COMPILED BY SCOTT STIFFLER
PAINTINGS, PRINTS & DRAWINGS FROM BURNING MAN
The Carter Burden Center’s relatively young Gallery 307 is dedicated to showcasing the work of older artists. Their latest focuses on work from 81-year-old Arnold Wechler. A longtime presence on the New York art scene, Wechsler’s abstract paintings have been inspired by popular cultures (often reflected in works that balance the organic and geometric form with native pictographs). “This exhibit,” says Wechler, “has a different stylistic energy than some of my previous work. Many of the pieces are inspired by my travels, a lot of it reflecting on the differences between country and city life.” The work featured in “Paintings, Prints & Drawings from Burning Man” includes recent oil and acrylic paintings, drawings on paper, charcoal works, etchings and Giclee (a form of digital imaging). Sept. 15-Oct. 6, at The Carter Burden Center for the Aging’s Gallery 307 (307 Seventh Ave., Suite 1401). Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat., 11am-5pm. For more info, call 646-400-5245 or visit carterburdencenter.org.
STEELY DAN: SHUFFLE DIPLOMACY TWENTY ELEVEN
For a duo whose most recent work centered around the virtues of greeting the apocalypse with equal parts nihilism, denial and a jazzy party vibe (2003’s “Everything Must Go”), Steely Dan isn’t quite ready for the world to end. Last seen here during 2009’s “Rent Party” tour, the thankfully prolific duo of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen are back with “Shuffle Diplomacy Twenty Eleven” — which, far from heralding the end times, promises “an idealistic strategy for World Peace.” Their run features performances of complete albums (“Gaucho” on Sept. 16 and “The Royal Scam on Sept. 20) — plus fan voting online to determine the set for Sept. 22’s Request Night. Classics like “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Deacon Blues” are sure to please — but for a taste of what makes them both relevant and enduring, here’s hoping they’ll lay into “Pixeleen” and “Cousin Dupree” on September 23. That evening’s “21st Century Dan” program features work from 2000’s “Two Against Nature” and the aforementioned “Two Against Nature.” Both albums deliver lyrics, licks and a narrative vision every bit as layered and complex as their ‘70s output. September 14-23, at the Beacon Theatre (2124 Broadway, at 74th St). For tickets, visit steelydan.com (telecharge.com for multi-show packages). For venue info, visit beacontheatre.com.
CHARTING GROUND ZERO: TEN YEARS AFTER
Seen from great heights, the hole left at Ground Zero seems even more shocking than those now-familiar close up photos of the smoldering ruins. But if the aerial view disturbs as it reveals the magnitude of destruction, it also provides a unique opportunity to view the event with a clarity that can only come from distance (and time). “Charting Ground Zero: Ten Years After” does just that — by using maps, cartographic representations and laser imaging to show the site’s evolution and rebirth over the last decade. Organized by Woodward Gallery, the original exhibition has traveled the country (and will ultimately be donated to the Memorial Museum at Ground Zero, for their permanent instillation). This updated version includes 2010 images produced with light detection and ranging (LIDAR) laser-based instruments mounted on planes — those unexpected weapons of 9/11. Free. Sept. 7-Oct. 23. At Woodward Gallery (133 Eldridge St.). Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat., 11am-6pm; Sun., 12-5pm; and by private appointment. Visit woodwardgallery.net or call 212-966-3411.
TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE BOOK LAUNCH
Fourth-generation Psychic Medium Linda Lauren has good instincts (and, apparently, a flair for the dramatic). How else do you explain her branching out from the vocation of reading others to writing for others — and choosing the genuinely haunted Merchant’s House Museum as the location for her launch party? Her debut novel, “Hostage in Time,” is described as “a paranormal time-travel romance.” In addition to doing a meet and greet (and probably reading from the book), Lauren will sign copies and engage her guests in a, well, spirited round of Q&A. There will also be beverages and hors d’oeuvres relevant to the 1800s. Appropriate, since that’s the time period her heroine is transported to. It’s also the era carefully frozen in time by the folks who keep Merchant’s House alive.
Thurs., Sept. 15, 6-9pm at The Merchant’s House Museum (29 E. 4th St., btw. Lafayette & Bowery; merchantshouse.org). Free admission, with purchase of book ($15). For more info, visit lindalauren.com.
Rollerena: A Retrospective
Still known far and wide as the queen of Studio 54 who danced with Nureyev and other celebrities at the world-famous club, local legend Rollerena is a Fairy Godmother whose most enduring work has been done on the streets, bridges and around the fountains of our fair city.
Celebrity photographer Darleen Rubin has spent decades documenting Rollerena’s strange sparkle and undeniable starshine. The exhibit “Rollerena: A Retrospective” features 60 photographs that span 30 years of NYC’s fascination with the wheeled wonder. Though Oct. 29, at the Jefferson Market Library (425 Sixth Ave., at 10th St.). Hours: Mon./Wed. 10am-8pm; Tues./Thurs., 11am-6pm; Fri./Sat. 10am-5pm. For info, call 212-243-6973. Visit darleenrubin.com. Rollerena will make a special guest appearance on Wed., Sept. 28 at 7:15pm. The Jefferson Market Library’s Manager Frank Collerius will interview Rollerena and host a Q&A.
