PRESERVING CULTURE IN IRAQ The director of the Iraq Museum, Donny George, discusses the looting that took place there in April 2003 and the subsequent ransacking of architectural sites throughout Iraq.The talk is Mr. George’s first stop in his book tour promoting his illustrated volume “The Looting of the Iraq Museum, Baghdad” (Harry N. Abrams). Tonight, 8 p.m., National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, between Irving Place and Gramercy Park West, 212-362-2560.

MATTER OF MUSEUMS A discussion asks “Do Museums Make or Break Art?” by examining how museums today provide conditions conducive to accurate and enjoyable art experiences. The panelists are architect Frank Gehry; artist Frank Stella; writer Brian O’Doherty, who works as an artist under the name Patrick Ireland; the co-founder and director of P.S. 1, Alanna Heiss, and the author of “Art and the Power of Placement” (Monacelli), Victoria Newhouse.Architecture critic Suzanne Stephens, the author of “Ground Zero: The Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site” (Rizzoli), serves as moderator. The talk is sponsored by the Monacelli Press and Urban Center Books. Tomorrow, 6 p.m., Baruch College, Mason Auditorium, 17 Lexington Ave. at 23rd Street, 212-935-3595, $10 general, $5 students and members of the Municipal Art Society and the Architectural League.

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