Arts & Entertainment

ART
Artist J Penry curates a series of contemporary collaborations inspired by ‘60s and ‘70s counterculture in “Watermelon Sugar” at V&A Gallery. Through Aug. 11. vandanyc.com

PERFORMANCE

Art

Domestic scenes come in paint and photographs in this group show at Caren Golden Fine Art, including three photos by Gregory Crewdson. Through Aug. 17. carengoldenfineart.com

Movies

By Robin Roberts
After the pop cultural phenom that was “Ally McBeal” fizzled in 2002, Calista Flockhart virtually faded from sight. No longer hounded by a hungry press, eager to document everything from her micro-minis to her skeletal frame, she quietly settled into domestic bliss as mom to son Liam, whom she adopted as a baby in January 2001, and significant other to Harrison Ford. Except for the occasional role in smaller films like “The Last Shot” with Matthew Broderick and “Fragile” with Richard Roxburgh, Flockhart was happily anonymous.

By Heather Corcoran
On the short hike from Chelsea’s major art dealerships to Apexart’s Tribeca gallery, attitude melts away with each passing block. Here, there are no six-figure price tags. No too-chic-for-words assistant sits behind the front desk. Even the title of the non-profit’s latest show, “The Most Curatorial Biennial of the Universe,” underscores Apexart’s outsider status.

ART
Using works from their contemporary art collection, MoMA dares to ask the question: What is Painting? Through Sept. 17. moma.org

DANCE
Through June 7, American Ballet Theater closes their season with their Art Deco-styled version of “Cinderella.” abt.org

WHAT’S IN A PLAY?

A new off-Broadway play poses the question: “When love calls, will you be too hung up to answer?” But the creators of the production pose another: Can a couple of college kids throw together an off-Broadway show in less than six months? Written and directed by students from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, “Picking Up” is the story of Elle, a 20-something struggling actress looking for love in New York after a devastating break-up. “[Elle] spends the entire show trying to find someone new, but also trying to find herself after ending a relationship that defined her for so long,” said Jacey Powers, the show’s playwright and star. “She grows up and out of this experience.

As executive director of the City Parks Foundation, David Rivel has a hand in planning over 1,100 performing arts events to be held in parks this year and has undertaken to bring more programming to low-income neighborhoods. Currently on the organization’s plate is the annual, mostly-free Central Park SummerStage, featuring a diverse slate of performers, ranging from bands like the Brazilian Girls to the writer Amiri Baraka. Rivel talked to the Resident about his efforts to make the city a greener place.—Melissa Swinea

By Rory Winston

Look forward in anger: a fitting battle cry for stand-up raconteur Henry Rollins, the punk patriot who continues to wave his symbolic Black Flag behind enemy lines. Though the band of that name has retreated into history, Rollins refuses to surrender to either unfocused rage or age. Instead, he has become a lean, mean, top-billing comic machine, who has vented his outrage into a spoken-word performance that has taken much of Europe by storm.

ART

Gagosian Gallery’s Summer Show, a hush-hush group show with an all-star roster of artists, should be enough to tide you over until the fall art season. Through Aug. 28. gagosian.com

FREE FOR ALL
This summer, there are more ways than ever to check out the latest bands – and even old favorites –without worrying about tickets.