The List: It’s all here for you

2. Love is in the Art

Celebrate the opening of the Walters’ special exhibition, “The Saint John’s Bible: A Modern Vision through Medieval Methods,” and treat your beloved to an evening of art and romance. Dance to the music of “The Big Hearts.” Light fare and cash bar available. Be one of the first to view the latest Walters special exhibition before it officially opens to the public! DETAILS: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday; The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St., Baltimore; $25 to $35. 410-547-9000; www.thewalters.org

3. Farpoint Convention

This annual science fiction media convention features special guests Alan Tudyk (“Firefly”/”Serenity”) and television legend Harve Bennett. Talks, live performances, gaming, costuming, and more take place throughout the weekend. DETAILS: 9 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday; Crowne Plaza Baltimore North, 2004 Greenspring Drive, Timonium; $70 to $75 for three days. www.farpointcon.com

4. Michael Largo Talk

The author of “Genius and Heroin,” who first observed in the 1980s how creative geniuses are prone to destructive behavior, speaks at the Maryland Historical Society on Edgar Allan Poe. In a talk titled “Feeding Poe’s Muse: The Secret Obsessions of Edgar Allan Poe,” Largo will entertainingly show how Poe’s genius was entwined with self-ruin. Poe’s favorite cocktails will be served. DETAILS: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday; The Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St., Baltimore; $30 to $50.410-685-3750 ext. 319; www.mdhs.org

5. The Baby Boomer Balancing Act: Poetry, Prose & Monologues

Linda Joy Burke, L. Nef’fahtiti Myrick and jaki-terry give spoken-word readings this Sunday. Burke is currently the poet-in-residence for the Howard County Center for African American Culture, and president emeritus of the Board of Directors for the Baltimore Writers’ Alliance. Jaki-terry, a 10-year veteran of Coppin Players and a 14-year veteran of Arena Players, is a nationally published poet, spoken word artist, and youth workshop facilitator with a focus on encouraging the creation and presentation of original works. Myrick is a poet/writer, artist and grandmother whose work has appeared in several publications including “Dancing Shadow Review,” “Thy Mother’s Glass I,” and “When Divas Laugh.” DETAILS: 4 p.m. Sunday; Minas Gallery, 815 W. 36th St., Baltimore; $5. 410-732-4258; www.minasgalleryandboutique.com

Family

1. A Family Circus: Picasso Exhibition

Opening in the second half of February, this playful family exhibit features more than 80 paintings, prints, drawings and books by Pablo Picasso, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Fernand LŽger and other European artists fascinated by the extravagant spectacle of the circus and the bohemian lives of the performers outside the ring. Through May 17. DETAILS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday; The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore. www.artbma.org

2. Savion Glover, Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Tap superstar Savion Glover will dance alongside music director Marin Alsop’s podium as she leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in “Symphony with a Twist.” Glover’s choreographic style and technical precision are as unmistakable as his looks. His usual uniform consists of his trademark dreads, untucked dress shirt, baggy yet somehow securely fastened pants and worn black tap shoes. His choreography is based on a wide gait, loose arms and hips, flailing arms, fancy footwork, a hunched over stance and flashing a smile at all the right moments. DETAILS: 8 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday; Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. 410-783-8000; BSOmusic.org

3. Birding Hike – Soldiers Delight

Join a park naturalist on a leisurely bird hike, and see and hear local migrant birds in a variety of habitats. The hike welcomes birders of all skill levels from beginning bird-watchers to advanced birders. Wear sturdy shoes, bring water and binoculars, and be prepared to hike up to 2 miles. The hike is easy and relatively level, but the trails can be muddy. For ages 12 and up. DETAILS: 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday; Visitor Center, 5100 Deer Park Road, Owings Mills; $2. 410-461-5005

4. Super Saturday – Will You Be My Valentine?

Join the folks at Port Discovery for a super Saturday filled with fun activities! The Kindersinger presents “Will U B My Valentine?” at 1 and 1:30 p.m. in the Oasis. Bubbles the Clown also pays a visit. When you’ve had enough love, check out the rest of the museum’s exhibits. DETAILS: Noon to 4 p.m.; Port Discovery Children’s Museum; 35 Market Place, Baltimore; free with $11.75 admission. 410-864-2681; www.portdiscovery.org

5. George Washington’s Birthday Celebration

Tour the National Museum of Dentistry and learn more about Washington’s famous dentures, favorite food, how to put together a healthy meal, and indulge in sweet birthday treats. National Museum of Dentistry, 31 S. Greene St., Baltimore; $1. 410-706-0600; www.dentalmuseum.org

Music

1. Blue Sky Five at Carroll Arts Center

Remember the days when swing was king? Blue Sky Five is a Bethesda-based band that captures the era’s sizzle and style as it performs music made popular by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Nat Cole and Duke Ellington. The band’s repertoire also includes original songs written by Craig Gildner as well as classic American swing standards. The band takes the stage for a Valentine’s lindy hop concert this Saturday. DETAILS: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; The Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster; $15 to $17. 410-848-7272; www.carrollcountyartscouncil.org

2. Eric Lindell & Anders Osborne

California-born, New Orleans-bred musician Eric Lindell plays foot-stomping swamp pop, funk and blues straight out of the Deep South with peer bluesman Anders Osborn. The show, “A Night of Mardi Gras & New Orleans Funk” will preview some of Lindell’s new record, “Gulf Coast Highway.” Bring your beads! DETAILS: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Rams Head OnStage, 33 West St., Annapolis; $22.50. www.ramsheadonstage.com

3. Sunday Concert Series: Hot Soup

The lively musical trio Hot Soup (Sue Trainor, Christina Muir and Jennie Avila) returns to Galesville Memorial Hall with snappy rhythms and sparkling harmonies. The trio’s musical diversity extends to their instrumentation, including a variety of guitar stylings, harp, conga, ubang (a variety of udu), and small percussion such as kokkirico and, of all things, a window shutter. The focus, however, is always the sweet voices. The Sunday Concert Series brings acoustic folk music to the 120-seat Memorial Hall, which was recently renovated by the West River Improvement Association. DETAILS: 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday; Galesville Memorial Hall, 952 Main St., Galesville; $15. 410-562-1516.

4. Lotus with Orchard Lounge

Philadelphia-area band Lotus hits the road this winter for a run of shows in the country’s southeastern states. The tour comes on the heels of a huge year for the band, including sold-out shows from coast to coast. Lotus was a part of the official presidential festivities leading up to Barack Obama’s inauguration, performing at the 2009 People’s Inaugural Ball at The Historical Society of Washington in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17 and 18. DETAILS: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; $15 or $25 for two nights; Recher Theatre, 512 York Road, Towson. 410-337-7178; www.rechertheatre.com

5. Bruce in The U.S.A. Sweethearts Dinner

Romance your sweetie with a great dinner while reliving Bruce Springsteen’s rockin’ Super Bowl performance! Rams Head Tavern hosts this special Valentine’s Day dinner with a top-notch tribute act for Mr. Springsteen and The E Street Band, Bruce in the U.S.A. You’ll dine on oven-roasted salmon, bacon-wrapped scallops and more while awaiting hits like “Born to Run.” Finish off the night with strawberries and champagne. Reservations required. DETAILS: 6 p.m. Saturday; Rams Head OnStage, 33 West St., Annapolis; $109. www.ramsheadonstage.com

6. Poulenc Trio

The dazzling threesome — oboist Vladimir Lande, bassoonist Bryan Young and pianist Irina Lande — will perform a concert on the heels of its European travels. The trio’s recent collaboration with violinist Hilary Hahn in St. Petersburg received critical acclaim as did their appearances at the San Miguel de Allende Festival in Mexico and at the Ravello Festival in Italy. The group has partnered with the National Gallery of Art to present “Music at the Museum Series,” dedicated to performances in galleries in the United States. DETAILS: 7 p.m. Saturday; Marikle Chapel of the Annunciation, College of Notre Dame of Maryland, 4701 N. Charles St. in Baltimore; free. 410-532-5386; www.ndm.edu

Exhibits

1. “Pairs”

February and Valentine’s Day conjure thoughts of roses, chocolate and romance. But this is also a time to celebrate friends, companions and the idea that two is often a nicer number than one. The members of Artists’ Gallery in Columbia will exhibit their interpretations of Pairs in this show. Through Feb. 27. DETAILS: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday; 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday; Artists1 Gallery, American City Building, 10227 Wincopin Circle, Columbia. 410-740-8249; www.artistsgallerycolumbia.com

2. “Leslie Shellow: Subtle Disturbance”

In her work, Leslie Shellow investigates living organisms such as mold, lichen, cells, viruses and bacteria and their processes of growth, decay and regeneration. She studies their immeasurable details and repetitive qualities, bringing attention to the millions of tiny ecosystems that are housed within each organism. This exhibition consists of meticulous drawings made from repetitive mark-making with graphite and pen and ink as well as fluid paintings in ink and oil on both paper and panel. The artist is also presenting a three-dimensional installation. Through March 15. DETAILS: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; Holtzman MFA Gallery, Towson University Center for the Arts, 8000 York Road, Towson. 410-704-2808; http://www.towson.edu/artscalendar

3. “Photographs of James L. Amos: Geographic, Illustrative and Personal”

Marylander Jim Amos studied photography at Rochester Institute of Technology, worked for Eastman Kodak Company and found his true calling as a photographer for “National Geographic.” In 26 years he traveled around the world employing creativity, insight and instinct to photograph the Earth and its features, completing many magazine assignments and the photographs for two books. He was named “Magazine Photographer of the Year” in 1969 and 1970 by the National Press Photographers Association. See his most beautiful photos of animals and nature in this exhibit. Through March 23. DETAILS: 4 p.m. Wednesday (reception). Exhibit Hours: Noon to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and Friday; Noon to 8 p.m. Thursday; 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 100 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore. 410-455-2270; www.umbc.edu

4. “Monica Lopez-Gonzalez: E/IL-Lusive Spaces”

Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, an artist, Maryland Institute College of Art graduate and doctoral student in cognitive science at Johns Hopkins University, lends her color-film photographs to An die Musik Live’s walls. The exhibit, E/IL-Lusive Spaces, is full of life, depictions of nature and more. The body of work presented here is part of an ongoing project to capture the perceptual enigmas encountered in everyday life. The artist, who is fascinated by the unique singular beauty of ordinary objects and landscapes, created this exhibit after asking herself: What if I zoomed in closer? Could I give that object another identity? What if I viewed a space through mirrors? Could I create another reality? DETAILS: Various hours daily. An die Musik Live, 409 N. Charles St., Baltimore; 410-385-2638; www.andiemusiklive.com

5. “It’s a Man’s Word: The Collections of Male Garretts”

This student-curated focus show on the male collectors of the philanthropic Garrett family brings attention to three generations of connoisseurship. Prints, Chinese porcelains, coins and many other legendary Garrett collections highlight how knowledge and curiosity aided — and continue to aid — in defining a gentleman’s social place. The objects on view include loaned coins from the famous, but no longer extant, John Work Garrett collection; a never-before-exhibited Aesthetic Movement display cabinet, presumably commissioned by T. Harrison Garrett; and a contemporary painted, map-patterned floor cloth documenting the various travels that brought about some of the most important acquisitions by the Garretts. Through March 31. DETAILS: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; $3 to $6. Evergreen Museum and Library, 4545 N. Charles St., Baltimore. 410-516-0341; www.museums.jhu.edu/evergreen

Theater

1. “A Lie of the Mind”

A Pulitzer Prize-winning Sam Shepard play directed by Xerxes Mehta, “A Lie of the Mind” explores the fate of two families, connected by marriage but divided by jealousies and distrust. Note: There will be a free post-show discussion at the Friday performances. DETAILS: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Rep Stage, Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia; $12. 410-772-4900; www.repstage.org

2. “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”

Drea Elward portrays the Marquise de Merteuil and John Halmi is her former flame and co-conspirator in Colonial Players’ production of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” which draws us through the silken surfaces of the ultra-wealthy’s manipulations into the depths of their carefully hidden disappointments and broken hearts. In eighteenth-century France, on the eve of the Revolution, the leisured classes amuse themselves with cards, gossip, seduction and romance. Between the Marquise de Merteuil and her adversary and ally, the Vicomte de Valmont, we watch a closely played contest of skill and malice as they maneuver their conquests and enemies. For mature audiences only. Through Feb. 28. DETAILS: 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; $20 and up. Colonial Players, 106 East St., Annapolis. www.cplayers.com

3. “Cloud 9”

A satirical take-no-prisoners assault on hypocrisy, Caryl Churchill’s “Cloud Nine” is a whirlwind tour from 1880s Africa to 1979 London, confronting colonial and sexual repression with a gender-bent cast of characters who traverse 100 years while aging only 25. Opening Friday, Cloud 9 is a parody and spoof of the Victorian Empire and its rigid attitudes. Cross-casting over both sexual and racial lines, society’s rigid expectations and stereotypes are brought into sharp focus as the characters struggle to fit their assigned roles in the first act in Victorian Africa. Through March 8. DETAILS: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre, 817 St. Paul St., Baltimore; $15 to $18. 410-752-1225; www.spotlighters.org

4. “The Vagina Monologues”

See a local reproduction of Eve Ensler’s classic. Proceeds from “The Vagina Monologues,” sponsored by Feminists United for Sexual Equality and performed as part of V-Day, will benefit a local rape-crisis center. DETAILS: 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 7 p.m. Saturday; Great Room, Campus Center; St. Mary’s College Of Maryland, 18952 E. Fisher Road, St. Mary’s City. 240-895-2000; www.smcm.edu

5. “Til Death Do Us Part”

Riverside Stage presents an audience-participation murder mystery for Valentine’s Day. Bring your loved ones if you dare! DETAILS: 8 p.m. Saturday; Riverside Stage, Salem Lutheran Church, 1530 Battery Ave., Baltimore; $15. 410-837-0971; www.salemsouthbaltimore.org