Art The line between genius and madness has always been blurry, and this week, the Gallery at HAI examines the distinction in its new exhibit, “Art and Text.” Most of the show’s 15 self-taught artists were discovered in the art workshops and studios that Hospital Audiences, Inc. provides for people with mental disabilities. Until recently, many of the artists, whose works incorporate text and imagery, did not value their paintings and drawings as art. To help support their endeavors, the public is invited to a Festive Holiday Reception on Thursday, November 17 from 6-8 p.m.; proceeds from sold artwork will benefit the artists and support the gallery. 548 Broadway, 3rd floor, between Spring and Prince (212-575-7696; hospaud.org/outsider). By William Gonzalez
Music Just when you were beginning to become concerned with contemporary music’s lack of experimentation, along comes Animal Collective, a group of musicians who tear down conventions like pandas through bamboo and craft songs from a strange combination of folk, noise, and psychedelic rock. The music is occasionally frustrating on the group’s latest album, “Feels,” but that aggravation may provide enough justification to hear them live—if only just to see where in the world this music comes from. Tickets $18 advance, $20 at the door. 8 p.m., Sunday, November 20 at Webster Hall, 125 East 11th St. between 2nd and 3rd Aves. (212-388-0300; bowerypresents.com).—Emily Zemler
Film There are few real-life loves as passionate as the one June Carter and Johnny Cash shared, and on Friday, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon bring the flame between Cash and Carter back to life in “Walk the Line.” Based on two biographies of the Man in Black, and written in close consultation with both singers before they died two years ago, the film follows Cash’s rise to fame and his emotional roller coaster ride with Carter. The actors did their homework as well: Phoenix had the honor of meeting Carter and the man he would one day portray, and Witherspoon, a native Tennessean, encouraged Phoenix to take voice lessons with her so they could sing every song in the film. Their performances, like their on-screen love, come as close to watching these legends in person again. Opens Friday at United Artists Union Square Stadium 14, 850 Broadway between E. 13th and 14th. Fox Films
Cheap Publicity Stunt A few, yet-to-be named artists have turned the city’s fascination with Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s “Gates” and Smithson’s “Floating Island” on its head. Fed up with these ostentatious works of public art, they bolted an orange Gate to a motorboat, took off from DUMBO, and pursued the Floating Island when it was still circling Manhattan. No one, aside from the ambiguous “Redhead,” has claimed responsibility for this act of cultural disobedience, but you can see the boat with its makeshift saffron sail and meet the responsible parties on Friday, November 18. Free beer will be served, and a film documenting the escapade will be on view until December 22. Opens November 18, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Redhead, 125 Maiden Lane, 2nd Floor between Water and Pearl St. For more information, visit www.lmcc.net/redhead. Courtesy Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
