ART
I CELEBRATE MYSELF “Song of Myself,” an exhibit of work by nine artists, is inspired by Walt Whitman’s long-form poem of the same name. The poem first appeared untitled in Whitman’s 1855 collection, “Leaves of Grass.” The featured artists have selected portions of their work that reflect visual responses to the poem’s ideas about the connections between life and death, and war and peace. Artists include photographers Charles Harbutt, a professor at Parsons The New School of Design; the chief photographer and editor for UNICEF, Joan Liftin, and Sylvia Plachy, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker and the Village Voice, among other publications. Adriana Teresa Hernandez is curator of the show. Friday through Sunday, January 6, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m., PowerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., between Plymouth and Water streets, DUMBO, Brooklyn, 866-992-7362, free.

DESIGN
MAKING AN ENTRANCE The New York School of Interior Design presents the opening of “Making an Entrance: Design Philosophy and the Entry in Western Architecture.” The exhibit explores the history and evolution of the entryway. Particular attention is paid to the classical tradition and the ways in which the modern movement gave way to building entrances to embody both a literal structure and a metaphorical divide between the outside world and the interior of an architectural composition. The director of the school’s library, Eric Wolf, is curator of the show.
Through Friday, December 21, New York School of Interior Design, 170 E. 70th St., between Lexington and Third avenues, Monday-Saturday, 10a.m.-5 p.m., 212-472-1500, free.

FAMILY
PIPPI ON HOLIDAY The City Parks Foundation presents “Pippi,” a musical retelling of the beloved “Pippi Longstocking” children’s tales written by Astrid Lindgren. The adventurous, fictional Pippi is easily recognizable by her red locks, coiffed into two gravitydefying braids. The stories were adapted for the stage by playwright Zakiyyah Alexander, and commemorate the centennial of the birth of the author. The production features nearly two dozen handmade marionettes crafted by puppeteers at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater, under the leadership of master builder Addis Williams.
Today through Friday, 10:30 a.m. and noon, Saturday and Sunday, 1 pm., Central Park, Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater, 79th Street at West Drive, just south of the Delacorte Theater, 212-988-9093, reservations required, $6 general, $5 children.

MIND, BODY, AND COLD A beauty and food shop dedicated to holistic living, Organic Avenue, hosts a lecture led by health practitioner Sally Kravich, “Immunity: Staying Well Through Holiday and Winter Months.” The event is featured as part of the store’s “L.O.V.E.” lecture series, which is aimed at educating the local and global community about organic lifestyle changes, including consuming raw foods, and the benefits of alternative medicine (the series’s acronym stands for “Live, Organic, Vegan Experience”). Ms. Kravich offers advice on wellness and boosting the immune system as chilly New York weather sets in. Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m., Organic Avenue, 101 Stanton St., between Ludlow and Orchard streets, 212-334-4593, free.
ON WATER LILIES The Academy Museum presents “Reflections of Monet: Inspiration to Modern and Contemporary Artists.” An art historian and curator, Barbara Stern Shapiro, gives a lecture about the enduring influence of the French Impressionist painter, Claude Monet, on the work and lives of ModernandContemporaryartists — among them Jackson Pollack, Jules Olitski, Helen Frankenthaler, and Ellsworth Kelly. Tonight, 6:30 p.m., the National Academy Museum, 1083 Fifth Ave. at 89th Street, reservations required, 212-369-4880, $5 general, free for students, friends of the Academy, and National Academicians.

THE WOODEN BOWL The Tenri Chamber players of the Tenri Cultural Institute perform chamber music from Europe and Japan during the inaugural performance of the 2007–08 season. Featured guests include flautist James Nyoraku Schiefer, who plays a program of Japanese musical selections originally played by wandering Zen priests, called honkyoku. Mr. Schiefer uses a traditional Japanese bamboo flute known as the shakuhachi. The concert also features video-projected images from Kyoto’s famous Zen temples and gardens. The institute is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the study of the Japanese language and culture. Friday, 8 p.m., Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A W. 13th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-645-2800, $20–$25 general, $12–$15 for students and seniors.

WORK AND PROGRESS A collaborative work by production designer Robert Wilson and composer Jo Kondo is presented as part of the Works and Process series at the Guggenheim Museum. Mr. Wilson mounts scenery and creates costumes for a production set to five newly composed songs written by Mr. Kondo. Mr. Wilson is widely credited with transforming the look of theatrical and operatic stages with his eye for movement and signature use of light. Mr. Kondo’s work is often structured mathematically, using minimal principles of composition. Composer Charles Wuorinen is moderator of a discussion between Messrs. Wilson and Kondo that follows the event. Sunday and Monday, November 19, 7:30 p.m., Guggenheim Museum, Peter B. Lewis Theater, 1071 Fifth Ave. at 89th Street, 212-423-3500, $25 general, $20 members, $10 students.

AMERICAN DREAMS Hip-hop artist turned record label president Jay-Z performs selections from his latest release, “American Gangster,” a companion soundtrack inspired by the Ridley Scott film of the same name. The album signals a return — at least sonically — to Jay-Z’s gritty beginnings in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects and a departure from the slick finish of his 2006 comeback album, “Kingdom Come.” The concert is co-presented by a local radio station, Power 105. Tonight, 9 p.m., Apollo Theater, 253 W. 125th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, 212-531-5300, $78–$128.