the CIA” (Doubleday). Mr. Weiner conducted hundreds of interviews with veterans of the Central Intelligence Agency, and pored through archived documents to uncover the inner workings of the secretive government agency. In his absorbing study, Mr. Weiner concludes the CIA is a bulwark for American liberty, but one that has suffered from flawed leadership. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway, between 12th and 13th streets, 212-473-1452, free.

THEATER

FAMILY TIES Lucy Thurber’s “Scarcity” depicts the plight of two siblings as they struggle to escape hardscrabble lives in rural Massachusetts. When 16-year-old Billy is offered the chance to change schools and move out of town, his life at home begins to unravel. There is a “shambolic yet oddly affectionate family at the center of ‘Scarcity,’Thurber’s engrossing look at ambition and ambivalence on the wrong side of the tracks,” critic Eric Grode wrote in the September 21 New York Sun. The play is directed by Jackson Gay, and featured actors include Michael Weiss, Kristen Johnston, and Jesse Eisenberg. Tomorrow, 8 p.m., through Sunday, October 14, Tuesday–Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m., Sunday, 3 p.m., Atlantic Theater Company, 336 W. 20th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-279-4200, $55.

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.