Weekend arts picks: August 13-16

Art: You can see what the kids got up to at summer camp Friday night when the Armory Art Center showcases the work of 700 of its summer students from kindergarten through high school. Participants in classes such as Adventure in Art and Studio Artshops for Teens produced work including drawing, painting, mixed media, sculpture and ceramics. Students interested in developing their portfolios also took a workshop with Armory instructor Ryan Toth. The exhibit’s opening is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, and it runs through Sept. 4. The Armory is located at 1700 Parker Ave. in West Palm Beach. For more information, visit www.armoryart.org, or call (561) 832-1776. — K. Deits

Meanwhile, the Art After Dark evenings continue tonight at the Norton Museum of Art, starting at 5 p.m. and lasting until 9 p.m. These events have a mix of music (tonight, harpist Anne Akerson as well as DJ Rumble), performance, chat, and gallery tours, as well as film. Tonight’s is The Red Shoes, the 1948 classic starring Moira Shearer as the ballet dancer who lives for her art. Admission is free for members, $8 for adults, $3 for ages 13 to 21, and free for ages 12 and under. Visit www.norton.org for more information. — K. Deits

Fine art photographer Barry Ravel offers a series of large photographs called Come to the Garden in an exhibition that opens Tuesday night at the Florida Atlantic University campus in Jupiter. The images include tranquil views of water lilies and dramatic flower closeups. The free exhibit opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday and lasts through Aug. 28 at the Student Resources Atrium, which is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.fau.edu/jupiter/ or www.ravel.net. –– K. Deits

Music: The Cruzan Amphitheatre, having hosted a huge lineup of metal bands yesterday, moves into pop-metal hair-band territory at 7 p.m. today with ’80s favorites Def Leppard and Poison, joined by ’70s idols Cheap Trick. Tickets: $29.50-$125. Tomorrow and Saturday night, it’s Dave Matthews and his band, on tour to support a new album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. At the Cruzan Ampitheatre, West Palm Beach. 7 pm both shows. Tickets: $32-$67. Call the box office at 795-8883 or visit www.livenation.com. –– G. Stepanich

Jazz fans who want to make the trip south can catch trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis tonight as part of the summer series at Coral Gables Congregational Church. Marsalis is celebrated not just for his playing but for his back-to-basics recording techniques for making jazz records. 8 pm. Tickets: $25. Call 305-448-7421, or visit www.communityartsprogram.org. — G. Stepanich

Film: As the summer began and the betting was on over which action blockbuster would deliver the goods, Neill Blomkamp’s District 9, a South African version of War of the Worlds crossed with Transformers, wasn’t even on most people’s radar. It arrives this weekend and is an offbeat winner, albeit too long, a gritty tale of an alien invasion of giant prawns, with strokes of dark humor and, if you look hard enough, perhaps a political allegory about apartheid. — H. Erstein

Theater: Chances are you have not seen a Civil War drama like Matthew Lopez’s The Whipping Man, the latest invigorating effort from newly installed Caldwell Theatre Co. artistic director Clive Cholerton. On the final day of the War Between the States, a wounded confederate soldier of the Jewish faith returns to his plantation, pleading with his former slaves — also Jewish — to care for him and his physical infirmities. Cholerton directs a cast headed by John Archie and Brandon Morris. Opening Friday and continuing through Aug. 30. Call (561) 241-7432 for tickets. –– H. Erstein