ART

THE FRESH PRINCE The Guggenheim Museum presents “Richard Prince: Spiritual America,” a retrospective of the artist’s photographs, paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from the past 30 years. The comic (often lurid) works are, by design, nostalgic odes to Americana. Mr. Prince uses publicity stills of beloved movie stars, clippings from popular cartoon strips, and a grainy image of a strapping cowboy to reflect on American identity. By rephotographing an advertising image of the now iconic “Marlboro Man,” he helped to usher in a more critical approach to art-making — one that questioned art’s privileged status. Through Wednesday, January 9, Saturday–Wednesday, 10 a.m.–5:45 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–7:45 p.m., Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave., between 88th and 89th streets, 212-423-3500, $18 general, $15 students and seniors, free for children under 12.

TALES OF YORE Recently extended through the fall, “Mother Goose in an Air-Ship” at the Brooklyn Historical Society features an extensive collection of 19th-century children’s books and games. Many of the selections included were created in the now-shuttered McLoughlin Bros. Factory, long housed in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Early adaptations of children’s classics, as well as instructive — and now, charmingly antiquated — morality tales, including the “Little Slovenly Peter” series, are on view. Many of the pieces in the show were donated to the Brooklyn Historical Society by Ellen Liman, who with her late husband, Arthur, amassed a large body of children’s literature from the 1800s. Ongoing, Wednesday–Sunday, noon–5 p.m., Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St. at Clinton Street, $6 general, $4 seniors and students, free for children under 12.

FAILURE TO CLOSE The Chelsea Art Museum drew from the Morton G. Neumann Family Collection to create the exhibit “The Incomplete.” The featured works depict each artist’s take on closure — or a lack thereof. The works span from the mid-1980s to today, and include Jeff Koons and Wendell Gladstone. Through Saturday, January 12, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, noon–6 p.m., Thursday, noon–8 p.m., Chelsea Art Museum, 556 W. 22nd St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-255-0719, free.

FROM HAND TO STONE “Beginnings: Sculptors as Draftsmen” features preparatory drawings by four sculptors — Shida Kuo, Louise Hindsgavl, Sun Koo Yuh, and Vesa-Pekka Rannikko. These drafts represent the groundwork for sculptures eventually created by the artists. Some of the drawings, such as those of Mr. Rannikko, depict vibrant mini-scenes unfolding around his sculpted characters, while those of Mr. Kuo are illustrated with an animated hand. Through Saturday, January 12, Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Nancy Margolis Gallery, 523 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-242-3013, free.

AN ANIMATED LIFE The Jewish Museum presents “From The New Yorker to Shrek: The Art of William Steig.” Steig worked for 73 years at the New Yorker, where his art appeared on more than 120 covers and more than 1,600 of his drawings were published. He is credited with transforming the way cartoons were created at the weekly magazine. Steig also wrote and illustrated children’s books: His picture book “Shrek!” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) inspired the “Shrek” series of films by DreamWorks. This is the first major exhibition of the artist’s work. The show features nearly 200 original drawings, several of the artist’s notebooks, sketchbooks, and letters, as well as preparatory mock-ups for his books for young readers. Through March 16, Saturday–Wednesday, 11 a.m.–5:45 p.m., Thursday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., the Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-423-3200, $12 adults, $10 seniors, $7.50 students, free for members and children under 12.

DESIGN

DESIGN OF A CENTURY “Piranesi as Designer,” an exhibit that examines the artist’s role in the reform of architecture, is on view at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. An 18th-century Italian architect and designer, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, created elaborate interiors and exquisite furnishings that continue to have an impact on how artists work within the two mediums. The show includes etchings, original drawings, and prints by Piranesi, as well as a selection of three-dimensional objects by the artist and his successors. Through Sunday, January 20, 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, 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.

BEST OF THE CLASS The New York School of Interior Design presents its annual B.F.A. Thesis Exhibition, featuring the work of 17 candidates for the degree from the school’s graduating class. Artists include Violeta Lekutanoy, whose design for a memorial to the victims of war in Sarajevo during the 1990s provides perspective on what everyday life was like for that city’s inhabitants. Highlights from the exhibit include views of the lobby and ceiling of Stefan Steil’s “Sander Haus,” a redesign of SoHo’s Cable Building into a spa and luxury apartment building owned by fashion designer Jil Sander. Through Friday, February 15, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., New York School of Interior Design, 170 E. 70th St., between Third and Lexington avenues, 212-472-5100, free.

FAMILY

THE SWEET LIFE OF ZACK “A Kid’s Life,” a musical, follows the adventures of a 5-year-old boy, Zack, his golden retriever, Starsky, and a shy new girl in town, Zoe. The trio wanders around their neighborhood, while learning lessons about the passing of time, the ability of animals to have feelings, and the beauty of nature — from a talking clock, a spotted owl, and an orange tree. Theatergoers are invited to meet and greet all of the characters and pose for pictures with them after the show. The musical is recommended for children between the ages of 2 and 12. Saturday, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Sunday, 12:30 p.m., Wednesday–Thursday, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., through January 12, dates and times vary, The Theatre at Saint Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Ave. at 54th Street, 212-935-2200, $20–$35. For more information, go to divalyssciousmoms.com or akidslife. net.

FILM

INTO THIN AIR An aspiring filmmaker, Danny Williams, was the lighting designer and sometime lover of artist Andy Warhol during the Factory days. “A Walk Into the Sea” (2007), directed by Williams’s niece, Esther Robinson, explores her uncle’s artistic promise and mysterious disappearance in 1966. One afternoon, during a family gathering in Massachusetts, Williams borrowed his mother’s car, saying only that he was stepping out for air. He was never seen or heard from again. A lesser-known regular at the Factory, Williams worked on more than 20 films featuring such Warhol disciples as Edie Sedgwick and the Velvet Underground. Through Friday, times vary, Cinema Village, 22 E. 12th St., between Fifth Avenue and University Place, 212-924-3363, $10.50.

ALLEZ, ALLEZ BAMcinématek presents a double feature of two celebrated children’s films by French director Albert Lamorisse, “The Red Balloon” and “The White Mane.” “The Red Balloon,” originally released in 1956, follows a boy and a wily red balloon through the neighborhoods of eral of New York’s top bakers and pastry chefs to build the gingerbread houses of their dreams. The creations include a snow-covered Empire State Building by the pastry chef at Balthazar, Mark Tasker, and a gingerbread rocket ship on the moon by chef Kate Sullivan of Lovin Sullivan Cakes. Children can learn where all of the ingredients in the gingerbread recipes come from, grind spices, decorate a gingersnap cookie, and play in a child-size gingerbread house. Through January 13, Tuesday–Friday, 1:30–5:30 p.m., Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, at the Botanical Garden, Bronx River Parkway at Fordham Road, the Bronx, 718-817-8700, $20 general, $18 children and students, $7 children, free for children 2 and under.

MUSEUMS

CANVASING THE CARIBBEAN “Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art,” an exhibit of more than 80 works created in the last six years, is on view at the Brooklyn Museum. The show features contributions from 45 artists who represent the complexity and vibrant nature of this culture. The art variously explores Caribbean societies through video, photography, print and drawings, sculpture, and installation. Highlights include selections by artist Polibio Diaz, who confronts the aesthetic of Greco-Roman codes in creating his black and mulatto imagery. Through Sunday, January 27, Wednesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., until 11 p.m. on first Saturdays, Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, 718-638-5000, $8 general, $4 students and seniors, free for children under 12.

THE MARTINI HOUR The Museum of the City of New York presents “Manhattan Noon: Photographs by Gus Powell,” a collection of about 30 recent works inspired by poet Frank O’Hara’s 1964 volume, “Lunch Poems.” Mr. Powell photographed New Yorkers during his own lunch break: He found the full range, from lounging construction workers to ladies rushing by in stilettos, all of them lit by the midday sun. Through Saturday, March 15, Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd St., 212-534-1672, $9 general, $20 families, $5 students and seniors, free 10 a.m.–noon on Sunday.

VICTORY FOR CAPA “This is War! Robert Capa at Work” is an exhibit of the photojournalist’s work from the 1930s and 1940s. The show includes never-before-seen photographs and newly discovered documents. Highlights include Capa’s most significant images, such as “Falling Soldier,” from the Spanish Civil War, and his “D-Day” series. Also featured are original contact sheets, Capa’s handwritten observations, and his personal letters. Through Sunday, January 6, Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., International Center of Photography, 1133 Sixth Ave. at 44th St., 212-857-0045, $12 general, $8 students and seniors, free for children under 12.

PHOTOGRAPHY

HAVE YOUR CAKE The title of Thomas Demand’s fourth exhibit at 303 Gallery, “Yellowcake,” is another name for the concentrated form of uranium that, when enriched, can be used in producing nuclear weapons. Mr. Demand created this series in response to President Bush’s since-disproved assertion in a 2003 State of the Union address that Iraq was in talks to obtain uranium from Africa. The photographer traveled to the Embassy of Niger in Rome — the site where evidence for a uranium trail was reportedly gathered — and studied the layouts of the offices. He committed what he saw to memory, reconstructing the images later in his studio, using lifelike paper models, and then photographed them. Through Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., 303 Gallery, 525 W. 22nd St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-255-1121, free.

SCULPTURE

SURVIVING CRAFTSMANSHIP The term “Meissen porcelain” came into use during the lifetime of August II (1670–1733), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. The monarch was responsible for creating the first manufacturingsiteforporcelain in Europe. Porcelain had been previously available only from China. European porcelain is the subject of “Fragile Diplomacy: Meissen Porcelain for European Courts,” an exhibit on view at the Bard Graduate Center. Initial inspiration for the works came from the king’s collection of Chinese and Japanese porcelain, but European artisans made their mark, with the works frequently being used for diplomatic gifts. Selections include a standing cup with a figure of Minerva on the cover from 1745 by an anonymous artist, above, and two figures of Moors holding covered sugar bowls, created by Johann Friedrich Eberlein in 1744–45, left. Through Sunday, February 10, Tuesday–Wednesday and Friday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Bard Graduate Center, 18 W. 86th St., between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, 212-501-3000, 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.