MEMORIAL
Studs Terkel
In this public memorial service, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author (1912-2008) is honored by country musicians Steve Earle & Allison Moorer; journalist Laura Flanders; Sydney Lewis; Columbia professor and former editor of The Nation, Victor Navasky; author and editor Andre Schiffrin; his son Dan Terkel; Guardian columnist Gary Younge; and historian Howard Zinn. The event is co-sponsored by the New Press, The Nation and The Indypendent. Sun., Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. Free. The Great Hall at Cooper Union. 7 E. 7th St. (at 3rd Ave.) For more info, contact jswanda@thenewpress.com or call 212-629-8811.
ART
Westbeth Artists
“Painting, Watercolor and Limited Edition Prints” is the first of the two-part annual exhibit of work from the studios of the Westbeth Artists complex, an artists’ enclave in the far West Village established in 1970. The works, by both established and emerging artists, ranges from traditional to contemporary including new creations bordering on surrealism. There are beautifully executed paintings from the field of abstraction and some figurative examples in this show of over 75 pieces. Part two – “Drawing, Photography, and Sculpture” – opens on Dec. 20 with a reception with the artists from 5-8 p.m. Through Dec. 7. Thurs.-Sun. from 1-6 p.m. Westbeth Gallery. 55 Bethune St. (at Washington St.) westbeth.org.
FILM
Fengming: A Chinese Memoir
Winter in China. A town in the snow. Night is falling. Wrapped in her coat, an old woman walks slowly through a housing complex to her simple apartment. Inside, He Fengming settles into her armchair and remembers. Her memories take us back to 1949, to the beginning of a journey that will take us through 30 years of her life and of the New China. In “Fengming,” Wang Bing (pictured on the right with her husband and child), who directed the majestic, nine-hour epic, “West of the Tracks,” presents her unforgettable story, from her repeated persecution under the two reformatory campaigns in China during the 1950s through her rehabilitation in 1974. Fri., Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. & Sat. & Sun., Dec. 6 & 7 at 3 and 7 p.m. $8 for adults, $6 for students & seniors. Anthology Film Archives. 32 2nd Ave. (at 2nd St.) 212-505-5181, anthologyfilmarchives.org.
DANCE
Urban Tap Open Jam
Join tap dance visionary Tamango at The Kitchen for a free open jam session in which some of the best of New York City’s rhythm tap community come together to share and showcase their moves. The evening features live musical accompaniment by Pheeroan akLaff (drums), Francis Mbappe (bass), and Theo Hill (piano), which promises to make for a uniquely exciting gathering of rhythmic exchange. Each performance is a global mix of movement, music and visual energy. Mon., Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. Free. The Kitchen. 512 West 19th St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.) 212-255-5793 ext. 11, urbantap.net.
MUSIC
Ensemble Pi
This new music collective presents “Confrontation,” the second of a three-concert series featuring compositions written in response to war, greed and oppression. The evening-length program will feature the world premiere of Elias Tanenbaum’s piano trio, “Changing Times” (1993), Alice Shields’s “Mioriza: Requiem for Rachel Corrie” (2003), and Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Quintet for piano and string quartet in G minor,” Op 57 (1940). Dec. 3. $15 adults, $10 students and seniors. Chelsea Art Museum. 556 W. 22nd St. 212-255-0719, chelseaartmuseum.org/events.
