RELATED EVENTS

• Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art

A scene from "Tosca," which will be performed March 14 and 16 at Clowes Hall. (Submitted photo)

Bill Foley, an Indy native whose award-winning photojournalism will be on display March 18 at Marian College. (Submitted photo)

A "concept" garment from designer Yohji Yamamoto, featured in "Dress as Concept" at the IMA. (Submitted photo)

1. 'Tosca'

8 p.m. March 14, 2 p.m. March 16, $25-$110, Clowes Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., (317) 239-1000, www.indyopera.org.

Heartbreak. Betrayal. Tragedy. Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" has them all. Performed in Italian with English surtitles (translated lines projected above the stage), "Tosca" is an ideal entry point for newcomers to opera that will please long-time opera-goers, too. Featuring memorable arias, exquisite scenery and a story line full of heart-stopping twists and turns, "Tosca" reminds us why opera conveys the emotional peaks and valleys of romantic love better than perhaps any other art form.

2. Bill Foley: 'Stories and Photos From the Middle East, 1978-2003'

7 p.m. March 18, free, Marian College,!Allison Mansion, (317) 955-6336.

Photographer Bill Foley grew up in Indianapolis, but he has spent nearly all of his adult life documenting the Middle East and the many world-shaking events that have occurred there. Both the Associated Press and Time magazine have employed Foley, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work in Egypt, Israel, and a number of other Middle Eastern locales. Foley, whose pictures have been shown in museums from New York City to Beirut, moved back to Indianapolis two years ago. Now he teaches at Marian College, where this discussion and exhibition of his Middle East photojournalism takes place.

3. Dress as Concept: Curating Fashion at LACMA

2:30 p.m. March 15, free, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Deer Zink Pavilion, 4000 Michigan Road, (317) 923-1331, www.imamuseum.org.

To celebrate the opening of "Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art," co-curators Sharon S. Takeda and Kaye Spilker will give a free talk to visitors interested in finding out how the duo went about selecting pieces for the upcoming exhibition. Featuring the work of 40 designers from around the world, the exhibit is available for preview online right now at www.imamuseum.org.

4. 'The Art of Quilting'

Noon March 13, free, Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., (317) 232-1882, www.indianahistory.org.

Wonder how to make an American quilt? With all due respect to a certain Winona Ryder film, we recommend hitting the Indiana History Center to watch "The Art of Quilting." The movie explores different quilting techniques and shines a light on the different types of artistry that can be found in modern American quilts. Furthermore, it honors contemporary quilt-makers who, according to the Indiana History Center's Web site, "transcend class by taking the finest traditions of the past to create new traditions for this American art form."

5. Women in Art Market

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 15, $5-$8, free for children younger than 4, Eiteljorg Museum, 500 W. Washington St., (317) 636-9379, www.eiteljorg.org.

Fiber works, handmade baskets, wooden crafts and paintings by some of the region's finest female artisans will fill two floors at the Eiteljorg Museum during "Women in Art Market," a celebration of Women's History Month. Dabbie Drye, a katsina doll carver, and Dr. Suzan Campbell, curator of Western art, history and culture, will give discussion-led gallery tours throughout the day, while Sapphonia and several other female performers will provide live entertainment.