Artists in Dialogue at the Kitchen The kitchen of the Miser's childhood home was the place to discuss life. I confided in my mother as she prepared dinner, and debated with my father while he washed dishes - and sometimes a grubby child - in the sink. It was where they taught me about where I came from, and where we argued about where I was going, with a constant stream of commentary from siblings and grandparents as they passed in and out to refill their coffee cups. In those ways, my 1970s childhood kitchen was not too different from the Kitchen in New York, a nonprofit art space that has also been encouraging dialogue between artists and their community since it opened in 1971. Taking its name from its original location in the kitchen of the Mercer Arts Center in SoHo, it has been a nurturing ground for artists as diverse as Philip Glass, Eric Bogosian, Cindy Sherman and the Beastie Boys. Tim Griffin, its relatively new executive director and chief curator, hopes to keep up that tradition. "The Kitchen was conceived as a platform for artists across disciplines, affording them opportunities to take risks in their work," he said in an e-mail. Most performances are free or nearly free. "By being so accessible," Mr. Griffin said, "we not only reach a wider audience but we also live up to the idea that this institution is, on a certain level, nothing other than the communities of artists and audiences who make it." The Kitchen's spring season includes Virginia Overton, a visual artist who showed up without any materials or any idea of what she would create. Her exhibition of sculptures and installations was made with repurposed items she found in the space itself. On view through May 6; free. Richard Carrick, a founder and director of the Either/Or music ensemble, takes the show to the Kitchen in April. "Either/Or's programming is often found at the intersection of the European avant-garde and the American experimental traditions, the latter of which was in many ways centered at the Kitchen," he said. This year's program features music from local composers, like George Lewis, who was the Kitchen's music curator from 1980 to 1982, alongside newer European composers like Rebecca Saunders, Gérard Grisey and Hans Thomalla. April 26 and 27 at 8 p.m.; $12. Douglas Crimp will read this week from his new book, "Our Kind of Movie," about Andy Warhol's filmmaking techniques. He has been supporting the Kitchen since it opened. "It's one of the alternative spaces that I feel a strong connection to," said Mr. Crimp, whose book recalls the era of queer New York pre-Stonewall. The evening will include a screening of Warhol's "Kiss." (Monday, 7 p.m.; free). "I want as many people as possible to be able to see my work, especially people who don't typically have access," said Faye Driscoll, a choreographer whose duet "You're Me" runs from April 12 through 21 (8 p.m.; $15). The Kitchen is cheap as a movie, but alive! 512 West 19th Street, Chelsea; 212-255-5793, thekitchen.org. As part of its annual conference, the International Association of Culinary Professionals opens up a discussion between the public and food writers at its "Fashion of Food" Book & Blog Festival on Sunday. Cookbook authors and bloggers, like Andrew Dornenburg, Karen Page and Alice Medrich, will be on hand to sign books and discuss recipes, accompanied by live music and other entertainment. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.; 82 Mercer Street, SoHo; for more information: iacp.com; $10.