Hammer Museum

Los Angeles artist James Welling, who has long infused photography with a mix of abstraction, conceptualism and architectural inquiry, will discuss his work as part of the Hammer Lectures series. A professor of photography at UCLA's department of art, Welling was the subject of a retrospective, "James Welling Photographs, 1974-1999," in 1999, and a recent solo exhibition at Regen Projects, "Glass House," is soon to be released as a monograph by Damiani. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd.

MARCH 7 Jodi Picoult The bestselling author discusses and signs her new novel, "Lone Wolf. " Told from multiple points of view, it's the story of grown siblings wrestling with the fate of their father, who is gravely ill. Picoult is known for writing popular fiction and for her outspoken support of women's fiction that focuses on families and relationships (just don't call it "chick lit"). Presented by Vroman's Bookstore. Ramo Auditorium at Caltech, 332 S . Michigan Ave. Free.

With "Rachel Whiteread Drawings" the Hammer presents the first museum retrospective of the Turner Prize-winning sculptor's works on paper -- which the British artist considers to be a diary of her work. The drawings will be on display alongside sculptural works and found objects selected by the artist -- such as fossils, dental molds and shoe lasts -- that amount to a 3-D sketchbook, each form echoing the large-scale works for which Whiteread is known. Opens Sun. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd.

For three decades filmmaker Nina Menkes has made poetic, evocative films that have placed her in the forefront of American experimentalists. She's a visionary who trusts in the power of image, movement and composition to communicate narrative, meaning and emotion. Her work has received awards and acclaim in international film festivals, but only her most recent film, "Dissolution," has received a theatrical release. On Saturday that film kicks off a UCLA Film and Television Archive retrospective of her work, "Nina Menkes: Cinema as Sorcery," that runs through March 7 at the Hammer Museum's Billy Wilder Theater.

Colson Whitehead , the MacArthur "genius" grant-winning author of four novels (the critically acclaimed "John Henry Days" among them) and a work of nonfiction, visits the Hammer to read and discuss his most recent novel, "Sag Harbor," a first-person coming-of-age tale set in the largely African American beach community in the summer of 1985. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Free. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu.

The Michigan-born, L.A.-based artist Jim Shaw squares off with Gilda Frantz — founding editor of Psychological Perspectives and former president of the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles — for the latest in the Hammer's formidable series of Red Book Dialogues , held in conjunction with the exhibition "The Red Book of C.G. Jung." Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Thu. Free. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu

Two of the brains behind the sights and sounds of the new film "Super 8" — writer-director J.J. Abrams and composer Michael Giacchino — will discuss the movie industry and their work together. The two have previously collaborated on such films as "Mission: Impossible III" and "Star Trek" and such TV shows as "Lost" and "Fringe. " Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 3 p.m. Sun. Free. (310) 443-7000. http://www.hammer.ucla.edu

Patti Smith's latest book, "Just Kids," documents the bond she had with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. She'll read from the memoir at Skylight Books and Book Soup. At the Hammer, she'll present a night of film and live music in celebration of the publication of "Harry Smith: The Avant-Garde in the American Vernacular." Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd. (310) 443-7000. 7 tonight. Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd. (310) 659-3110. 7 p.m. Fri. Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Ave. (323) 660-1175.

Artist Eleanor Antin has played lots of memorable alter-egos in her time. A saintly nurse in the Crimean War. The bearded "king" of a California beach town. A black prima ballerina in Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. She has also embraced a variety of real-life roles: Bronx native, daughter of a Stalinist mother and socialist father, professor emeritus of art at UC San Diego, and postmodernist pioneer who blithely breaks rules and cannily collapses the boundaries between photography, drawing, video, film and performance.

MOVIES Remembering Marilyn Monroe Five decades after her death, Monroe continues to captivate audiences. This program seeks to illuminate her mystique through newsreel clips, outtakes and the 1966 documentary "The Legend of Marilyn Monroe. " The film's director, Terry Sanders, and Susan Bernard, author of the new book "Marilyn: Intimate Exposures," will participate in a discussion after the screening. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Free. (310) 825-8787.

ART For those who haven't yet dug it, the Hammer Museum hosts a closing celebration for the exhibition "Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980," which chronicles the vibrant work and enduring legacy of the city's African American artists. The event features late-night art viewing, DJs and a cash bar and also kicks off a weekend of free museum admission. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Fri. Free. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu.

MUSIC The genre-defying jazz musician and MacArthur fellow Jason Moran, who samples freely from classical music, the blues, hip-hop and rock, will perform live in conjunction with the exhibition "Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980. " Afterward, he will discuss the theme of migration and music with music professor Guthrie Ramsey. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Thu. Free. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu

ART Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design Design historian Pat Kirkham explores the work and legacy of Saul Bass, who created memorable posters and title sequences for such films as Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo" and Otto Preminger's "The Man With the Golden Arm. " Bass also designed many iconic corporate logos and was a talented filmmaker in his own right. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Free. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu Frederic Amat The Barcelona-based polymath has had success as a painter, set designer, sculptor and filmmaker.

Kara Walker's biting, sometimes humorous commentary on race and the antebellum South, as expressed through her art installations and videos, has secured her a place of international prominence. Slavery, exploitation, sexuality and how American history has typically dealt with such themes hold a place in nine of Walker's videos on display at the Hammer. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. On Sunday, videos will be screened continuously from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. And at 2 p.m., there will be a conversation with Walker and writer Hilton Als. Free.