WED 23 “Confucian moral thought offers the educated man two moral alternatives,” explain the Art Notes for the Berkeley Art Museum’s new exhibition, Narrating Moral Models, “to serve in the bureaucracy or retire to a contemplative life in the countryside.” How times have changed since the days of Nakabayashi Chikkei’s Red Cliff Landscape scrolls (1862). Little is mentioned about dealing in hedge funds, even less about becoming a TV star. Whisk yourself away to those bygone days amid antique Chinese and Japanese paintings — landscapes, portraits — illustrating that deceptively simple moral choice, on display through July 24 in BAM’s Asian Galleries. The show is curated by Sheila Keppel. 2626 Bancroft Way on the UC Berkeley campus, Wednesdays through Saturdays. Turn to BAMPFA. Berkeley.edu for a confusion of choices, moral and otherwise. — Kelly Vance
THU 24 The much-quoted “butterfly effect” began its life in our collective consciousness as more of a “seagull consequence,” when a 1963 research paper stated that, if chaos theory were correct, “one flap of a seagull’s wings would be enough to alter the course of the weather forever.” This was later morphed into the elegant butterfly metaphor, but when it comes to domestic violence, the original filthy, scavenging metaphor is more appropriate. This evening from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Laney College Forum (900 Fallon St., Oakland), Black Women Organized for Political Action and the Training Institute for Leadership Enrichment facilitate an informal dialogue to explore how violence perpetrated against women in poor communities is related to other issues — political, social, environmental, economic, and more. The Conversation on Violence in Our Communities features a pretalk presentation of excerpts from Cynthia Foreman’s Bruised Not Broken, and a postconversation reception. Free. RSVP : 510-763-9523 or [email protected] — Stefanie Kalem
FRI 25 The designation “folk” is about as useful as “jazz” nowadays, and Berkeley punk HQ 924 Gilman just proved it by billing tonight as a “folk show.” Well, don’t worry, kids — it ain’t “I Gave My Love a Flower,” but it is acoustic. And it’s all good, from David Dondero‘s frenetic tales of love and woe on the long, hard road, to the carniful shenanigans of the Sour Mash Hug Band, from the heartfelt harmonic protest songs of Folk This! to Portland duo Hillstomp‘s country-punkin’ blues, all the way back to local folk standard-bearers Bye and Bye‘s opening set. 8 p.m., $5, all ages. — Stefanie Kalem
SAT 26 Too damn many pit bulls in the world, don’t you agree? Oh, I’m not talking about yours. Good ol’ Rhino wouldn’t hurt a fly, of course. Unless he’s provoked. It’s all those other pit bulls we’re talking about, the ones that always seem to get attached to postal workers’ fetlocks and little kids’ arms. Various Bay Area humane orgs are concerned enough about the pit bull overpopulation problem that they’re hosting Pit Fix Day 2005, with free spay/neuter surgeries for pit bulls at various locations. Just take Jake or li’l Brandy to the SPCA, 410 Hegenberger Loop (off Interstate 880) in Oakland; or Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, 2890 Mitchell Dr. (at the corner of Oak Grove Road), Walnut Creek — any time between 7 a.m. and noon today. And ask about half-price vaccinations and microchipping. Appointments are a must: 1-877-4-PITFIX (474-8349). — Kelly Vance
SUN 27 All y’all kids and kids at heart (even those of you who just have some sort of rabbit thing) are invited to Dunsmuir Historic Estate’s Old-Fashioned Easter Celebration, happening today from noon to 3 p.m. Paint and hunt for eggs among the park’s landscape, whose design is said to have been advised by Golden Gate Park’s landscape architect, John McLaren. Place games among the Camperdown elms, bunya-bunyas, and hornbeam birches, then take a tour of the mansion’s Tiffany-style dome, ten fireplaces, and servants’ quarters with room for twelve. And you can chill with the big bunny. Bring your basket! Adults pay $5, seniors and kids ages eleven to sixteen pay $4, ages four to ten cost $1, and kids four and younger get in free. 2960 Peralta Oaks Ct., Oakland. Info: Dunsmuir.org or 510-615-5555. — Stefanie Kalem
MON 28 Carnaval San Francisco is coming up at the end of May, and Oakland’s Carijama may be reborn yet, in a new part of the city. And there’s still time for you to be a part of it all; just sign up for a drumming or dancing class, and see if you’ve got what it takes to revel with os meninos grandes. Every Monday, for example, you can learn to dance with one of the region’s samba royalty, Jacque Barnes. Carijama organizer, cofounder of Batucaje, the first samba school of the Bay Area, and SF’s 1993 Carnaval Queen, Barnes teaches ongoing classes for all levels at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland in Studio E (third floor), every Monday from 6:30-8:15 p.m. Classes are $12. Call 510-238-7219. — Stefanie Kalem
TUE 29 Roman Vishniac’s haunting photographs of everyday Jewish life in Poland before the WWII Holocaust, collected in his book A Vanished World, have inspired quite a few artists. Naomie Kremer is one of them. Vishniac’s photos of the inhabitants of the shtetl — freighted with foreboding when we realize most of the subjects were doomed to die when the Nazis came — evidently remind Ms. Kremer of her family, who had similar troubles of their own. Consequently, when Kremer riffs on the Vishniac photos by making contour drawings on top of them using watercolor paper, she is effectively detourning the Holocaust. And when she produces a three-minute animated film of her drawings of Vishniac’s pictures, she achieves a triple-remove. Ms. Kremer, who works out of Paris and Oakland, aptly calls the whole thing Revisions, and it is now up and running at Berkeley’s Judah L. Magnes Museum, through July 31. 2911 Russell St., 510-549-6950, Magnes.org — Kelly Vance
