ART

DISAPPEARING ACTS The Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History presents “From Darkness to Light: the Paintings of Laura Murlender, A ‘Disappeared’ Who Survived.” Ms. Murlender is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who was abducted at the age of 19 by government forces and placed in solitary confinement for 11 days. After her release, she fled to Israel, where she studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. There, Ms. Murlender began exploring her personal history through her art. On display are paintings in black, white, red, and blue, based on photographs that Ms. Murlender took at archaeological sites in Israel. The exhibition is sponsored in part by the Friends of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Through Sunday, November 4, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-294-8330, $8 general, $6 seniors and students, free for members and children under 5.

CRAFTS

ANIMAL HOUSE The ghostly spirit of Halloween looms this weekend: On Friday, the holiday “Dia de los Muertos,” or the Day of the Dead, meant to honor one’s ancestors, is celebrated in Mexico and elsewhere. The Secret Science Club, which gathers for a monthly meeting in Park Slope’s Union Hall, fêtes the holiday with a taxidermy contest. Contestants are encouraged to bring favorite stuffed animals — that is, real animals that have been stuffed. Also encouraged are bones and skeletons, and jarred and preserved insects or animals. Wet specimens should be brought in tightly closed jars. Prizes are awarded for the most interesting biological oddity and best-stuffed creature. A panel of judges includes the mammal curator of the American Museum of Natural History, Darrin Lunde; a co-curator of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists, Robert Marbury, and a co-curator of the Secret Science Club, Dorian Devins. Friday, 7:30 p.m., Union Hall, 702 Union St. at Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 718-638-4400, free.

FILM

THE CROATIAN BACHELOR “Beyond Boundaries: The Emergence of Croatian Cinema” features 11 contemporary films, a program of animated shorts, and a program of movies from the golden age of Yugoslav cinema. The series, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, celebrates a period of politically nonconformist filmmaking in the 1960s and ’70s. Among the highlights is Zvonimir Berkovic’s “Rondo” (1966), which screens on Saturday. The psychological drama follows a husband and wife and their bachelor friend, with whom they become ensnared in a romantic trap. Each Sunday, the threesome gathers to play chess, but the game soon gives way to sexual tension between the unhappy wife and the handsome bachelor. Other selections include Dalibor Matanic’s “Fine Dead Girls” (2002), about an ill-fated young couple living in a former working-class area of Zagreb, Croatia. The pair draws unwanted attention from the son of their landlady. Saturday, 8:15 p.m., through Wednesday, November 14, dates and times vary, Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-496-3809, $11 general, $7 members, students, and seniors, $40 series pass (admits to five titles), $30 for Film Society members.

PAINTING

OUTSIDE VIEW The title of John Mullen’s latest exhibit, “Field Guide,” seems to indicate that the scenes he depicts are from nature, and they are. But these natural landscapes are painted from an abstract, disjointed perspective, shot through with bright strips of light and thick swatches of color. Selections include “Field Guide (Clearing)” (2007), above. Through Saturday, 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Howard Scott Gallery, 529 W. 20th St., between Tenth Avenue and the West Side Highway, 646-486-7004, free.

READINGS

BROOKLYN SCRIBE Author Jonathan Lethem has made the people, places, and changing neighborhoods of Brooklyn the subject of two of his novels, “Motherless Brooklyn” (Faber and Faber) and “Fortress of Solitude” (Faber and Faber). But his most recent book, “You Don’t Love Me Yet” (Doubleday), is set in Los Angeles. The new novel recounts the “almost famous” experience of a California alternative rock band of Gen-X-ers. Its success depends on its bass guitarist, Lucinda Hoekke, an unwitting femme fatale. Mr. Lethem discusses his life and work during a wide-ranging interview. Saturday, 4 p.m., Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, $10 general, $12 seniors and students, 718-230-2100, free.

SPORTS

RUN, NEW YORK, RUN This weekend is an exhilarating one for running enthusiasts. Before the 31st annual ING New York City Marathon gets on its mark on Sunday (ending at Central Park West and Columbus Circle), the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the men’s marathon category is held around Central Park on Saturday (ending at Tavern on the Green, 67th Street and Central Park West). Nearly 15,000 marathon runners fuel up at the Barilla Marathon Eve Dinner, also at Tavern on the Green, where 7,000 pounds of pasta and 38 buffets are set up for runners and for the general public (Saturday, 4:30–9 p.m., Tavern on the Green, 67th Street and Central Park West, 212-873-3200, $20 general, free for marathon participants). And the ING New York City Marathon Expo offers a chance to browse and purchase new running gear and souvenirs, and for marathon runners to receive medical advice, identification tags, numbers, and secure transportation to Sunday’s marathon starting points (Friday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Jacob Javits Convention Center, 655 W. 34th St. at Twelfth Avenue, 212-216-2000, free). For complete information, visit nycmarathon.org.

TALKS

REALIST STROKES The School of Visual Arts hosts the “Artists Talk on Art” discussion series, featuring a panel of artists who examine timely issues concerning the contemporary art scene. The latest talk, “Realist Painting Now: Why and for Whom,” focuses on the growing visibility of realist painting on the current art market, and how painters can benefit from and are challenged by this trend. Participants include gallery artists Burton Silverman, Nicholas Evans-Cato, and Patricia Watwood, and a dealer and gallery owner, George Billis. The moderator of the discussion is an editor of Fine Art Connoisseur, Peter Trippi. Friday, 7 p.m., SVA, Amphitheater, 209 E. 23rd St. at Third Avenue, 3rd floor, 212-592-2000, free.

A WOMAN’S WORTH The Center for Jewish History hosts a painter and printmaker, Miriam Stern, who gives a talk about her gallery art installation “Ezrat Nashim.” The site-specific work tackles women’s issues such as they relate to Jewish tradition and religious texts. The title of her artwork refers to the women’s area in an Orthodox synagogue. Sunday, November 11, 3 p.m., Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-294-8330, free for members and children under 5, or with museum admission, $8 general, $6 seniors, students, and children age 5 to 16.

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