Arbus photos
SAN FRANCISCO Through Feb. 8: Diane Arbus (1923-71) used her special eye for people to develop a body of work unmatched in 20th-century photography. In the most comprehensive Arbus retrospective, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art brings together 200 images from private and public collections for the debut of ''Diane Arbus Revelations." Guest curator Elizabeth Sussman and SFMOMA senior photography curator Sandra Phillips focus on Arbus's signature style and how it evolved with displays of her contact sheets, cameras, letters, notebooks, and other writings, as well as books from her personal library. The exhibit goes on a national and international tour through 2006 beginning Feb. 29 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.151 Third St. 415-357-4000. www.sfmoma.org.
Coffee festival
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii Nov. 6-16: The Kona coffee farmers take their beans as seriously as winegrowers take their grapes. Like a true wine varietal grown exclusively in one area, the Kona beans grow only in one region on Hawaii's Big Island. The 33d annual Kona Coffee Cultural Festival brews more than 30 ways to celebrate both the harvest and Kona's 175-year history on small farms in the shadow of Mount Hualalai. Among the events are a bean picking contest; a cupping or tasting competition for 60 entries; a symposium about the bean's secrets; and farm tours. In cooking contests, amateur and professional chefs present their creations in dessert, entree, and appetizer categories. Even the kids -- 12 and under -- have a cook-off with their dessert recipes.Various locations. 808-326-7820. www.konacoffeefest.com.
'Sacred Symbols'
MINNEAPOLIS Oct. 26-Jan. 11: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts organized ''Sacred Symbols: Four Thousand Years of Ancient American Art" for an exclusive tour of French museums. Before the tour ended in August, MIA decided the exhibit should be expanded for home. The 180 objects represent North, Central, and South American civilizations dating from 2500 BC to their initial, 16th-century contact with Europeans. Among the works are ceramics, stone sculptures, carved jade statues, and gold ornaments.2400 Third Ave. South. 612-870-3131. www.artsmia.org.
Twain honored
HARTFORD Nov. 18: ''Honor is a harder master than the law." That's a Mark Twain nugget of wisdom, one of many quotes placed in the new Museum Center on the grounds of the historic Mark Twain House. The $16.5 million, three-story, 33,000-square-foot center was designed by Robert A.M. Stern, dean of the Yale School of Architecture. The center adds to the experience of visiting the house where Samuel Clemens raised his family and wrote seven of his best-known works, among them ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." The center also features a lecture hall, small classrooms, a library reading room, museum store, and a cafe. A 75-seat theater offers a 22-minute introductory film by Ken Burns and the Aetna Gallery features an orientation exhibit, ''I have sampled this life." The house continues guided tours of the Clemens mansion where he lived from 1874 to 1891.351 Farmington St.860-247-0998.www.marktwainhouse.org.
Book festival
AUSTIN, Texas Nov. 6-9: The Texas Book Festival rounds up 185 authors from the Lone Star State and other parts of the country for this eighth-annual benefit for the state's public libraries. Saturday and Sunday's chapters are the biggest gatherings of authors, when the state Capitol and the grounds become festival central with free programs of readings and panel discussions, book exhibits and sellers, and children's activities. Among the authors are Joe Bob Briggs, Martin Espada, Barbara Bush, Molly Ivins, Sidney Blumenthal, and Roy Blount Jr. Other festival events are ticketed items, among them ''Bon Appetit, Y'all: A Tasting Event" at a private Austin home on Thursday, and ''The Authors Party" on Saturday and Sunday nights. The ''Authors Party" at the Austin Music Hall features the Rock Bottom Remainders with Blount, Scott Turow, Amy Tan, and Calvin Trillin, among others.Various locations. 512-477-4055; 512-320-5451 (tickets).www.texasbookfestival.org.
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