Talk
Writer, philosopher and activist Bernard-Henri Lévy.
Adam Gopnik and Bernard-Henri Lévy
Joined by Bernard-Henri Lévy, Adam Gopnik will discuss his new book, “Angels and Ages, A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln and Modern Life.” Although Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room Kentucky log cabin and Charles Darwin on an English country estate, each worked to inspire significant change in mankind’s understanding of itself. Gopnik and Levy will discuss how these two men, who never met, altered the way we think about death and time—about the very nature of earthly existence. A writer at the New Yorker, Gopnik is the author of “Paris to the Moon.” Lévy, author of “American Vertigo,” and “Who Killed Daniel Pearl,” is co-founder of the antiracist group SOS Racism. Tues., Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. Free. The Great Hall at Cooper Union. 7 East 7th St. 212-353-4195, cooper.edu
Art
Courtesy Gallery 225
Uno, Best in Show Winner of the Westminster Kennel Club in 2008, showed up for the opening last week.
Dog Artists
This exhibit of artwork depicting dogs (and cats!) includes paintings, sculpture, collage and a sense of humor. Timed to coincide with the recent Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden, this show benefits the nonprofit group Angel on a Leash, which champions working with therapy dogs and promotes the role of the human-canine bone. Contributing artists are Steve Cooper, Toni Tucker, Janet York, and Tatiana Oles, among others. Through March 15. Gallery 225. 225 W. 14th St. 917-880-2752, 225Gallery.net.
Poetry
Courtesy of W.W. Norton
Marie Howe
Workshop with Marie Howe
“Breaking Through: A Generative Workshop for All” will be led by New York poet and Sarah Lawrence teacher Marie Howe, author of “What the Living Do” and “The Kingdom of Ordinary Time.” Of the workshop, she says, “Do you want to begin writing poetry for the first time? Or resume writing after a period of silence? Or write in a different way than you have been? Then register for this class. We’ll experience some peaceful silence and practice receptivity. We’ll also write together in class and read amazing poems. Employing syntax, diction, image and metaphor, we’ll write poems that bring us somewhere we never thought to go. Imagine a new freedom: astonishment, the sound of ice cracking, joy.” Four Wednesdays, April 1-22, 6:30-9 p.m. $325. Space limited, no application necessary. Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center, 120 Warren St. 212-431-7920 or email classes@poetshouse.org.
Music
Grammy-nominated singer and guitarist Gary Lucas.
Chase the Devil
Chase the Devil was born last summer out of a mutual love of spiritual music drawing from classical Jewish songs, gospel and blues. Both the jazz/blues vocalist Dean Bowman, and his guitarist counterpart, Gary Lucas, have been steeping themselves in deep-roots music since their earliest musical strivings. Bowman and Lucas are world-class musicians, and have played on hundreds of albums. The men reinvigorate the music and poetry of such transcendental artists such as Rev. Gary Davis, William Blake and Blind Willie Johnson. Wed., Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. $12-15. Museum at Eldridge Street Synagogue. 12 Eldridge St. (btwn Canal & Division). 212-219-0888, eldridgestreet.org.
Concert
The series closes on Sat., February 28 at Judson Church with a dazzling performance by Berlin-based American singer David Moss.
The Human Voice in a New World
This series of three live concerts explores new levels of meaning and expressivity for the voice through technology. “Messa di Voce,” a multimedia event featuring extreme vocal techniques by master composer-improvisers Joan La Barbara and Jaap Blonk and visualizations of vocal sound and audio processing, premieres on Mon., 2/23. On Fri., 2/27, British electronic music pioneer Trevor Wishart will perform in NYC for the first time in 30 years, and with the world premiere of a collaboration between composer Joel Chadabe and writer Richard Kostelanetz. The series closes on Sat., 2/28 with “Voice Box Spectra” by David Moss, acclaimed for his intense, humor-filled idiosyncratic vocal acrobatics. Mon., Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. Free. Frederick Loewe Theater, 35 W. 4th St. Fri. & Sat., Feb. 27-28, at 7:30 p.m. $10-15. Judson Church, 55 Washington Square South. 888-749-9998, emfproductions.org.
