BAC GALLERY: 111 Front St., DUMBO. www.brooklynartscouncil.org.

“Funny Ha Ha.” Through July 27. This group show will explore different approaches to using humor in art. Artists include: Ernest Concepcion, Katy Higgins, Beth Krebs and Iviva Olenick. Curated by Courtney J. Wendroff, BAC’s Visual Arts Director.

BRIC ROTUNDA GALLERY: 33 Clinton St., Brooklyn Heights. (718) 683-5604 or bricartsmedia.org/contemporary-art.

“I Am You — You Are Me”: The 24th Annual BRIC Contemporary Art Student Exhibition. May 17–June 9. This exhibition features artwork and site-specific installations by Brooklyn public school students. 

BROOKLYN GREENWAY INITIATIVE GALLERY: 153 Columbia St., Red Hook. (718) 522-0193 or www.brooklyngreenway.org. 

BGI Gallery Opening: Ceramics by Kathryn Robinson-Millen. Through June 25. This gallery will host a quarterly series of art openings and shows featuring artists that live or work in neighborhoods along the route of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. Robinson-Millen’s inspiration comes from observing and drawing natural and man-made forms such as rocks, pebbles, plants, earthworks and stone monoliths. 

BROOKLYN MUSEUM: 200 Eastern Parkway. (718) 638-5000 or www.brooklynmuseum.org. 

Aesthetic Ambitions: Edward Lycett and Brooklyn’s Faience Manufacturing Company. May 3–June 16. This exhibition highlights the nearly 50-year career of ceramicist Edward Lycett (American, 1833–1910), creative director of the Faience Manufacturing Company from 1884 to 1890.

Raw/Cooked: Heather Hart. Through June 24. The fourth exhibition in the Raw/Cooked series presents the work of Bedford-Stuyvesant-based artist Hart, who built a large-scale structure titled “The Eastern Oracle: We Will Tear the Roof Off the Mother” in the museum’s fifth-floor rotunda.

“Keith Haring: 1978–1982.” Through July 8. This is the first large-scale exhibition to explore the early career of one of the best-known American artists of the 20th century. 

“Playing House.” Through Aug. 26. “Playing House” is the first in a series of installations that aim to engage visitors with the Brooklyn Museum’s period rooms.

“Rachel Kneebone: Regarding Rodin.” Through Aug. 12. This exhibition features 15 iconic works by 19th-century French master Auguste Rodin, selected from the museum’s collection by British artist Kneebone and shown alongside eight of her own large-scale porcelain sculptures. 

“Newspaper Fiction: The New York Journalism of Djuna Barnes, 1913–1919.” Through Aug. 19. An exploration of the early journalistic career of Barnes (1892–1982), an American writer and women’s rights advocate.

“Question Bridge: Black Male.” Through June 3. An innovative video installation created by artists Hank Willis Thomas and Chris Johnson in collaboration with Bayeté Ross Smith and Kamal Sinclair that features dialogue among 150 black men recruited from 11 American cities and towns.

BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY: 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. (718) 230-2198 or www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.

“Drawn From My Father’s Adventures.” Through Aug. 24. Brooklyn-based illustrator and artist Sophie Blackall created these original drawings based on the stories her father told her as a child.

Sophie Blackall: Stories-Pictures-Books. Through Aug. 24. Original illustrations and sketches from favorite published stories illustrated by Blackall.

The 26th Annual Ezra Jack Keats / NYC Department of Education Bookmaking Competition Exhibition. Through Aug. 24. Over the past 25 years, New York City public schoolchildren have written and illustrated enough books to fill a small library. These hand-made books are entered into the Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition. On display are all of the schoolwide, boroughwide and citywide winners. 

CORRIDOR GALLERY: 334 Grand Ave., Clinton Hill. (718) 230-5002 or www.corridorgallerybrooklyn.org.

Christina Massey: “Business & Pleasure.” Through May 19. Massey’s bold compositions are painterly and sculptural creations of recycled work clothes, older paintings and new visceral paint elements. 

FIRST THURSDAY GALLERY WALK: May 3. An opportunity to see gallery shows from a variety of disciplines. Retail businesses also join the festivities with extended hours and in-store events. Participating galleries hold receptions, live music performances and curator/artist talks. Maps are available throughout the neighborhood. For more information, call (718) 222-2500 ext. 49 or visit www.brooklynartproject.com.

FIVEMYLES: 558 St. John’s Place, Prospect Heights. (718) 783-4438 or www.fivemyles.org. 

“Balloons and Barbed Wire.” Through May 10. Sculpture by Musa Hixson.

Chin Chih Yang: Commissioned Installation. May 5–June 6. This project will be primarily made of cans and other recyclable materials. 

HADAS GALLERY: 541 Myrtle Ave., Clinton Hill. (215) 704-2205 or www.hadas

gallery.com. 

“Super Jew Comics.” Through June 17. An exhibition of original production artwork by Al Wiesner and Joshua H. Stulman for the Jewish comic book series Shaloman and Israeli Defense Comics. The exhibition celebrates Jewish identity in the graphic medium. Several events are planned to coincide with the exhibition, including a presentation by Up, Up and Oy Vey author Rabbi Simcha Weinstein.

KENTLER INTERNATIONAL DRAWING SPACE: 353 Van Brunt St., Red Hook. (718) 875-2098 or www.kentlergallery.org. 

10th Annual Works on Paper Benefit Exhibition. Through May 13. Over 100 artists have  donated drawings and works on paper to help support Kentler’s 2012 exhibitions and public programs. An exhibition will be on view for before a May 19 benefit event. 

MOCADA: 80 Hanson Place, Fort Greene. (718) 230-0492 or mocada.org.

“The Box That Rocks: 30 Years of Video Music Box and the Rise of Hip Hop Music & Culture.” Through May 28. In 1983, Ralph McDaniels launched “Video Music Box,” a groundbreaking television program that ushered in the popularity and innovation of music videos. This exhibition of contemporary art celebrates the global influence of “Video Music Box,” and the show’s historic contribution to urban music and culture. 

MURIEL GUEPIN GALLERY: 47 Bergen St., Boerum Hill. (718) 858-4535 or www.murielguepingallery.com.

“Detritus Splendors.” Through June 3. Featuring the artwork of Matthew Conradt and Jennifer Williams.

THE OLD STONE HOUSE: 336 Third St., Park Slope. (718) 768-3195 or www.theoldstonehouse.org.

“Brooklyn Utopias: Park Space Play Space.” Through June 24. This exhibition brings together 19 artists and arts groups to address the ideal design, planning and use of public parks and coincides with the unveiling of the newly renovated Washington Park/J.J. Byrne Playground.

PARK SLOPE STARBUCKS: 164 Seventh Ave. (718) 369-3098 or www.starbucks.com/ store/15830.

Dancewave by Tom Rawe. Through May 31. A photography exhibit featuring young members from the outstanding pre-professional Dancewave Companies performing works by renowned choreographers Andrea Miller, David Dorfman, Jamal Jackson and Ronald K. Brown.

TABLA RASA GALLERY: 224 48th St., Sunset Park. (718) 833-9100 or www.tablarasagallery.com. 

Works from the Tabla Rasa Collection: To view, call for appointment and scheduled hours.

UNITED PHOTO INDUSTRIES HQ: 111 Front St., Suite 204, DUMBO. www.united photoindustries.com.

Andrew Frost: “The Northeast Kingdom.” Through May 20. 

THE WALK WAY GALLERY: reBar, 147 Front St., DUMBO. (718) 766-9110 or www.rebarnyc.com

“Living in a Culture of Disregard.” Through May 27. A two-part, mixed-medium show of local artist Beck Lane’s expressionist and abstract expressionist prints and paintings. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/BeckatReBar.

YES GALLERY: 147 India St., Greenpoint. (917) 593-9237 or yesgalleryyes.com. 

“Equality Now.” Through May 20. A benefit and exhibition featuring works by Lara Pacilio. Pacilio uses materials such as iron and covered wood to create images showing the pains and struggles of women.

Comedy

BAM HOWARD GILMAN OPERA HOUSE: 30 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org

David Sedaris. May 8, at 7:30 p.m. Sedaris, regular National Public Radio contributor and author of bestsellers “Naked,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,” and will bring sardonic humor and incisive social critique to BAM.

Cultural Events

BROOKLYN MUSEUM: 200 Eastern Parkway. (718) 638-5000 or www.brooklynmuseum.org. 

Target First Saturday: Connecting Cultures. May 5, from 5–11 p.m. The May edition of the museum’s monthly festival of arts and culture will feature some of New York’s most prolific Colombian musicians, fusing traditional folklore and instruments with the rhythms of Cumbia, Porro, Puya, Tambora, and Bullerengue.

Family/Kids

BAY RIDGE JEWISH CENTER: 405 81st St., Bay Ridge. (718) 836-3103 or www.bayridgejewishcenter.org.

Family Shabbat Potluck Dinner. May 4, at 6 p.m. Services, songs and stories for children and adults. Please bring a dairy dish for 10 people (no peanuts). 

BROOKLYN MUSIC SCHOOL: 126 Saint Felix St., Fort Greene. (718) 638-5660 or www.brooklynmusicschool.org.

Afro-Caribbean Dance Workshops. Thursdays, through June 14, from 6–7:30 p.m. Free dance workshops for children and adults in the folkloric tradition of Bomba, a fascinating dance and music that emerged in Puerto Rico during the 17th century and that incorporates live drumming, singing and dancing. 

COBBLE HILL CINEMAS: 265 Court St., Cobble Hill. (718) 596-9113 or bigmoviesforlittlekids.blogspot.com.

Big Movies for Little Kids: ‘Barbapapa.” May 7, at 4 p.m. The beloved European character Barbapapa is back with his friends on the big screen. Thanks to a few adequate shape changes and their brilliant imagination, they bring an end to even the most difficult of problems, and always in the gentlest manner. 

PUPPETWORKS: 338 Sixth Ave., Park Slope. (718) 965-3391 or www.puppetworks.org.

“The Jungle Book.” May 5–Aug. 19, at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. A marionette presentation of Rudyard Kipling’s 1893–94 Fables of India. 

P.S. 3: The Bedford Village School, 50 Jefferson Ave., Clinton Hill.

Shadow Box Theatre: “Once Upon a Story.” May 5, at 11 a.m.; May 3–4, 8–9, at 10:30 a.m. This medley of tales and legends set to music and shadow puppetry includes the stories of Johnny Appleseed and Big Annie, the Native American tale “The Growing Rock,” and a spirited American songfest in praise of our country’s diverse cultures. 

Festivals/Fairs

BROOKLYN HISTORICAL SOCIETY: 128 Pierrepont St., Brooklyn Heights. (718) 222-4111 or www.brooklynhistory.org.

Spring Green Fair. May 5–6, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. A retail project where artists from the Workshop Gallery Artists Foundation partners with individuals, other non-profits or other crafts organizations in order expose the public to beautifully made artisan objects. 

BROOKLYN LYCEUM: 227 Fourth Ave., Gowanus. www.brooklynlyceum.com.

Gowanus County Fair. May 5–6, from 11:30 a.m.–6 p.m. A celebration of Brooklyn culture, featuring a mix of arts, music, crafts, theater, workshops, classes and food. 

FOURTH ANNUAL SPRING HANDMADE CAVALCADE: May 5, from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. At Littlefield, 622 Degraw St., Boerum Hill. A fair featuring all things local and handmade: Clothing, jewelry, accessories, paper goods, bath and body treasures, toys, housewares and more. For more information, visit www.handmadecavalcade.com.

THIRD ANNUAL WE CAN GREEN BROOKLYN ECOFAIR: May 5, from 11 a.m. — 5 p.m. At Holy Cross Outdoor Yard, 2510 Church Ave., Flatbush. There will be vendors, children activities, an open mike, home repair workshops, crafts, live entertainment, seminars on green jobs and business opportunities, art and more. For more information, call (718) 469-4679.

Film 

BAMCINÉMATEK: 30 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org. 

Bresson. Through May 6. Robert Bresson (1901–1999) searched for the soul in the modern world, revealing the divine in the unlikeliest places and exploring states of both spiritual rapture and lament. 

The Box That Rocks: 30 Years of Video Music Box. May 8. Video Music Box creator and Ralph McDaniels hosts this special screening of rare Video Music Box interviews and live performance highlights. Created in 1983, Video Music Box ushered in the popularity and innovation of music videos. 

New Czech Films. May 9–13.

BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY: 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. (718) 230-2198 or www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.

Silent Film Series: Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid” and “A Dog’s Life.” May 6, at 1:30 p.m. In Chaplin’s first three-reeler, “A Dog’s Life,” the Tramp befriends a dog and a dance-hall performer who, like him, all lead “dog’s lives.” In his first feature-length film,” The Kid,” the Tramp finds an abandoned baby who becomes a surrogate son, until the authorities try to separate them. Both films directed by Chaplin. 

ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE: 180 Remsen St., Brooklyn Heights. www.sfc.edu.

Eighth Annual NYC Mental Health Film Festival. May 5, from 12 noon–5 p.m. The festival brings awareness to mental health issues through positive depictions of the mental health community in film. This year’s festival will tackle the issue of police-mental health community member relations. For more information, visit www.communityaccess.org/filmfestival.

Music 

17 FROST THEATER OF THE ARTS: 17 Frost St., Williamsburg. (646) 389-2017 or 17frost.com.

Songwriter Night. May 4. Presented by Phillstock and featuring Chris Velan, Megan Burtt, Open To The Hound and Carly Howard.

BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY: 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. (718) 230-2198 or www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.

Classical Interludes: Claremont Trio. May 6, at 4 p.m. Emily Bruskin, violin, Julia Bruskin, violoncello and Andrea Lam, piano, perform works by Beethoven, Shostakovich and Mendelssohn. 

Tyehimba Jess: Spirituals, Rags and Strings in Brooklyn. May 9, at 7 p.m. In 1892, H.T. Burleigh became one of the first African-American students admitted into the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. The spirituals he sang inspired the Conservatory’s visiting director, Antonín Dvo?ák, to write several masterpieces based on American themes, and to envision a rich and unique future for American music. Now, the Brooklyn Phil Chamber Players team up with poet Tyehimba Jess in a concert that imagines these artists’ lives and stories, spinning out the legacy of this first link between African-American music and the symphonic tradition.

BAM PETER JAY SHARP BUILDING: 30 Lafayette Ave., Fort Greene. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org. 

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. May 3–6. Bryce and Aaron Dessner of Brooklyn’s own The National take over BAM’s spaces for Crossing Brooklyn Ferry. Each of the three nights features a different roster of innovative bands and artists from a cross section of genres — plus screenings of commissioned short films and accompanying scores. For the full schedule, go to CrossingBrooklynFerry.com.

ROULETTE: 509 Atlantic Ave., Boerum Hill. (917) 267-0363 or www.roulette.org.

Mixology: Toni Dove’s “Spectropia.” May 4 and 5, at 8 p.m. Spectropia presents live performers who orchestrate onscreen characters through a mix of film, performance, and a system of motion sensing that serves as a cinematic instrument, creating a narrative form that is part video game, part feature film, and part VJ mashing. 

A Woman Upfront Benefit Concert and Reception. May 9, at 6:30 p.m. Dance the night away to an eclectic array of sounds featuring talented Brooklyn rockers Irka Mateo & Women of Fire, performing Dominican percussion and song; klezmer luminaries Eve Sicular & Isle of Klezbos; and Still Saffire, indie rockers and Willie May Rock Camp alums.

Opera

PLYMOUTH CHURCH: 75 Hicks St, Brooklyn Heights. (718) 624-4743 or www.plymouthchurch.org.

“Cavalleria Rusticana.” May 11, at 8 p.m. and May 20, at 4 p.m. Written by Pietro Mascagni; presented by the Martha Cardona Theater. Fully staged and costumed, with English supertitles. For more information, call (347) 353-2607 or visit themarthacardonatheater.com.

NURTUREART GALLERY: 56 Bogart St., Bushwick. (718) 569-2086 or www.nurtureart.org.

Anne Percoco: “The Life Instinct.” Through May 29. A solo exhibition celebrating makeshift solutions, survival instincts, and the reuse of discarded material.

Theater

BAM HARVEY THEATER: 651 Fulton St., Fort Greene. (718) 636-4100 or www.bam.org.

“The Caretaker.” May 3–June 17. A pair of working-class brothers allows a homeless man to stay in their decrepit London flat, an act of compassion that sparks a cycle of cruelties, delusions, and shifting loyalties in a desperate struggle over territory. Written by Harold Pinter; performed by Theatre Royal Bath Productions/ Liverpool Everyman and Playhous; and directed by Christopher Morahan.

GALLERY PLAYERS: 199 14th St., Park Slope. (212) 352-3101 or www.galleryplayers.com.

“Wonderful Town.” Through May 20. This delightful staple of the musical theater canon is about the adventures and misadventures of two sisters who move from small-town Ohio to the bohemia of 1935 Greenwich Village. With a glorious score of swinging tunes by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, “Wonderful Town” is the quintessential New York musical comedy about tackling your dreams and finding love in the most unexpected places. 

VOORHEES THEATER: NYC College of Technology, 186 Jay St., Downtown Brooklyn. (718) 260-8855.

“Zora Returns to Harlem” May 3–5. The life and times of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most gifted and prolific writers of the Harlem Renaissance, will be portrayed in a one-woman show, starring NAACP Award Winner Antonia Badón. Free. To reserve tickets, visit www.theatreworks.org. 

Tours

FREE OPEN HOUSES: May 5–6. Forty historic sites in all five New York City boroughs will range from museums to historic homes, cultural institutions, sculptures and open spaces. The spaces are competing for the most votes to win the largest of $3 million in grants through Partners in Preservation, a collaboration between The National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express. Sites will feature special programming ranging from behind the scenes tours, performances, scavenger hunts and special exhibits. For information about the specific sites and programming, visit www.PartnersinPreservation.com. 

GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY: 25th Street at Fifth Avenue, Sunset Park. (718) 768-7300 or www.green-wood.com/toursevents.

Written in Stone: Tales of Green-Wood. May 5, at 1 p.m. The monuments and mausoleums of Green-Wood have many fascinating stories to tell and some of the most interesting are not about the most famous. Visit their final resting places with tour guide Ruth Edebohls.

JANE’S WALK 2012: The West Harlem Art Fund is offering two art walks honoring the legendary urban activist Jane Jacobs. Led by Executive Director Savona Bailey-McClain, New Yorkers, visitors and tourists will be able to explore the artistic side of DUMBO and Williamsburg while admiring local architecture and history. Jacobs championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centered approach to planning.

May 5, from 12 noon–2 p.m.: Tour begins and ends at Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St., DUMBO.

May 6, from 12 noon–2 p.m.: Tour begins and ends at Bedford Avenue and N. Seventh Street.

For more information, visit http://mas.org/programs/janeswalknyc.

— Compiled by Rose Desilets

[email protected]