MONDAY, MAY 14
Screening: Andy Warhol’s Paul Swan at Light Industry
Light Industry will screen Andy Warhol’s 1965 two-reel film of dancer Paul Swan, who was 82 at the time and still performing at weekly salons. The film will be introduced by art historian Douglas Crimp. –Michael H. Miller
Light Industry, 155 Freeman, Brooklyn, 7 p.m., $7
TUESDAY, MAY 15
Gala: The Whitney Art Award
The Chelsea event space the Waterfront plays home to the Whitney’s gala Art Award ceremony. The award is designed by Nicole Eisenman and is going to Peter Brant, the Henry Luce Foundation and the advertising firm Oglivy & Mather. —Dan Duray
The Waterfront, 222 12th Avenue, New York, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16
Screening: Raymond Pettibon, Sir Drone, at Anthology
While Mr. Pettibon is beloved for his Black Flag covers and his endless stream of handsome ink drawings, he also produced a handful of almost unbelievably amateurish videos in the late 1980s focused on various subcultural moments. For Sir Drone (1989) (arguably the most watchable of the bunch), which is being screened as part of the Migrating Forms festival by Electronic Arts Intermix, the artist joined with Mike Kelley and Mike Watt (of Minutemen fame) to present young musicians forming a punk band. Two shorts by Cory Arcangel complete the set. —Andrew Russeth
Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Avenue, New York, 9:15 p.m., $10
THURSDAY, MAY 17
Opening: Wes Lang, “Here Comes Sunshine” at Half Gallery
Wes Lang’s new show at Half Gallery, to quote the copy on their website, “extrapolates from a diverse range of tributaries: tattoo flash, memento mori, Cholo signifiers, Basquiat’s oil stick, Mike Kelley’s 13 Seasons, Tao Te Ching.” That’s a lot of influences for such a small gallery! Swing by to see how they all fit. —D.D.
208 Forsyth Street, New York, 6-8 p.m.
Opening: Maira Kalman, “37 Paintings,” at Julie Saul Gallery
Maira Kalman is known for her delectable, colorful drawings and paintings of narratives built of, in her own words, “moments of rapture,” “moments of despair” and “moments of celebration.” For her fifth solo exhibition at Julie Saul Gallery, she will present paintings and illustrations from books she’s produced over the past two years, some of which have appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and work completed while at the American Academy in Rome in the fall of 2011 including an embroidery. —Rozalia Jovanovic
535 West 22nd Street, New York, 6-8 p.m.
Opening: Nolan Simon at 47 Canal
The Detroit painter Nolan Simon has his first solo show at 47 Canal called, simply, “Paintings,” which, as the press release reminds us, “hang on walls, naturally,” except that the paintings in this show were made with a projector. The artists says, “The show should really be called something like ‘The LORD makes the world empty, and makes it waste, and turns it upside down.’” So…make of that what you will. –M.H.M.
47 Canal, New York, 6-8 p.m.
FRIDAY, MAY 18
Opening: Richard Prince, “14 Paintings,” at 303 Gallery
The gallery’s website lists as a description for this show only random phrases, including “the be all and end all,” “the last place on earth that god didn’t finish” and “these paintings should be shown to the man from Mars.” The show is presented in conjunction with Gagosian Gallery, naturally. —R.J.
547 West 21st Street, New York, 6 p.m.
Opening: “Ideal Pole” at Ramiken
The indefatigable Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard helms this group show, which includes contributions from Richard Kern, Guy Bourdin and a number of unexpected figures, like the notorious art dealer Andrew Crispo. Mr. Melgaard’s curatorial outing at Maccarone last year produced one of the messiest, most thrilling shows of the year. Here’s hoping he does it again. Meanwhile, the list of participants for the show includes BAREBACKINGJESUS.COM. —A.R.
Ramiken Crucible, 389 Grand Street, New York, 12-6 p.m.
