OPENINGS/RECEPTIONS Openings/Receptions Allen Sheppard Gallery 135 W. 24th St. ...

Allen Sheppard Gallery 135 W. 24th St. (betw. 6th & 7th Aves.), 212-989-9919, www.artbackroom.com. reception 3/4 from 6-8 Tues.-Sat. 12-6, Free "Jump," new paintings by David Konigsberg, probably not Van Halen-inspired [through 3/27].

Alona Kagan Gallery 540 W. 29th St. (betw. 10th & 11th Ave.), 212-360-0670. Tues.-Sat. 10-6. "Werner Reiterer," sculpture & line drawing feat. in first NY showing [reception 3/6 from 6-8, through 4/10]..

The Arsenal Gallery Central Park, 64th St. (5th Ave.), 212-360-8163, www.nyc.gov/parks Mon.-Fri. 9-5, Free "Portraits of a Garden," you can figure this one out yourself [through 4/8].

Asia Society 725 Park Ave. (70th St.), 212-517-2742, www.asiasociety.org Tues.-Sun. 11-6; Fri. 11-9, $7, $5 st./s.c., child. under 16 free "Wrathful Deities in Buddhist Art," one of the most misunderstood aspects of the religion is the focus of an installation to celebrate the opening of the Rubin Museum of Art [through 8/22].

Cavin-Morris Gallery 560 B'way (betw. Houston & Prince Sts.), 212-226-3768, www.cavinmorris.com Tues.-Fri. 10-6; Sat. 11-6, Free "Fante Flags From Ghana," the second in a long-range series of textile exhibitions?feat. the art of the Asafo flag [through 4/17].

Ceres 584/588 B'way #306 (betw. Prince & Houston Sts.), 212-226-4725. Tues.-Sat. 12-6, Free "Earth's Mysteries," Roseanne Backstedt explains w/large scale paintings of landscapes [reception 3/4 from 5:30-8, through 3/27].

ClampArt 531 W. 25th St. (10th Ave.), 646-230-0020, www.clampart.com Tues.-Fri. 11-6. "Hybrid," photos by Dietmar Busse & Doris Mitsch, both using flowers as their primary subject, but w/a unique spin [through 4/17].

Cooper Hewitt's National Design Museum 2 E. 91st St. (5th Ave.), 212-849-8380, ndm.si.edu Tues.-Thurs. 10-5; Fri. 10-9; Sat. 10-6; Sun. 12-6, $8, $5 st./s.c., child. under 12 free "Shock of the Old: Christopher Dresser," the "first full-scale retrospective on the career of a pioneer industrial designer," [through 7/29].

David Findlay Jr. Fine Art Fuller Bldg. 41 E. 57th St. (betw. Madison & Park Aves.), 212-486-7660, www.findlayart.com Mon.-Sat. 10-5:30. "Jeffrey Blondes," inspired by the landscapes of France, pres. recent paintings [through 3/27].

Deitch Projects 76 Grand St. (betw. Wooster & Greene Sts.), 212-343-7300, www.deitch.com Tues.-Sat. 12-6, Free "Beyond and Back," the next chapter in Michael Beviliacqua's exploration of pop culture, feat. a custom designed race car [through 4/17].

El Museo del Barrio 1230 5th Ave. (104th St.), 212-831-7272, www.elmuseo.org Weds.-Sun. 11-5, Suggst. Contrib. $6 $4 st./s.c., child under 12 free "MoMA at El Museo: Latin American and Caribbean Art From the Collection of The Museum of Modern Art," NY's premier Latino cultural institution in collaberation w/MoMA pres. over 150 significant works [through 7/25].

Goethe-Institut 1014 5th Ave. (betw. 82nd & 83rd Sts.), 212-439-8700, www.goethe.de/newyork . reception 3/4 at 6 Mon. Weds. & Fri. 10-5; Thurs. & Tues. 10-7, Free "The Art of Memory/The Memory of Art," a comparison of American & German approaches to memorializing national tragedy feat. four designs for the WTC memorial & four designs for Holocaust memorials [through 3/31].

Japan Society 333 E. 47th St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), 212-832-1155, www.jpnsoc.org Tues.-Fri. 11-6; Sat. & Sun. 11-5, $5, $3 st./s.c "An Enduring Vision," 17th to 20th century Japanese painting from the Gitter-Yelen Collection, we're talking about a major survey of master artists [through 6/20].

National Arts Club 15 Gramercy Park S. (20th St.), 212-475-3424, www.nationalartsclub.org. reception 3/4 at 6 Mon.-Fri. 10-8. Sat. & Sun. 11-5, Free "Code Orange," land & varied other "scapes" exemplifying the heightened sense of awareness of unknown dangers [through 3/20].

Swiss Institute of Contemporary Art 495 B'way 3rd. fl. (betw. Spring & Broome Sts.), 212-925-2035, www.swissinstitute.net Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "Five Billion Years," "a collective exhibition that tries to adapt to the speed imposed upon us by the inderterminacy of our situation and elaborate an aesthetic of gliding," something about a cosmic jerk [through 5/1].

Wave Hill 675 W. 252nd St. (Independence Ave.), Bronx, 718-549-3200, www.wavehill.org $4, $2 st./s.c., free Tues. & Sun. "Series Matter: Mushrooms," an exhibition by Monika Abbott, inspired by the mushroom-gathering days of her youth in the Czech Republic?insert shroom joke here [through 5/31].

Williamsburg Art & Historical Center 135 B'way (Bedford Ave.), 718-486-7372, www.wahcenter.org Sat. & Sun. 12-6, Free "Variations on a Theme," paintings by Sam Jungkurth & sculptures by Linda Smith [through 3/28].

Galleries

A Taste of Art 147 Duane St. (W. B'way), 212-964-5493, www.atasteofart.com Mon.-Fri. 12-8; Sat. 12-6, Free "Night Mannequins," if they are anything like Kim Catrall in Mannequin they should be coming to life & running amok in a department store, naked [through 3/29].

Annina Nosei Gallery 530 W. 22nd St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-741-8695. Tues.-Fri 11-6, Free "Ieva Mediodia: Biomorphic Automata," Lithuanian artist's first solo show. She works w/mylar, vinyl & canvas to create dreamy & intricate large scale pieces [through 3/30].

Anthem Gallery 41 Wooster St. (betw. Broome & Grand Sts.), 212-334-9364, www.anthemgallery.com Sun.-Sat. 12-7, Free "E Clips," Alex Harsley's show takes us on a tour up & down the West Side Highway w/images from the 70s. As a treat he will also show photos of Basquiat, Mohammed Ali & John Lee Hooker [through 3/8].

Anton Kern Gallery 532 W. 20th St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-367-9663, www.antonkerngallery.com Tues.-Sat. 10-6, Free "Commerzbank," German artist Manfred Pernice creates bench shaped sculptures for his double entendre named show. Commerzbank is to Germany as Citibank is to the US & bank means both bank & bench [through 3/20].

Art Moving 166 N. 12th St. (Bedford St.), Williamsburg, 917-301-6680. Fri.-Mon. 2-6, Free "Halliburton," sublime paintings by Adam Simon that kind of, maybe, resemble paper cuts? [through 3/8].

AXA Gallery 787 7th Ave. (51st St.), 212-554-2015, www.axa-financial.com Mon.-Fri. 11-6; Sat. 12-5, Free "They Still Draw Pictures: Children's Art in Wartime from the Spanish Civil War to Kosovo," beautiful, haunting ones at that made by those who understand the least about war & generally suffer the most from it [through 4/3].

Barbara Gladstone Gallery 515 W. 24th St. (10th Ave.), 212-206-9300, www.gladstonegallery.com Tues.-Sat. 10-6, Free "Alighiero e Boetti," expressive photos on paper [through 3/27].

Bonni Benrubi Gallery 52 E. 76th St. (betw. Park & Madison Aves.), 212-517-3766, www.bonnibenrubi.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "Massimo Vitali: Landscape with Figures," photographer captures people in places like masses of bodies lying on lounges on a super-crowded beach [through 4/10].

Borough of Manhattan Community College 199 Chambers St. (Greenwich St.), 212-220-7224.. "A Blues for Nina," black women artists on race, gender & the legacy of Nina Simone?this week only, at "The Breezeway" at Theatre 1 [through 3/10].

Bruce Silverstein Gallery 504 W. 22nd St. (10th Ave.), 212-627-3930, www.brucesilverstein.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "KNOCKOUT!," Kathy Suder's photo show on boxing knocks you out?or so mama said [through 3/13].

Cheim & Read 547 W. 25th St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-242-7727, www.artnet.com/cheim-read.html Tues.-Sat. 10-6, Free "Lynda Benglis: A Sculpture Survey; 1969-2004," from then to now, the artist's works are comprised of 'metaphorical, sexual & biomorphic shapes' [through 4/3].

Cheryl Pelavin Fine Arts 13 Jay St. (betw. Greenwich & Staple Sts.), 212-925-9424, cherylpelavin.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "The Crane and the Heron Series," monotypes & works on paper by Valentina Dubasky [through 4/3].

Deitch Projects 18 Wooster St. (betw. Grand & Canal Sts.), 212-343-7300, www.deitch.com Tues.-Sat. 12-6, Free "Suburban House Kit," this installation realizes a full scale suburban environment. Comes w/ house, garden, driveway & car?dog & batteries sold seperately [through 3/27].

Denise Bibro Fine Art 529 W. 20th St. 4th fl. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-647-7030. Tues.-Sat. 11-5, Free "About Face," group photo show feat. greats incl. Jed Devine & WIlliam Eggelston [through 3/6].

The Drawing Center 35 Wooster St. (betw. Broome & Grand Sts.), 212-219-2166, www.drawingcenter.org Tues.-Fri. 10-6; Sat. 11-6, Free "Helena Almeida: Inhabited Drawings," 'innovative approach' to drawing can lead to many things incl. your forehead buried in charcoal on the floor... [through 3/6].

80 Washington Square East Galleries 80 Washington Sq. (betw. W. 4th St. & Waverly Pl.), 212-998-5747.. "Small Works," A group show feat. "1502" & "The Spanish Lesson" [through 3/12].

Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery 516 W. 25th St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-645-0061, www.eyejammie.com Mon.-Sat. 12-6, Free "Work It! Images of Women in Hip Hop," respect goes out to the females of hip hop who deal w/stereotypes, sexism & the terms biatches & hos being flippantly thrown at their hard working heads. See the fruits of their labor [through 3/27].

Feigen Contemporary 535 W. 20th St. (10th Ave.), 212 929 0500, www.feigencontemporary.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "Nicky Hoberman," exhibits large drawings & 1 oil painting showing little girls & cats who have lost touch w/gravity. "Jeanne Dunning" meanwhile swathes her models in black cloth, creating an anatomical peek-a-boo show [through 3/27].

Gallery Onetwentyeight 128 Rivington St. (Norfolk St.), 212-674-0244. Weds.-Sun. 12-6, Free "Jugalbandi," South Asian & American Indian artists cross borders to create art inspired by each other's land.

The Grolier Club 47 E. 60th St. (Park Ave.), 212-838-6690, www.grolierclub.org Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Free "Volvelles: The Magnificent Art of Circular Charting," feat. marvelous "information wheels," used to calculate, record & measure the positions of the sun, moon, planets & even tides [through 4/24].

Haim Chanin Fine Arts 210 11th Ave. 2nd fl. (betw. 24th & 25th Sts.), 646-230-7200, www.haimchanin.com Tues.-Sat. 10-6, Free "Winds," group show w/one common element (guess what it is) incl. video pieces, wax & oil paintings, soot on glass paintings & paintings done by trees [through 3/13].

Howard Greenberg Gallery Fuller Building, 41 E. 57th St. (Madison Ave.), 212-334-0010, www.howardgreenberg.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "Halsman/Dali," Philippe Halsman & Savlador Dali played together in a whimsical world of art & madness. "Confidence." Mark Osterman takes you on a journey through 20 years in a traveling medicine show, all in one night! [through 3/13].

Jim Kempner Fine Art 501 W. 23rd St. (10th Ave.), 212-206-6872, www.artnet.com/jkfa.html Tues.-Sat. 10-6, Free "The Kennedys: Photographs by Jaques Lowe," b&w photos from the classy Camelot . Also, "Masterworks from the Life Magazine Photo Collection" by a nice selection of photographers incl. Margaret Bourke-White & Andreas Feininger [through 3/20].

Kerrigan Campbell art + projects 317 E. 9th St. (2nd Ave.), 212-505-7196, www.kerrigancampbell.com Wed.-Sun. 12-7, Free "Weaving Pain," Seongmin Ahn uses strips of burnt, ripped & woven rice paper to create almost sculptural pieces [through 3/7].

Kim Foster Gallery 529 W. 20th St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-229-0044, www.artnet.com/kfoster.html Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "Still," as in quiet, calm, immobile perfectly describes Sarah Leahy's contemplations on water & reflections [through 3/27].

LFL Gallery 531 W. 26th St., 4th fl. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-989-7700, www.lflgallery.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "More Than You Want, Less Than You Need," painter Jim Meyerson likes kinetic imagery & reproduces it in his work with frantic colors & swirling paints [through 3/27].

Littlejohn Contemporary 41 E. 57th St. (Madison Ave.), 212-980-2323, www.littlejohncontemporary.com Tues.-Sat. 10-5:30, Free "Nothing By Mouth," cubes covered in patterns & textures by Mary Hambleton [through 3/6].

National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center, 1 Bowling Green (betw. State & Whitehall Sts.), 212-514-3700, www.americanindian.si.edu Daily 10-5; Thurs. 10-8, Free "George Longfish," the artist shows large acrylic paintings & an installation inspired by a medicine wheel [through 5/23].

Paul Kasmin Gallery 293 10th Ave. (27th St.), 212-563-4474, www.paulkasmingallery.com Tues.-Sat. 10-6, Free "Barry Flanagan," showing 23 bronze sculptures feat. animals particularly hares engaged in various acrobatics in combination w/inanimate objects like computers & anvils [through 3/13].

Paul Rodgers/9W Gallery 529 W. 20th St. (10th Ave.), 212-414-9810, www.paulrodgers9w.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "Music Marking Making Music," group show about the 'm' word, that being music not what you were thinking [through 3/20].

Pierogi Gallery 177 N. 9th St. (Bedford St.), Bklyn, 718-599-2144, www.pierogi2000.com Thurs.-Mon. 12-6, Free "Kim Jones: Escape from the Flatlands," retreat! Runaway! Flee! Graphite on paper drawings with such titles as Untitled War Drawings [through 3/15].

Plane Space 102 Charles St. (betw. Hudson St. & 7th Ave.), 917-606-1268, www.plane-space.com Wed.-Sat. 10-6; Sun. 1-5, Free "Meghan Scribner," picture a cream colored water balloon lying, post explosion, over furniture, intrigued aren't you? [through 3/21].

Posteritati Movie Poster 239 Centre St. (betw. Broome & Grand Sts.), 212-226-2207, www.posteritati.com Tues.-Sat. 11-7; Sun. 12-6, Free "Orson Welles," showcase of one man's creative endeavors (acting, directing, producing) as witnessed through the posters that advertised him [through 4/15].

Ricco Maresca Gallery 529 W. 20th St. 3rd fl. (10th Ave.), 212-627-4819, www.riccomaresca.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "Andrea Stern: Inheritance," and to you dear reader, I bequeath a free visit to this gallery to see highlights from a photographic journey through one woman's family tree [through 3/20].

Robert Mann Gallery 210 11th Ave., 10th fl. (betw. 24th & 25th Sts.), 212-989-7600, www.robertmann.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6., Free "Jem Southam," the artist's first US show brings you images of the tranquil yet ever changing landscapes of England [through 3/20].

Robert Steele Gallery 511 W. 25th St. (10th Ave.), 212-243-0165, www.robertsteelegallery.com Tues.-Sat. 11-6, Free "Erhan's Babies," Aussie artist Erhan uses airbrush to recreate the female in a pop art hyper style [through 3/13].

SculptureCenter 44-19 Purves St. (Jackson Ave.), L.I.C., 718-361-1750, www.sculpture-center.org Thurs.-Tues. 12-6, Free "In Practice Projects," works commissioned through the In Practice program, created to support works by innovative emerging artists [through 4/11].

Soho Photo Gallery 15 White St. (betw. 6th Ave. & W. B'way), 212-226-8571, www.sohophoto.com Thurs. 6-8; Fri.-Sun. 1-6, Free "National Juried Krappy Kamera Exhibition," see what a doo-doo camera can do, now you can stop blaming your bad photos on a crappy camera [through 4/3].

Tibor de Nagy Gallery 724 5th Ave. (betw. 56th & 57th Sts.), 212-262-5050, www.tibordenagy.com Tues.-Sat. 10-5:30, Free "Horizons," to make you broaden yours by Pat de Groot. "Paintings and Works on Paper" by Tom Burckhardt w/"landscape references, collaged w/figures & objects"?vague enough? [through 3/13].

UrbanGlass 647 Fulton St. (Ashland Pl.), Bklyn, 718 625 3685, www.urbanglass.org Daily 12-5. "Illuminating Surfaces: Bisazza and the Art of Mosaic," show of glass mosaics by the world's leading producer thereof [through 5/31].

White Columns 320 W. 13th St. (Horatio St.), 212-924-4212, www.whitecolumns.org Weds.-Sun. 12-6, Free "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," named after a folktale this exhibit revolves around the concepts & archetypes everpresent in folklore [through 3/14].

Museums/Cultural Inst.

American Museum of Natural History Central Park W. (79th St.), 212-769-5100, www.amnh.org Daily 10-5:45, $12, $9 st./s.c., $7 child "Vietnam: Journeys of the Body, Mind & Spirit," comprehensive exhibition on Vietnamese life today [through 3/7]. "Milstein Hall of Ocean Life," you have to see the redone hall of fishy life. "Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites," wear protective head gear to the hall dedicated to rocks that rain down from the sky?Chicken-Little was right! "Petra: Lost City of Stone," once upon a time, the Nabateans created a city called Petra, then they lost it, now we've found it [through 7/4].

Asia Society 725 Park Ave. (70th St.), 212-517-2742, www.asiasociety.org Tues.-Sun. 11-6; Fri. 11-9, $7, $5 st./s.c., child. under 16 free "Paradise Now? Contemporary Art from the Pacific," dreaming of a better life in the Pacific Islands? Check out this counter narrative on 'environmental degradation, land rights & contemporary modifications of indigenous traditions' [through 5/9].

the Gallery at the American Bible Society 1865 B'way (betw. 61st & 62nd Sts.), 212-408-1500, www.americanbible.org/gallery Mon.-Weds. Fri. 10-6; Thurs. 10-7; Sat. 10-5, Free "Threads of Faith," quilt show of 54 pieces made by the members of the "Women of Color Quilters Network" [through 4/17].

International Center of Photography 1133 6th Ave. (43rd St.), 212-857-0000, www.icp.org Tues.-Thurs. 10-5; Fri. 10-8; Sat. & Sun. 10-6, $10, $7 st./s.c. "Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self," group show curated by Coco Fusco & Bran Wallis, incl. works by Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans & Cindy Sherman [through 3/28].

Jewish Museum 1109 5th Ave. (92nd St.), 212-423-3200, www.thejewishmuseum.org Sun.-Weds. 11-5:45; Thurs. 11-8; Fri. 11-3, $10, $7.50 st./s.c., child. under 12 free. Pay-what-you-wish Thurs. after 5 "Schoenberg, Kandinsky, and the Blue Rider," work by the acclaimed artists?at 10, a cousin took us to see a Kandinsky show & we were bored out of our minds, we hope you have a better time. [through 4/1]. "Focus on the Soul: The Photographs of Lotte Jacobi" more than 80 vintage prints taken with a camera that captured the souls of Käthe Kollwitz, Einstein, J.D. Salinger, Robert Frost, Chagall & more [through 4/11].

Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 5th Ave. (82nd St.), 212-535-7710, www.metmuseum.org Tues.-Thurs. Sun. 9:30-5:30; Fri. & Sat. 9:30-9, $12, $7 st./s.c., child. under 12 free w/adult "Chuck Close Prints: Process & Collaboration," retrospective of more than 100 pieces, incl. Chuck's first ever print, intaglios, woodcuts, silk screens, lithos & editioned pulp paper pieces (say that three times fast) [through 4/18].

Metropolitan Museum of Art Grace Rainey Rogers Aud. 5th Ave. (82nd St.), 212-570-3949. Tues.-Thurs. & Sun. 9:30-5:30; Fri. & Sat. 9:30-9, $12, $7 st./s.c., child. under 12 free "Celebrating Saint Petersburg," oodles of Russian & European art from the 1700s through the early 20th century, for the 300th anniversary of the 'Burg [through 3/14].

MOMA QNS 33rd St. (Queens Blvd.), L.I.C., 212-708-9400, www.moma.org Thurs. & Sun. 10-5; Fri. & Sat. 10-9, $12, $8.50 st./s.c., Fri. after 4 pay-what-you-wish "Kiki Smith: Prints, Books, and Things," a survey of this print master's achievements from lithographs & etchings to books [through 3/8].

Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology 7th Ave. (27th St.), 212-217-5800, www.fitnyc.suny.edu Tues.-Fri. 12-8; Sat. 10-5, Free "Temptation, Joy, Scandal: Fragrance and Fashion 1900-1950," nothing like a sexy smell & a short skirt to stir things up... [through 4/10].

Museum of Jewish Heritage 36 Battery Pl. (betw. 1st Pl. & B'way), 646-437-4200, www.mjhnyc.org, $7, $5 st./s.c., child. under 5 free "Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War," inaugural exhibition of the new wing at the museum looks at the part Jewish men & women played in the American war effort abroad [through 10/26].

Museum of the City of New York 1220 5th Ave. (103rd St.), 212-534-1672, www.mcny.org Weds.-Sat. 10-5; Sun. 12-5, $7, $4 st./s.c./child., $12 families "Glass and Glamour: Steuben's Modern Moment, 1930-1960," first exhibition ever to explore the avant-garde chapter in the story of the glass maker, Steuben [through 6/20].

The New-York Historical Society 2 W. 77th St. (Central Park W.), 212-873-3400, www.nyhistory.org Tues.-Sun. 11-6., $8, $5 st./s.c., child. under 12 free "Children at Risk: Protecting New York City's Youths 1653-2003," save the children! Exhibit documents the last 350 years of efforts to help NY's kids?you'd think they'd be alright by now [through 4/4].

NY Transit Museum, Gallery Annex, Grand Central Terminal 42nd St. (Park Ave. S.), 718-694-5100, www.mta.nyc.ny.us/museum Mon.-Fri. 8-8; Sat. & Sun. 10-6, Free "Daniel Greene: Subway Paintings," paintings of funny little cars that run underground & take you places [through 4/11].

Whitney Museum of American Art 945 Madison Ave. (75th St.), 212-570-3676, www.whitney.org Tues.-Thurs. Sat.& Sun. 11-6; Fri. 1-9, $8, $6 st./s.c./groups 10 or more; Fri. pay-what-you-wish 6-9 p.m "Inside Out: Portrait Photographs from the Permanent Collection," this show explores portraiture looking at vanity, scrutiny & the roles of the sitter & artist [through 5/23].