THURSDAY 20

FLOATING: Many Ocean Staters eventually find their way to the sea. That’s why people will flock to the 30th Annual Newport Spring Boat Show (at the Newport Yachting Center, 4 Commercial Wharf) for all sorts of deals. In water and on land, you’ll find an array of choices that include previously-owned, new, and clearance models of powerboats, sailboats, multihulls, kayaks, inflatables, and dinghies. There will also be a spread of boating accessories to check out. Seminars on safety, galley cooking demonstrations, and a nautical fashion show are also planned. The show is open today from 3 to 7 p.m., on Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 846-1600.

HISTORY: The Biggest Little is long on odd additions to the arts, and it’s valuable to reassess the various aspects of theater, music, film, and painting that have made a dent during the last half-century. The Rhode Island Pop Culture Show is a mixed-media presentation that accounts for a vast array of local talent and regional trends, stretching from photos of jazz artists doing their thing at the famed Celebrity Club in the ’50s to indie rockers messing with the norm at Rocket, the ’80s music barroom. The mix of items includes recordings, artwork, posters, T-shirts, memorabilia, and video by a who’s who of creative types. Steven cartoonist Doug Allen, "Hair" hitmakers the Cowsills, rock satirists the Fabulous Motels, pop poster designer the Mad Peck, Complex World filmmaker Jim Wolpaw, cultural critic Les Daniels, the African-American theatre troupe Rites & Reason, noiseprov duo Lighting Bolt — there’s a mess of people, places, and things to be accounted for, and the team behind the show seems to have done a thorough curatorial job. The exhibit was developed by Sara Agniel in collaboration with students from Dr. Paul Buhle’s oral history classes at Brown University. Buhle says that the presentation "traces the participants in bohemian and experimental artistic activities . . . telling a fascinating story that explores our collective selves." Dive in at the official reception from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Rhode Island Historical Society (110 Benevoent Street, Providence). Call 331-8575.

ART: Some of Peter Karpick’s paintings have the feel of mosaics — various singular images fill in the segments of a six-paned window. Others are geared to look like you’re viewing a unified scene taking place on the other side of a multi-paned glass. And still others allow one frame to connect with or comment on another. Evidently the artist took a notion to deal with window work a few years ago when he saw a lackluster painting on the window of a bathroom in a New York café. His pieces hang in AS220’s Café Gallery (115 Empire Street, Providence) through June 12. Call 454-7445.

FRIDAY 21

MUSIC: Take yr Mooney Suzukis and yr Hives and put ’em on hold. If you want to get to the essence of the garage rock boom, you have to go back a few years. In ’79, when bands like Rhode Island’s own Plan 9 were getting ’delic in their own gleefully raunchy way, the Chesterfield Kings put on the paisley and plugged in the fuzztones in upstate New York. The guys have hung on for a long time now, and recent discs like The Mindbending Sounds of The Chesterfield Kings (Sundazed) prove that their genre-specific originals are just as cool as the obscure chestnuts they covered early on. Sneered vocals, snide guitars, big-bam-boom rhythm crunch — I’ll bet they throw some crazed exclamation points in the air when they open for the Romantics at the Call (15 Elbow Street, Providence). Tickets are $13. Call 751-CALL.

Lest you think Deborah Coleman ain’t as tough as the guys, she starts her Soul Be It! (Blind Pig) with a song about braining her cheating boyfriend with a brick. Sounds damn happy about it, too. The blues has documented more than a few assaults in its history, but there are precious few woman bandleaders who make a Les Paul work the way Coleman does. When she comes to Chan’s (267 Main Street, Woonsocket), she’ll bring a lot of energy with her. Admission is $15 at 8 p.m., $10 at 10, or $18 for both shows. Call 765-1900.

THEATER: If you’re taken with puppetry, you’ll need to catch Blood From a Turnip’s last presentation of the season at Perishable Theatre (95 Empire Street, Providence). The performance artist Marsian gets his Cookiepuss on with a narrative that asks a simple question: "What happens when the heir to the throne of the Carvel Cake empire drops acid for the first time?" And Bonnie Duncan goes the water cooler, copy machine, and conference room route with "Every Girl’s Guide to the Modern Office." The salon begins at 10 p.m.; tickets are $5. Call 331-2695.

SATURDAY 22

BASHAROO: When AS220 throws its annual Fools Ball bash, it goes hog wild. Crazed parades, insane parties, innumerable styles of music, non-stop dancing, and lots of intriguing visuals. So what do you expect the ever-widening artist’s amalgamation to do for its 10-year anniversary? Wilder costumes, more invitees, weirder films, and greater delirium, methinks. The House Party, which takes place in the various floors, galleries, and alcoves of AS’s main space (115 Empire Street, Providence), offers sounds that stretch from NYC prog-percussionist Lukas Ligeti to N’awlins-flavored groovers the Super Chief Trio and the "Afro-Universal merengue jazz" of Paul Austerlitz’s Real People. The theme floating through the air is the Harlem Renaissance, so brush up on your Jean Toomer, Romare Bearden, Langston Hughes, and James Van Der Zee, as well as Wright, McKay, and Hurston, natch. The fun begins at 9 p.m.; tickets are $25. (A $125 ticket is available for an exclusive pre-party that includes a primo soul food dinner.) Call 832-9327 or head to www.as220.org.

MUSIC: The political is the personal — Joyce Katzberg’s music has made that clear over the last 20 years. The singer-songwriter is a highly regarded local activist, and when she focuses her anger and wit on a given subject, it becomes quite thoroughly skewered. You need hope to right the wrongs in the realm of social justices, and optimism resounds in Katzberg’s tunes; she has many insights into the reasons we live our lives on such an unbalanced playing field. She’ll perform at 8 p.m. at Stone Soup Coffeehouse (at the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket Arts Center, 210 Main Street), a venue she helped found. Tickets are $10. Call 457-7147.

FASHION: College Hill is a hotbed of creativity, and every year the East Side’s finest apparel students present their work in a highly regarded fashion show. Collection 2004 features works by Rhode Island School of Design’s graduating class, and the elaborate pieces comprising the Senior Coat Collection should open quite a few eyes. Many of the participants spent the winter working as interns for such famed brands as Vera Wang and Betsey Johnson, and a panel of guest critics helped choose the show’s final entries. Also on display are the results of several senior thesis projects, where the artists are encouraged to express personal vision. Some of them collaborated with the school’s jewelry and metalsmithing departments. "Through this cross-disciplinary project, students learn the process of joint conceptualization and gain mutual respect for each other," says Mary Kawenski, head of RISD’s apparel design department. The parading begins at 7 p.m. at the VMAArts &CulturalCenter (Avenue of the Arts, Providence). Tickets are $50 to $20. (Admission to the 2 p.m. dress rehearsal is $15.) Call 272-4VMA.

SUNDAY 23

MUSIC: Mustachioed Queens resident Curtis Eller grew up in a circus family; while other kids were practicing the piano, he was working on his juggling skills. These days he’s a banjo-pickin’, song-writin’ boho whose musical demeanor can be both wrenching and melancholy. "Alaska," his plaint about a mine collapse during the gold rush era, was recently voted the top tune on NPR’s All Songs Considered open mic show. So how come he’s associated with glee? Maybe it’s because he touts his three top influences as Buster Keaton, Stephen Foster, and Abe Lincoln. Maybe it’s because whimsy fuels those oft-somber tunes. Maybe it’s because he’s a hell of a yodeler. Maybe, as he recently remarked to the Boston Globe, it’s because he’d like to write an album about elephants. His American Circus band has made a disc called Banjo Music for Funerals, and there’s poignancy in their ditties. When he sings his tune about the past glories of a Hoboken pigeon club at 9 p.m. at AS220 (115 Empire Street, Providence), you might start to think quaintness is next to godliness. Call 831-9327.

MONDAY 24

ART: It’s a great feeling when you find a fellow traveler, and for the last quarter-century, local painters Joan Arnaud and Natalie Pfanstiehl have enjoyed a personal and esthetic friendship. Pfanstiehl, an official US Coast Guard artist, has taught at the Newport Art Museum. Arnaud, an entrepreneur who launched her own Wearable Art biz, also works in monoprints. However, both are known for their watercolors, and the Together Again show at Providence Art Club (11 Thomas Street) finds them exhibiting recent works said to "utilize nature and its vast array of creatures," and well as landscapes and floral still lifes. Their work is in the Maxwell Mays Gallery through June 6. Call 331-1114.

TUESDAY 25

MUSIC: Don’t be complaining that there’s not enough jazz in your life if you haven’t taken in one of the weekly episodes of the Um story. The foursome features the trombone/guitar front line of Hal Crook and Rick Peckham. Their blowing is straight and crooked. The rhythm section is comprised of Bob Gullotti and Dave Zinno. Their pushing is fierce and agile. They’ll show how at 10 p.m. at AS220 (115 Empire Street, Providence). Admission is $5. Call 831-9327.

WEDNESDAY 26

THEATER: Twenty years in action. First year in their new Pawtucket home. The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre is celebrating these days, and they’ve put out an invite to all interested theater devotees: join us for a wine-tasting soiree and help us raise some cash. The Gamm’s "Toast to Twenty" fundraiser is a silent auction that doubles as a wine-tasting and jazz concert. Honorary chairpersons Michael Corrente, Gretchen Dow Simpson, and Dan Sullivan extend a hand to acknowledge those who have kept the troupe alive and those who would like to see that its future is ensured. "It will be an opportunity to thank those who have stuck with the Gamm through all or part of its financial challenges," says artistic director Tony Estrella. Dan Moretti’s Brasila ensemble will handle the music; auction items include Red Sox tickets and dinner at home prepared by the head chef of Gracie’s Restaurant. The bash runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Pawtucket Armory (172 Exchange Street). Tickets are $50. Call 723-4266.

THURSDAY 27

MUSIC: Jorma Kaukonen has been getting back to his roots for a quite a while now. Middle-aged hippie types will recall the stir caused by the one-time Jefferson Airplane guitarist’s creation of Hot Tuna, his side project that also featured Airplane bassist Jack Casady. That duo was all about the blues, putting spins on jewels by Blind Blake, Gary Davis, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Leroy Carr. Kaukonen is an expert picker, and his feel for America’s bedrock tunes has always been deep — there’s more than a little Doc Watson in his heart. On 2002’s Blue Country Heart (Columbia), he turned to oldtime rags and swing tunes. Yep, turns out he has a way with Jimmie Rodgers and the Delmore Brothers, too. He’ll bring that material to the Narrows Center for the Arts (16 Anawan Street, Fall River, Massachusetts) at 8 p.m. Prepare for a lesson in how it used to be. Tickets are $25. Call (508) 324-1926.

ART: In 1939 at the age of 11, Wolf Kahn left Germany to escape you know who. He joined his family in New York, went to the High School of Music and Art, leapt into the Navy, and then used the G.I. Bill to further his education, studying with the abstraction expressionist Hans Hoffman. The gorgeous landscapes on which he’s built his rep are dreamy enough to be deemed idyllic. "I am drawn to paint landscapes out of a refugee’s constant search for roots," he has said. The Virginia Lynch Gallery (3883 Main Road, Tiverton) reminds us that this master is recognized for "his ability to reveal emotion through light, color, and form." The pieces, with themes and images often derived from his Vermont summer home, range from barns and farmhouses to "long-focus abstractions of the tenuous line between land and sky, between edge of forest and meadow, where color is bundled into form." Penelope Manzella’s paintings of abandoned mills and Lois Tarlow’s compelling abstractions are also at the space through June 6. Call 624-3392.

LIT: When the vintage Airstream trailer pulls up outside of AS220 (115 Empire Street, Providence) from 1 to 6 p.m., you’re going to have a bounty of artists’ books and ’zines to peruse. The Bookmobile Project dedicates itself to giving its audience a breadth of options. This touring exhibition visits community centers, schools, libraries, and festivals, offering talks and educational forums. Head to www.mobillivre.org for a glance at what’s what. Call 831-9327.