ON THE TOWNS: Eating Well With Just Food and Change Food; Doing Good at Angels of East Africa and NYAWC; Looking Good at MyFaceMyBody ... Artists Have Their Function ... Apollo Remembers an Amateur Called Jimi Hendrix ...

NOVEMBER 2016

IT'S that time of year to be seriously thinking about food. After all, the holidays are in progress, for all intents and purposes.

Two food festivals, organized by advocacy groups, Just Food and Change Food, respectively, challenge consumers to eat fresh and local where possible, and to act to ensure that their food is healthy the way God intended.

Food is one of the resources provided by the do-gooder org, Angels of East Africa. Another do-gooder org, New York Asian Women's Center, provides shelter and other resources to women who have experienced domestic abuse and human trafficking.

Elsewhere, and on lighter note, the public honors the aesthetic industry at a ceremony in Beverly Hills. A group of artists gather at the Onassis Cultural Center in New York to discuss the state of artists in society ...

1-7 November

FOOD. 7:30 p.m. 1 Nov. Let Us Eat Local 2016. Just Food gathers more than 40 of New York City's top chefs prepare seasonal dishes that showcase the best from local farmers and producers. All proceeds from the benefit support Just Food's mission to make fresh, local food a reality for all New Yorkers. Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St. New York. http://www.letuseatlocal2016.splashthat.com/

FILM. 1-7 Nov. The 19th Indie Memphis Film Festival. The opening film is Prichard Smith’s "The Invaders"; the closer is "Kallen Esperian: Vissi D'Arte fromStephen John Ross. Other highlights include a 20th anniversary screening of Milos Forman's "The People vs. Larry Flynt," which was produced in Memphis. Under the rubric, "Pioneers of African American Cinema,” four films from some of the earliest black directors, including "The Blood of Jesus " (Spencer Williams). Also a screening of "Little Men," the latest from Ira Sachs who was raised in Memphis. Various locations. Memphis. http://www.indiememphis.com/

CULTURE. 6:30 p.m. 3 Nov. The New York Asian Women’s Center (NYAWC) 34th Phoenix Awards Benefit Gala. This year the largest Asian American domestic violence organization in the country honors Sheryl WuDunn. An author and journalist, SWD is the first Asian American reporter to win a Pulitzer Prize. Includes an online silent auction. The Essex House, 160 Central Park South. New York. http://www.nyawc.org/events/Gala2016.html

CULTURE. 7 p.m. 4 Nov. Angels of East Africa (AOEA) Gala. The first gala to benefit the organization, which is dedicated to helping with ongoing development projects in the Children’s Village in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda. The gala is also organized to bring awareness to the atrocities in the aforesaid areas. Proceeds will go toward providing food, farm equipment, housing and educational facilities. Speakers include founder, Sam Childers aka “The Machine Gun Preacher,” and Seth Mock, Midwestern African Museum of Art. Special guest actor Michael Shannon will perform with his band. Includes an online silent auction. City Winery, 155 Varick St. New York. http://www.angelsofeastafricagala.splashthat.com/>

BEAUTY. 5 Nov. MyFaceMyBody Awards. The most innovative and popular products in the aesthetic industry as determined by consumers. Awards are also presented to plastic surgeons and dermatologists. Montage Hotel, 225 N. Canon Dr. Beverly Hills, CA. http://www.globalaestheticawards.com/us/ >

8-14 November

The Joneses // Clip from San Francisco Film Society on Vimeo.

ART. Through 10 Nov. 2016. From Earth to the Divine: Contemporary Mongolian Expressionism. A group show of award-winning artists whose work is being shown for the first time in New York City. Works include paintings, engravings, sculptures, Tsam masks and puppetry. Tibet House, 22 W. 15th St. New York. http://www.tibethouse.us/>

FILM. 10-17 Nov. DOC NYC. Now in its seventh year, the festival calls itself the largest in the land dedicated to documentaries exclusively. The opening film is Matt Tyrnauer’s "Citizen Jane: Battle for the City," concerning an activist and developer at odds over a proposed urban renewal plan for New York City in the ‘60s. Michel Gondry animates conversations with Noam Chomsky in “Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy?” in the closing film. Others include "The Joneses" (see video above) from Moby Longinotto about a 74-year-old, Mississippi-based transgender divorcee and family. Various locations. New York. http://www.docnyc.net/

A living space at Scribner’s Catskill Lodge. Located at the base of Hunter Mountain, the lodge officially opens on 11 Nov. Photo by Nils Schlebush.

TRAVEL. LODGING. 11 Nov. Scribner’s Catskill Lodge. In its latest iteration, this site at the base of Hunter Mountain officially opens on 11 Nov. as a 38-room/suite “bespoke” lodge. Less than three hours from New York City, Scribner’s is an appealing getaway that offers beautiful views over it more than 20 acres, as well as several indoor and outdoor event spaces and “mountain cuisine” at the onsite restaurant, Prospect at Scribbner’s. Scribner’s Catskill Lodge, 13 Scribner Hollow Road. Hunter, NY. http://www.scribnerslodge.com/

FOOD. 9 a.m – 4:30 p.m., 12 Nov.; 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., 13 Nov. Change Food Fest 2016 "Growing the Good Food Movement." The overarching focus of the festival, sponsored by the nonprofit food advocacy group, Change Food, will be around a paradigm shift in which those who were formerly at odds are beginning to work together. Specifically, against a backdrop of sustainability and transparency, good food advocates are in the employ of Big Food purveyors and small advocacy groups are less wary of these companies. Panel discussions, breakout sessions, food tastings. Times Center, 242 W. 41st St. New York. http://www.changefood.org/projects/change-food-festival/

15-21 November

A photo by Eli Reed titled "September 11, 2001." Reed is part of the symposium, "The Role of the Artist in Society," at the Onassis Cultural Center on 15 Nov.

LIFESTYLE. 7 p.m. 15 Nov. The Role of the Artist in Society. The Onassis Cultural Center presents the second annual Onassis Symposium. Discussing the state of the arts will be practitioners from various disciplines, including food (chef Alex Atala), photography (Eli Reed), literature (Azar Nafisi) and visual arts (Nancy Spector). Free and open to the public. Reservations encouraged. Onassis Cultural Center, 645 Fifth Ave. New York. http:// www.onassisusa.org/symposium.php?m=3&h=19

DANCE. 7:30 p.m. 17 Nov. FJK Dance presents Mundo. The fledgling dance company, founded by Fadi J. Khoury and Sevin Ceviker, presents its latest works-in-progress. At FJK, fusing dance genres is the raison d'etre. In this program, the Argentine Tango meets ballet, Middle Eastern meets Latin. Live music by Frank Abernante and his NYC Latin Jazz Ensemble will be featured. Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway. New York. http:// www.fjkdance.com/

22 November and beyond

MUSIC. 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. 26 Nov. Hendrix in Harlem featuring Fishbone. The tribute concert explores the early R&B experiences of Jimi Hendrix, an Apollo Theater Amateur Night winner who played with such legendary artists as the Isley Brothers and Little Richard. The concert will feature the music of Hendrix from the mid-‘60s through his last album, “First Rays of the New Rising Sun,” which was released posthumously. Among the performers are Fishbone, Ernie Isley, Nona Hendryx, Gary Lucas, Brandon Niederauer “TAZ,” Liv Warfield and Saul Williams. See video above of Hendrix’s first-known TV appearance from the Music History Channel. Apollo Theater, 253 W. 125th St. New York. http://www.apollotheater.org/ event/hendrix-in-harlem/

ART. Through 2 Jan 2017. Carmen Herrera: Lines of Sight. Encompasses the 30-year period between 1948 and 1978 when the abstract artist was honing her style. The first NYC museum exhibit of her oeuvre in nearly 20 years, it features three-dimensional treatments, works on paper and paintings. Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort. New York. The exhibit moves to the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus Ohio on 4 Feb. (through 16 April). http://www.bit.ly/2ciWyfl

Saya Woolfalk (b. 1979), still from Life Products by ChimaTEK, 2014. Video, color, sound, 3:15 min. Image courtesy Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York" is one of the works in "Afrofuturism: Black Science Fiction (3 p.m. on 3 Nov.).v"Afrofuturism" is included in the film series component the exhibit, "Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, 1905–2016." Image courtesy of Whitney Museum of American Art.

ART. Through 5 Feb. 2017. Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art, 1905–2016. The title takes its name from science fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft’s alternate fictional dimension. It features the work of artists spanning a century, illustrating the numerous techniques they have used to deconstruct conventional modes of cinema to re-imagine the moving image. Includes a film series. Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort. New York. http://www.bit.ly/2e5XMgK