Young artists will get the chance to work in studios such as these at the National Academy.

The National Academy Museum & School of the Upper East Side, located at 5 E. 89th St. off 5th Avenue, is celebrating 20 years of children’s summer programs. The school itself has been instilling the intricacies of fine and classical arts into fledgling artists since 1826.

“Our young people’s program is one of the best-kept secrets in the Upper East Side,” said Lotus do Brooks, one of the instructors in the program.

This summer, the school will continue its tradition of offering a full day art camp for youngsters and intensive art workshops for high school students who wish to live their summer through the artistic eye.

“This is a small environment,” said Maurizio Pellegrin, the director and one of the instructors of the Academy. “It is very well organized, with a dynamic structure that offers classes to professionals and to people who come for the love and passion.”

The program is separated into three classes that are available for six weeks starting June 11, though the students have the choice to stay for one week or all six, according to Brooks. Tuition for the summer camps is $450 per week, and the workshop will run for $250 per week.

The National Academy will host Martha Bloom, a professional who has over 30 years’ art experience under her belt. She will preside over the Art and Drama program, which is open to kids ages 6 to 10 and prompts them to explore the multiple avenues of creativity housed within their developing minds as painters and performers. This class serves as an introduction to several art styles such as drawing, painting, collage, printmaking and drama. The students will have an opportunity to work outside and they will also host miniature exhibitions of their work. The classes run June 11–29 and July 9–27 from 9 a.m. through 4 p.m.

The second class being offered is suited for children 9 to 13 years old and discusses the finer points of painting and drawing, such as lighting, shading and perspective. Hannah Frassinelli, an established teacher and award-winning printmaker, will guide her students through the Painting and Drawing camp with self portraits and a clothed model to give the fledgling artists an introduction to the human figure.  The students will also work in printmaking and study the concept of the still life and landscape painting. This set of classes will begin June 18 and continue until the 29th. The second set of classes begins July 9 and ends on the 20th.

The final class to be offered for the summer will be a Watercolors Workshop taught by Brooks, who is part of the teaching staff at the Dalton School and has been training and teaching the fine arts for well over 20 years. This class acts as a foundation for high school students to build their portfolios, which will prepare them for college, when they must submit samples of their current work. Students will delve into watercolors to create landscapes of nature and the city. The students will also be given the chance to visit several art galleries and museums in the area. The class will be begin July 30 and continue through Aug. 3 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. Tuition for this class will be $250 per week.

The school is surrounded by museums and art galleries, such as the Guggenheim, which is but a stroke of a paintbrush from the school. The teachers utilize this to the fullest extent, taking its students out of the studios and into the galleries to marvel at the works of great artists.

“We are in the center of New York City, one of the major art cities of the world,” said Pellegrin.

Iraqi artist Rasha S. Asal.

New Yorkers have a chance to help Iraqi refugees half a world away while simultaneously beautifying their walls with original art.

The nonprofit organization Common Humanity, founded by Upper West Side resident Mel Lehman, will show 22 new paintings by Iraqi artists currently exiled in Damascus, Syria. Lehman found a home for the exhibit at the Second Presbyterian Church on West 96th Street, where it will be on display from April 13 through May 12.

The paintings, ranging in style and medium but all exhibiting lush, bold colors and striking depictions of people, landscapes and abstract images, are the works of artists for whom painting is literally a lifeline. The money raised by silent auction during the exhibit will go toward Common Humanity’s continual trips back to Damascus to purchase more paintings.

“The basic purpose is to try to build some connection and some understanding between the Middle East and the West in this terrible conflict in which we find ourselves,” Lehman said.

He started the organization three years ago, quitting his job and supporting himself as tour guide on the ubiquitous red buses that crisscross the city. Lehman had traveled frequently to Baghdad for work and seen firsthand the conditions of Iraqis living under sanctions during Saddam Hussein’s rule there before the U.S. invasion. Later, when he became aware of the large Iraqi refugee population in Syria, he founded an organization that would help bridge the cultural gap between the U.S. and the Middle East as well as provide tangible help for the refugees.

“I think that the congregation’s response has been really positive, because it feels like we’re helpless to do anything about what has been done, but we can do something,” said Leslie Merlin, the pastor at Second Presbyterian.

There are currently over a million Iraqi refugees living in Syria, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees offices there, and the government allows them to find homes, send their children to public school and access basic state-funded health care—but it doesn’t allow them to hold jobs.

“What they can’t do is pick up their careers where they were. They’re living at the very margins but they are subsisting,” Lehman said of the refugees in Syria.

All of the artists Lehman buys from have been professionally trained, and many were successfully supporting themselves in Baghdad before circumstances forced them out. One pair of artists who have sold paintings through Common Humanity, a couple, became targets of a local militia in 2003 after one of them began drawing pictures of the American soldiers entering their neighborhood. They fled for Syria after receiving death threats.

Another artist, Ahmed Al-Karkhi, left Iraq for Syria in 2006, continuing to paint and sell his work in Damascus. Eventually, in 2010, he was able to settle in Washington, D.C. Now he works days as a janitor but still paints, and his art has been shown at D.C. galleries as well as in countries around the world.

“It’s a huge silent humanitarian crisis that’s going on [in Iraq],” said Cecilia Blewer, a congregation member at Second Presbyterian who works closely with Common Humanity and has traveled to Damascus with Lehman.

The paintings sell for a range of prices, but $500 is an average going rate—a bargain compared to other original work sold in galleries in Manhattan, but enough to sustain a family in Damascus for several months.

For Blewer, facilitating the sale of the paintings isn’t just a beneficent way to share good artwork, it’s a moral imperative.

“Basically, we flattened Baghdad and we caused this exodus, including this diaspora of their intelligentsia and their artistic people, who are probably fairly suspect anyway in the new regime,” Blewer said.

Lehman and Blewer are planning to go back to Damascus in June and hope to expand the exhibits by taking them on the road.

“We basically feel that in this time of really terrible conflict between the East and the West, we need to establish a bridge,” Lehman said. “We seem so separate and so different from each other; we try to understand these different cultures, what makes us common as human beings.”

Stergiou, a student at the Marie Curie Middle School MS 158Q in Bayside, designed a poster that featured a message about the dangers of global warming and its effect on polar bears in the Arctic Circle. Borough President Scott Stringer and City Council Member Gale Brewer were also on hand to congratulate Stergiou and the other winners at the ceremony, held in the landmark bank building.

Ed Bobrow
Photographer

To the Editor:
The problem is not the artists, it’s the people who are selling illegally reproduced materials. I’ve lived at Columbus Circle for 25 years and there are precious few actual artists there. Most of the sellers all around the park are hawking the same illegally reproduced, copyright infringed, cheaply photocopied reproductions of magazine covers, 9/11 paintings, greeting cards, movie posters, film stills and other mass produced materials that are being ripped off from the original designers and artists. The problem with Robert Lederman and his group is that they do not fight for bona fide artists. The city needs to take a stand and monitor who is selling what and hold the copyright infringers accountable. If that isn’t done, this issue will never be settled.

Sam Katz
Manhattan

To the Editor:
ARTIST advocates for artists who are protected by the First Amendment. Under New York City law, that protection extends to anyone selling art, not just artists. Therefore, art vendors are as protected as artists, the same way book vendors who did not write the books they sell are as protected as authors. ARTIST does not defend those who sell copyright-infringed art. The NYPD could do such enforcement if it chose to. ARTIST is not a police organization and we do not engage in vending enforcement. We do recommend that anyone whose art was infringed document the selling of it and sue, as a number of artists have successfully done. It is a shame that someone like Ms. Katz who knows better would spread such utter nonsense rather than help fight for artists’ rights.

Robert Lederman
President, ARTIST

Letters have been edited for clarity, style and brevity.

Waller Tribute—Jazz at Lincoln Center presents “The Music of Fats Waller,” part of the Fats Waller Festival. Under the musical direction of composer, arranger and saxophonist Andy Farber, a cast of musicians performs a retrospective of his short career. Entertainer Ben Vereen serves as host. Waller was known as a gifted stride pianist, composer and entertainer. Ken Druker hosts a pre-concert discussion 7 p.m. Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, 33 W. 60th St., 212-721-6500; 8 p.m., $30 to $120.
Momentum—Flamenco artist Maya de Silva’s Flamenco Revolucion presents “Going Forward, Looking Back.” The performance is based in traditional Andalusian dance, but also combines contemporary dance and American ideas with Gypsy and Spanish dance. For an extra $20, patrons can join the artists for a glass of wine after the performance to help the company attend the Jacob’s Pillow’s Inside/Out Dance Festival, where they have been invited to perform this summer. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Theatre, 120 W. 46th St., 212-868-4444; 8 p.m., $12 to $25.

Fab Four—The Calhoun Performing Arts Series presents Jazz at Calhoun with The Jim Seeley/Arturo O’Farill Quartet. Seeley, on trumpet, has toured, recorded and performed with Ray Charles, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy, The Machito Orchestra and Greg Allman and friends, and is a featured soloist with the Chico O’Farrill Afro Cuban Big Band. Pianist Arturo O’Farrill created the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. He has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D’Rivera, Dizzy Gillespie and many others. Mary Lea Johnson Performing Arts Center, 433 West End Ave., 212-497-6528; 7 p.m., $5 to $10.

She’s the One—The group Those Indian Guys presents the Off-Broadway show D’Arranged Marriage, about an aspiring New Zealand Indian stand-up comic who spends his life working at his father’s corner shop and avoiding the issue of an arranged marriage. When his family finally gets the better of him, he is surprised to find that the prospective bride is the one. The one-man show is written, produced and performed by Rajeev Varma, and has sold out in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. The Triad NYC, 158 W. 72nd St., 2nd Fl., 212-352-3101; 7 p.m., $20 to $30 plus two drink minimum.

Saturday, April 17

Graceful—Miro Magloire’s Chamber Ballet performs ballets by Magloire and Emery LeCrone. LeCrone’s ballet, “Chamber Dances,” is set to “Road Movies” for piano and violin, by American composer John Adams. The second piece is a solo performed by Emily SoRelle Adams to “Anthemes” for violin, by Pierre Boulez. The performance will also include “Allegretto, Innocente,” set to two piano sonatas by Joseph Haydn and Magloire’s “Monologue,” set to music by American Composer Morton Feldman. City Center Studio 4, 130 W. 56th St., 212-868-4444; 8 p.m., $12 to $22.

Twain’s New York—To mark the centenary of Mark Twain’s death, as well as the great humorist’s decades-long relationship with New York City, Upper West Sider Peter Salwen, a writer and Twain expert, hosts walking tour “Mark Twain’s New York.” The two-and-a-half hour excursion includes many of Twain’s anecdotes and epigrams. It starts in Soho and ends at the site of the author’s last New York City home, at Fifth Avenue and East 9th Street. Also April 18. Meet at the southwest corner of Broadway and Spring Street, 917-620-5371; 1 p.m., $15.

Hungarian Playwright—The American Hungarian Library and Historical Society, along with The New York Hungarian Theatre and Art Association, present a staged reading of My Bed Is Not for Sleeping, a satirical comedy in two acts. Gerty Agoston, the playwright and novelist, has roots in Budapest and Wien and won awards for her monologue drama, My Killer, My Kid. She has published 13 novels in four languages. A buffet reception follows the performance. The American Hungarian Library in the Hungarian House, 212 E. 92nd St., 646-228-0050; 5 p.m., $15
suggested donation.

Bard Classic—The Frog and Peach Theater Company present Shakespeare’s Macbeth, directed by Lynnea Benson. The classic play depicts Lord and Lady Macbeth performing unspeakable acts when three strange witches appear with the promise of greatness. One murder leads to another in one of Shakespeare’s most popular tragedies. The West End Theatre, 263 W. 86th St., 2nd Fl., 212-868-4444; 7:30 p.m., $18.

Sunday, April 18

Fairytale—Limecat Family Theatre Company presents The Princess and the Frog Prince, a play written and directed by Denise Devin, with original music and lyrics by Christopher Reiner. When a forgetful Queen turns Prince Chris and his friend Bob into a frog and a mouse, they discover that only a kiss from a princess will break the spell. Children are invited to get autographs and pictures taken with the actors after the show. Actors’ Temple Theatre, 339 W. 47th St., 212-239-6200; 12:30 p.m., $20 to $40.

Yedidia’s Works—Merkin Concert Hall presents the annual celebration of composer Ronn Yedidia’s works, “21st Century Music & On.” Yedidia has created a repertoire of piano, chamber and symphonic works. The concert includes several world premieres, including “String Trio” and “Perspectives,” which combines written and improvised music and was written in honor of the 200th birthday of Frederic Chopin. The concert will also feature “DanzaNova,” a five-piece ensemble whose repertory stems from ethnic music originating in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center, 129 W. 67th St., 212-501-3330; 7:30 p.m., $20 to $35.

Monday, April 19

Donate—The Kidney and Urology Foundation of America hosts a free conference, “Transplantation in the United States: The Shortage of Available Organs and Public Health Policy.” The seminar brings together a diverse panel of leaders in the subject, including David J. Cohen, Nancy Scheper-Hughes and Alex Tabarrok. Jonathan A. Winston, from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, moderates. Light refreshments are served. RSVP is required. The Paley Center for Media, 25 W. 52nd St., 732-866-4444; 6 p.m., Free.

Support the Chorale—The Collegiate Chorale presents Ted Sperling and Friends for its annual spring benefit. The event, featuring singers Santino Fontana, Alexandra Silber and Lauren Worsham, begins with cocktails and a light dinner, followed by champagne, dessert and a performance of Broadway and classical favorites. Students from the chorale’s “Side by Side” education program also perform, and guest auctioneer Jay Cantor leads a live auction. The Hudson Theatre, Millenium Broadway Hotel, 145 W. 44th St., 646-435-9052; 7 p.m., $300 to $1,000.

Tuesday, April 20

Care Strategies—The New York Society for Ethical Culture presents a special program, “Stories from the Bedside—End-of-Life Conversations, Choices and Planning.” The program includes panelist Jane Brody, a New York Times health columnist and author. Brody shares stories describing challenges and strategies for receiving good end-of-life care, and discusses frequently encountered difficulties and paths to achieving personal end-of-life goals. The program is followed by a reception and book signing. The New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St., 914-907-6156; 6 p.m., Free.

Discount Shopping—Museum members enjoy “double discount days,” starting today. Get a head start on Mother’s Day shopping with a 20 percent discount on sculpture reproductions, decorative arts, jewelry, scarves, ties, accessories, books, stationery, prints and more. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., 800-662-3397; through May 2.

Hearing Loss Discussion—Marcia Finisdore, an active member of the Hearing Loss Association of America, presents an interactive discussion, “Hearing Loss in the Workplace: Strategies for Success.” Finisdore shares personal experiences after having progressive sensorineural hearing loss. She now has bi-lateral cochlear implants. Refreshments are provided. Muhlenberg Library branch, 209 W. 23rd St., 212-769-4327; 5:30 p.m., Free.

Wednesday, April 21

Celebrate Earth—Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza hosts an Earth Day celebration. Environmental groups and elected officials present informative talks and displays. There will also be live music and healthy treats by a greenmarket chef. The event also launches the “Global Voices” exhibit of photographs and commentary on United Nations Millennium Goals for health, education and a sustainable environment. Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, East 47th Street between First and Second avenues, 212-826-8989; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Free.

Thursday, April 22

Get to Know the Hood—The Park West Neighborhood History Group and the Columbus-Amsterdam Business Improvement District sponsor “Upper West Side Odyssey: An Illustrated Thumbnail History From the Lenape Indians to the Present.” Jim Mackin, Upper West Side historian and founder of “Weekday Walks,” leads the historical journey. American Youth Hostel, 891 Amsterdam Ave., 212-666-9774; 6 p.m., Free.

Family Earth-Friendly Crafts—The Central Park Conservancy hosts an afternoon of crafts to celebrate Earth Day. Using recycled materials, participants can turn trash into treasure. Kids can create their own mini-container gardens using recycled household materials, compost from Central Park and a flower. All materials are provided. Chess & Checkers House, inside the park at 64th Street, 212-794-4064; 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Free.

New York State of Music—The musicians of Lenox Hill perform “Chamber Music New York Style,” under the artistic direction of Soo-Kyung Park. The program includes pieces by Lukas Foss, George Gershwin and Antonin Dvorak. It also includes “Luminaria,” a piece by Kenji Bunch. A dessert reception with the artists follows the concert. Musicians include Jae-Hyuck Cho, Cornelius Dufallo, Sean Katsuyama, Wei-Yang Andy Lin and Sivan Magen. Temple Israel of the City of New York, 112 E. 75th St., 917-834-5399; 8 p.m., $10 to $20.

In crowded vending hotspots in Manhattan, including Columbus Circle and Central Park South, the Parks Department wants art vendors to set up shop only in designated areas.

Under the new regulations, vendors who sell what the department calls “expressive matter”—any kind of visual art, newspapers, books or writing—would only be permitted to do so in a predetermined place denoted with a numbered department decal. The artist who claims the spot first gets to set up shop.

Artist and vendor J. Alison Powell sells her paintings at Columbus Circle. Photos by Andrew Schwartz

On Columbus Circle, there would be spots for four vendors—two near Central Park West and two near Central Park South. Five vendors would be allowed to set up shop along Central Park South. Other parks affected by the regulation include Union Square Park, the High Line in Chelsea, Battery Park and most of Fifth Avenue near Central Park. In other, less crowded areas of Central Park, vendors can sell art under regular guidelines.

Since the Giuliani administration, artists have fought for the right to vend where they want, as long they follow rules that include keeping walkways and sidewalks clear, and having a properly sized table. Naturally, this group is again pushing back against the proposed regulations.

“We won’t be leaving the park this time. I got lawyers lined up working on this lawsuit,” said Robert Lederman, president of ARTIST, an advocacy group. “It’s not going to get the artists out of the park.”

Lederman, who has been arrested dozens of times for protesting regulations, successfully sued Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 2001 on First Amendment grounds, ending a rule that required artists to get permits.

“What I’m saying here is that Mike Bloomberg and [Parks Commissioner] Adrian Benepe, they either have to stop pretending to be art patrons or stop trying to trash street artists’ First Amendment rights,” Lederman said.

The department and Central Park Conservancy, however, argue that artists are crowding out parkgoers, blocking benches and entrances, and obstructing views.

“Over the last few years, the number [of art vendors] has increased dramatically,” said Doug Blonsky, the conservancy’s president. “The areas they concentrate at have been getting unbelievable congestion.”

Blonsky said that pedestrians have complained—though the department did not provide any details about how many complaints it has received—about park crowding, and that the proposed rule will clear up space.

“It’s not about getting rid of them, but creating a reasonable number,” he said.

Later this month, the department will take public comments and hold meetings to get community feedback before moving forward with the proposal.

J. Alison Powell, a painter whose main source of income is selling her art, was one of the few vendors at Columbus Circle on a bustling, sunny Friday afternoon. Powell, who stationed her table near the curb, worried that a scant number of spots could force her out of well-trafficked tourist areas.

“It definitely would take away from myself and two children,” said Powell, a widow and single mother. “It’s hard enough as it is.”

Instead of limiting space, Powell believes artists should have a large swath of space to sell their work, which adds to the city’s allure.

“It’s what makes New York attractive to people. It draws people to the stores,” she said.

Other artist vendors argue that if the department were truly concerned with park crowding, officials would enforce existing laws designed to keep entrances, benches, statues and trees clear of art.

One such artist is Mitchell Balmuth, a political button vendor stationed near the Metropolitan Museum of Art who was a plaintiff in Lederman’s 2001 lawsuit against the city. He believes that the fewer “expressive matter” vendors, the more space the department will have for concessions with lucrative contracts, such as holiday markets.

“We are competition for their concessions,” said Balmuth, who said he will risk arrest before obeying the new rules.

All of Eder—Vocalist Linda Eder returns to Feinstein’s at Loews Regency as the star of her new show, All of Me. The award-winning Broadway star sings music from her latest CD of classic Hollywood songs, Soundtrack, as well as original compositions, standards and fan favorites. Through April 17. Performance schedule varies. Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, 540 Park Ave., 212-339-4095; 8 p.m., $75 to $95, plus cover charge and food/drink minimum.

Through Artists’ Eyes—David Dearinger, former chief curator of the National Academy, lectures about the history and importance of the academy’s annual exhibition, currently on display. The 185th Annual Exhibition features work by 65 artists, working in a variety of styles and media, providing a glimpse of contemporary American art as seen through the eyes of artists. National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, 1083 Fifth Ave., 212-369-4880; 6:45 p.m., Free with $8 admission.

Book Lover’s Delight—The Park Avenue Armory hosts the 50th annual New York Antiquarian Book Fair. Two hundred of the world’s finest dealers offer rare books, manuscripts, autographs, maps, finely bound volumes and ephemera for sale. Visitors can peruse categories like history, law, music, dance, fashion, gastronomy, children’s books, art and philosophy. Through April 11. Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Ave., 212-777-5218; noon to 8 p.m., $20.

Music and Meal—April is jazz appreciation month, and Jazz at Lincoln Center combines food and music to mark the occasion. The inaugural “Jazz Day” celebration features special dishes from America’s greatest jazz cities, including New York strip steak and cheesecake and New Orleans shrimp gumbo. Chicago, Kansas City, Austin, Los Angeles and San Francisco are also represented. Saxophonist Walter Blanding of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performs, and discusses jazz’s influence on life and music in America and around the world. Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle, second floor, 212-258-9800; 6:30 p.m., $85.

Melody Meets Poetry—The second season of “Music/Words,” the interdisciplinary series begun by pianist Inna Falks, continues with a performance at Bechstein Pianos. The program features Leon Livshin performing piano music by Scriabin, Chopin and Ravel, while contemporary poet and playwright Teddy Jefferson reads from his new works. Bechstein Pianos, 207 W. 58th St., 212-581-5550; 7:30 p.m., $15.

Inspired by Ansel—The Temple University Symphony Orchestra performs two new works for the first time at Alice Tully Hall. The most notable work, “Ansel Adams: America,” is written by jazz legend Dave Brubeck and his son, Chris, and features 100 projected images by the famous photographer. Works by Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber, as well as the New York premiere of a work by Bill Cunliffe, are also on the program. Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, 1941 Broadway, 212-721-6500; 8 p.m., $20 to $35.

Saturday, April 10

Bringing Bawdy Back—One of New York’s most well-known burlesque shows, Bawdy, returns. “Grace Gotham,” “Mistress B” and “Laura the Kazoo Girl” entertain, along with special guest star Dorothy Bishop from America’s Got Talent. Proceeds go to Marriage Equality NY. The Triad Theatre, 158 W. 72nd St., 212-362-2590; 9:30 p.m., $25 plus two-drink minimum.

Sunday, April 11

Virtuoso Performance—The New York Virtuoso Singers close the 2009-2010 season with a concert featuring the work of composers John Corigliano and his partner, Mark Adamo. Between them, the two have produced hundreds of chamber, vocal, choral and orchestral works. A pre-concert talk with the composers begins one hour before the start of the performance. St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, 552 West End Ave., 212-279-4200; 3 p.m., $20.

Chopin’s Bicentennial—In celebration of the 200th birthday of the brilliant pianist and composer Frederic Chopin, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church hosts a performance of some of Chopin’s best-known works. Vietnamese pianist Quynh Nguyen, called one of the “19 young stars of tomorrow” by the Boston Globe, performs works including “Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor (Funeral March)” and the “Grande Polonaise Brilliante in E-flat major.” Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, 921 Madison Ave., 212-288-8920; 3 p.m., $15.

Monday, April 12

Dorsky at MoMA—As part of the “Modern Mondays” film series, filmmaker Nathaniel Dorsky discusses his methods of creating silent films, and screens all four parts of his recently completed quartet: Sarabande (2008), Winter (2008), Compline (2009) and Aubade (2010). A discussion follows. Titus Theatre 2 at the Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., 212-708-9480; 7 p.m., $10.

Tuesday, April 13

Tomaselli Talks—The American Federation of Arts’ lecture series ArtTalks features California-based artist Fred Tomaselli. Known for his paintings—which make use of both natural objects like leaves, and non-natural, printed materials and pharmaceuticals encased in resin—Tomaselli’s work has been displayed at the Whitney Biennial and the Museum of Modern Art, among other places. A Q&A session follows, along with a wine reception. Christie’s, 20 Rockefeller Plaza, 212-988-7700; 6:30 p.m., $15.

Light Fight—The Municipal Art Society presents a panel discussion about lights and lighting technology. The panel covers several issues, including sustainable and sufficient lighting in New York City, as well as the potential role of LED technology in lighting New York. French Institute Alliance Française, 22 E. 60th St. (note: tentative location; visit www.mas.org for updates), 212-935-2075; 6:30 p.m., $10 to $15.

Wednesday, April 14

Cancer Check—Lenox Hill Hospital offers a free screening for oral, head and neck cancer. Each year, 40,000 cases of these cancers are diagnosed, making it the sixth-most common form of cancer in the United States. Tobacco and alcohol use are the most common risk factors. Screenings are quick and painless: doctors check the mouth and nose with a light, then feel salivary and thyroid glands and neck lymph nodes. Walk-ins welcome until 4 p.m. Otolaryngology Unit, Lenox Hill Hospital, second floor, 186 E. 76th St., 212-434-2323; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Free.

Sneak Peek—Hunter College hosts a fundraiser that offers attendees the chance to see the refurbished Roosevelt House, former home of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, before it is officially reopened as a public policy center. The evening includes a live performance of Eddie, a one-man show penned by two Hunter alums that tells the story of Eddie Jacobson, a former business partner and friend of President Harry S. Truman, who lobbied Truman to support the newly formed state of Israel. A reception and talkback session follows. Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, 47-49 E. 65th St., 212-772-4087; 6:30 p.m., $125.

Poets Out Loud—Fordham University at Lincoln Center’s poetry community, Poets Out Loud, hosts a reading by award-winning poet Edward Hirsch. Hirsch’s latest book, The Living Fire, features selected poems from each of his previous collections, published between 1981 and 2008. Fordham graduate student Sarah Schwartz and selected high school students also read their works. A reception and book signing follow. Fordham University at Lincoln Center, 113 W. 60th St., 12th floor lounge, 212-636-6792; 7 p.m., Free.

Lady of the Camelias—A cast of francophone actors performs a new adaptation of The Lady of the Camelias. Written by Rene de Ceccatty in 2000 and based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, the show is an intimate and intense exploration of the forbidden love between a Parisian courtesan and a respectable young man. A synopsis in English is available, as well as projected subtitles on certain evenings. Through April 25. Arclight Theater, 152 W. 71st St., 212-868-4444; 8 p.m., $30 to $100.

Thursday, April 15

Across the Pond—The New-York Historical Society presents “London: Template for the Yankee City.” Architectural historian and PBS host Barry Lewis discusses the growth of the British capital in the 17th century, and explores the commercial and royal origins of the city and its architectural evolution. Lewis also covers London’s affect on American cities and its role in Anglo-American capitalism. New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St., 212-868-4444; 6:30 p.m., $20.

Three Scoops of Schubert—The New York Philomusica Chamber Ensemble presents three works by the composer Franz Schubert. For this show, the last of the 2009-10 season, the ensemble is joined by Metropolitan Opera star soprano Korliss Uecker, who performs Schubert’s masterpiece, “The Shepherd on the Rock.” Artistic Director A. Robert Johnson hosts a free “Meet the Artists” interview 30 minutes before the program, and a reception for the audience and musicians follows the performance. Broadway Presbyterian Church, 601 W. 114th St., 212-580-9933; 8 p.m., $30.