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 gravity-defying 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, 10:30 a.m. and noon, open run, Tuesday–Friday, 10:30 a.m. and noon, Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m., 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.

ARCHITECTURE

SEE JANE BUILD The Art Society and the Rockefeller Foundation present “Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York,” an exhibit that reevaluates the legacy and values of the New York activist through images, text, and multimedia. Jacobs became well known for articulating the magic of large cities and how ill-conceived redevelopment plans can bring about their destruction. The show aims to encourage New Yorkers to observe the city closely and to provide them with a combination of tools and resources that will allow them to take an active role in advocating for a more livable city, the goal of Jacobs. Through Saturday, January 5, Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sundays, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Municipal Arts Society, Urban Center galleries, 457 Madison Ave. at East 51st Street, 212-935-3960.

PAINTINGS

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH The art on view in “Granite Pier,” an exhibit of works by Bernard Chaet, is divided between two types of painting: landscapes and still lifes. Mr. Chaet’s scenic topography depicts rocky cliffs, alight in fiery yellows and oranges, or painted in more muted, “granite” tones, such as grays, whites, and steely blues. Elsewhere in the show, are flowers in bloom. “Though more modest in size,” critic John Goodrich wrote of the artist’s still lifes in the November 8 New York Sun, “they catch with sober intensity the impression of radiant blossoms, fallen petals, and stems refracted in glass vases.” Selections from the exhibit include “Granite” (2006), above. Through Wednesday, November 21, Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., David Findlay Jr. Fine Art, 41 E. 57th St. at Madison Avenue, 212-486-7660, 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 Modernist 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.

FOOD & DRINK

HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS Quick and tasty recipes are at the heart of Food Network personality Nigella Lawson’s new cookbook “Nigella Express: 103 Recipes for Good Food, Fast” (Hyperion). The British cook signs copies of her book at Whole Foods Market on the Lower East Side. Ms. Lawson’s claim to fame is her fun, easy, even sensual approach, according to both her critics and her admirers, to toiling in the kitchen. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Whole Foods (the Bowery), 95 E. Houston St. at Chrystie Street, free.

LECTURES

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. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Organic Avenue, 101 Stanton St., between Ludlow and Orchard streets, 212-334-4593, free.

MUSIC

CALIFORNIA BOYS A band of Los Angeles natives, the pop-rock group Rooney, teams up with a choral rock group from Dallas, the Polyphonic Spree, and a four-piece band, the Redwalls, in support of recently released albums. Rooney gained national attention with a cameo appearance on the primetime soap, “The O.C.” The well-coiffed Rooney performs selections from its sophomore album, “Calling the World,” a throwback mix of feel-good ’80s pop with strains of ’70s British rock. Band members include Taylor Locke and Robert Schwartzman, whose brother, actor Jason Schwartzman, is a founding member of Rooney. Friday, 6:30 p.m., Terminal 5, 610 W. 56th St., between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues, 212-260-4700, $19.99–$25.

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 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.

PHOTOGRAPHY

BLENDING IN Canadian photographer Lynne Cohen’s exhibit “Camouflage” is composed of works made over the past three decades, none of which have ever before been presented in America. The photographs, all black-and-white, are of various interior spaces, arranged and designed with order in mind. What they lack is the presence of those who might have arranged the spaces themselves.
Through Saturday, December 22, Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Hasted Hunt Gallery, 529 W. 20th St., between Tenth Avenue and the West Side Highway, 212-627-0006, free.

POETRY

A SINGLE STRAND A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Mark Strand, is featured as part of the Cornelia Street Café’s weekly poetry reading, Son of a Pony. Mr. Strand is the author of “Man and Camel” (Knopf ) and “Blizzard of One” (Knopf ). The event is hosted by poet Kathi Georges, and precedes a poetry reading open to all. Friday, 6 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St., between Bleecker and West 4th streets, 212-989-9319, $7.

READINGS

THE HOLY RAIL A pair of contributing writers to the Brooklyn Rail, Terese Svoboda and Dawn Raffel, read excerpts from their recent work. Ms. Svoboda is the author of several books, including “Trailer Girl and Other Stories” (Counterpoint) and the forthcoming “Black Glasses Like Clark Kent” (Graywolf ). Ms. Raffel has written a novel and a short story collection, “In the Year of Long Division” (Knopf ). The Brooklyn Rail journal features critical perspectives on the arts, politics, and culture. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Brooklyn Public Library, Central Branch, Dweck Center, Grand Army Plaza at Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-230-2100, 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.