THROUGH FEB. 22
Iona College Council on the Arts presents “Black Culture, As Is: Ya Feel Me?,” which features a group of artists who give their perspective on black identity and culture through media such as photography, paint and short film. Noon to 5 p.m. Mondays to Wednesdays, Noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays, 2 to 5 p.m. Sundays, Iona College Gallery, 715 North Ave., New Rochelle; 914-637-7796, iona.edu/artscouncil
THROUGH FEB. 28
“Presence,” an exhibit of black-and-white photography by Dennis Dilmaghani, will be on display at the Scarsdale Public Library’s main exhibit space through the end of February. The core of Dilmaghani’s art is capturing the grace and beauty of the natural or man-made world with his camera. Library hours vary, 54 Olmsted Road; 914-722-1300, scarsdalelibrary.org
THROUGH MARCH 4
The Clay Arts Center presents “Me, Myself and I,” a national juried exhibition featuring vessel-based work that explores issues of identity as well as how people see themselves within the context of society, family and relationships. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, 40 Beech St., Port Chester; 914-937-2047, clayartcenter.org
FEB. 1
The opening reception for “The Holy Name. Art of the Gesù: Bernini and his Age,” a landmark international loan exhibition that brings together artistic masterpieces from the Church of the Gesù, never before seen in America, with a dazzling group of paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, rare books and decorative arts from American museums and private collections. All combine to tell the fascinating stories of the foundation of the Society of Jesus in Rome and the long road to erect its new church, the Gesù. 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 19, Fairfield University Art Museum, 1073 N. Benson Road; 203-254-4000, fairfield.edu/museum
“Beyond Street Art” opens, bringing the explosive energy of the street to the Greenwich Library. Featuring the work of five prominent urban artists – Swoon, Lady Pink, Billy the Artist, Paul Deo and Blake Jamieson – the exhibition showcases the movement’s range and effect, its freshness, dynamism and continuing relevance. Reception 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit continues through March 7, The Flinn Gallery, second floor, 101 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich; 203-622-7947, flinngallery.com
An evening of “World War I Poetic Inspiration – Readings and Reflections” set within Ward Shelley’s “What Keeps Mankind Alive” exhibit at the Westport Arts Center. In honoring the legacy of Pat Barker’s novel “Regeneration” – which combines both fictional and real characters seeking to make sense of World War I, focusing particularly on British war poet Siegfried Sassoon – this program invites modern poets to respond to our times and the challenges we face. 7 p.m., 51 Riverside Ave., 203-222-7070, westportartscenter.org
Angela Davis, one of the most iconic faces of black politics and social activism from the 1960s and now distinguished professor emerita at the University of California, speaks. In conjunction with Fairfield University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration. Davis will talk about “Seeking Justice in America.” 8 p.m., Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 N. Benson Road; 203-254-4010, quickcenter.fairfield.edu
FEB. 2
The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College presents “GlobalFEST: The New Golden Age of Latin Music,” featuring the original Latin music of indie-mambo band Orkesta Mendoza and Chicano band Las Cafeteras. 3 p.m., 735 Anderson Hill Road; 914-251-6200, artscenter.org
FEB. 2 THROUGH 4
The Connecticut Guitar Festival is a weekend of performances, workshops and auditions, highlighting blues, classical, rock, jazz and world music. Featured performers include Concert Artists Guild winner Jiji, Grammy Award-winner Paul Nelson, The Alturas Duo, Joe Kiernan, Drew Pinto, Ben Verdery and more. Venues include Factory Underground, Norwalk; Suzuki Music School, Westport; and Pequot Library, Southport; 203-227-9474, connecticutguitarfestival.com
FEB. 2 THROUGH 18
Downtown Cabaret Theatre presents Lorraine Hansberry’s classic 1959 play, “A Raisin in the Sun,” about an African-American family’s struggles to move from a cramped Chicago South Side apartment to a house in an affordable white neighborhood. 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 5 and 8:15 p.m. Saturdays, 6 p.m. Sundays, 263 Golden Hill St., Bridgeport; 203-576-1636, dtcab.com
FEB. 3
Catch the opening reception for “David Fox: Selected Works,” paintings that examine the human condition from many vantage points, referencing history, poetry, theater, new art, current events and his own experiences. Fox writes poetry and plays, composes music and performs as both a solo artist and member of the duo Palmer Fox. 5 p.m., Axel Interiors, 33 North Ave., Norwalk; 203-299-3155, axelinteriors.com
The Emelin Theatre presents Pilobolus Maximus Dance Theatre’s “Beyond the Limits of Dance.” For 45 years, the dance company has tested the limits of human physicality to explore the beauty and the power of connected bodies. 3 p.m., 153 Library Lane, Mamaroneck; 914-698-0098, emelin.org
FEB. 10
In “Letters from Baghdad,” you can experience the story of Gertrude Bell, British spy, explorer and political powerhouse, who shaped the modern Middle East after World War I in ways that still reverberate today. More influential than her friend Lawrence of Arabia, Bell helped draw the borders of Iraq and established the Iraq Museum. Why has she been written out of history? Stay for a discussion of the film after the screening, with the directors. A Westport Cinema Initiative program. 4 p.m., The Warehouse at FTC, 70 Sanford St., Fairfield; 203-259-1036, fairfieldtheatre.org.
Chinese New Year returns to Pelham Art Center with free, family-friendly activities. Members of Kwan’s Kung Fu will perform a traditional Lion Dance, believed to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck. Later there will be a paper-cutting workshop led by Lida Zimmerman in which participants can make and take home little paper dogs as well as traditional Chinese New Year’s lanterns in this the Year of the Earth Dog. The event, open to all ages, begins at 1:30 p.m., 155 Fifth Ave.; 914-738-2525,
pelhamartcenter.org
The Westchester Jewish Council (WJC) celebrates its 42nd Anniversary Gala. The evening will honor Westchester Jewish Council Board members Betsy Bernstein of Harrison, Michael Karnes of Ossining and Gary Trachten of New Rochelle for their dedication and service to the Westchester Jewish community. Cocktails, dinner, dessert and entertainment. Kosher dietary laws will be observed. 7:15 p.m., Congregation Kol Ami, 252 Soundview Ave., White Plains; 914-328-7001, wjcouncil.org
FEB. 11
Enjoy the warm sounds of the Caribbean with two steel drum bands, the Jim Royle Drum Studio A Team and the Drum Studio’s Silver Steel Band. The lively vibe of Caribbean favorites, as well as Soca- and Calypso-styled music from Trinidad and Tobago, will bring the islands to Westport. 2 p.m., Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road E., 203-291-4800, westportlibrary.org
Jazz Forum Arts presents vibraphonist Jay Hoggard, whose uplifting beats marry jazz and gospel roots with African marimba rhythms. His repertoire includes traditional songs in addition to original compositions and renditions. 5:15 p.m., Jazz Forum Club, 199 N. Columbus Ave., Tarrytown; 914-667-0823, pjsjazz.org
FEB. 17
Every year, 14 senior Yale men are selected to be in the Whiffenpoofs, one of the world’s oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella groups. Founded in 1909, the “Whiffs” began as a senior quartet that met for weekly concerts at Mory’s Temple Bar, the Yale tavern. Today, the group has become one of Yale’s most celebrated traditions. 8 p.m., The Bijou Theatre, 275 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport; 203-296-9605, bijoutheatrect.net
FEB. 21
Woodstock-based artist Rachael Yamagata brings her “Songs – Stories – Solo” tour to the Fairfield Theatre Company. Yamagata chooses intimate venues and a living room style to invite her audience closer in for songs that invoke the storytelling vibe of the 1970s. 7:45 p.m., Stage One, 70 Sanford St.; 203-259-1036, fairfieldtheatre.org.
FEB. 22
Westchester Italian Cultural Center presents “Discover Italy: Puglia,” a virtual tour of Italy’s easternmost region. Guests will explore Puglia’s whitewashed hill towns, centuries-old farmland, ancient cities and more. 7 p.m., One Generoso Pope Place, Tuckahoe; 914-771-8700, wiccny.org
FEB. 24
The Capitol Theatre presents a concert with Diana Krall. The multiple Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist singer returns to North America for the third leg of her “Turn Up the Quiet World Tour.” 7 p.m., 149 Westchester Ave., Port Chester; 914-937-4126, thecapitoltheatre.com
“Evenings of Dance in Port Chester” – Ballet des Amériques open its fourth season, 7 p.m., 16 King St., Port Chester; 646-753-0457, balletdesameriques.company
In celebration of Black History Month, Irvington Town Hall Theater presents a fully staged reading of Ntozke Shange’s “For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf.” The 1970s play weaves together 20 separate poems with music and movement to tell the stories of seven African-American women who have suffered oppression in a racist and sexist society. 7:30 p.m., Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main St.; 914-591-6602, irvingtontheater.com
FEB. 24 AND 25
Stamford Symphony’s New Maestro Series, presents Englishman David Lockington conducting the orchestra in a concert of Haydn, Brahms, Copland and his own Ceremonial Fantasy Fanfare, as well as Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, and David Popper’s Hungarian Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra, played by Joshua Roman. 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford; 203-325-4466, stamfordsymphony.org
FEB. 25
The Sanctuary Series presents a recital with cellist Carter Brey and pianist Benjamin Pasternak, including classical works by Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin, followed by an artist’s reception. 4 p.m., South Salem Presbyterian Church, 111 Spring St.; 914-763-5402, thesanctuaryseries.org
FEB. 27 THROUGH JUNE 17
The Katonah Museum of Art will host an array of events in conjunction with its winter/spring exhibition, “Long, Winding Journeys: Contemporary Art and the Islamic Tradition.” The exhibition features a group of 31 artists of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent whose work engages the diverse forms of Islamic visual arts. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, 134 Jay St.; 914-232-9555, katonahmuseum.org
Presented by ArtsWestchester and the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County.
