Along with New York's regularly scheduled gallery and museum openings, there's always a slew of art-related events happening in the city just below the radar. ArtWeLove's weekly events digest helps you navigate the art scene's offerings, on and off the beaten track.

TUESDAY: VISIT ISTANBUL IN SOHO

Check out the opening of "The Columns Held Us Up," a collaborative program between Artists Space and Istanbul's Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center. Beginning today with a performance by artist Jeremiah Day, the exhibition will last through July as the SoHo alternative space gives the Turkish museum--which is currently undergoing renovation--room to stage its programming, as well as a base for several off-site events. Hours: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m, Admission: free.

WEDNESDAY: SCRUTINIZE RACISM, BY THE BOOK

After the headlong hot-dogs-and-apple-pie patriotism of the Fourth of July, the opening of the Center for Book Arts' new show "Racism: An American Family Value" will be a bracing look at another side of the country's tradition. Examining the way artists from Kara Walker to Glenn Ligon have used text and book art to subversively explore the legacy of this social problem, the show will also be a great introduction into an art form that is gaining more and more currency. Hours: 6 p.m - 8 p.m. Admission: free.

THURSDAY: CAMP OUT AT X-INITIATIVE

Following up it's smash-hit "No Soul for Sale" show, X-Initiative has invited architect and "social designer" Fritz Haeg to remake the alternative space's first floor as a tent-filled mountain colony. Ringed by a silhouette of L.A.'s San Gabriel Mountains painted on the walls, the encampment--based on the wigwams of Manhattan's original Lenape tribe--will provide the perfect place for reflection and repose, even for non-outdoorsy types. The opening on Thursday is sure to be packed, so get there early. Hours: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m, Admission: free.

FRIDAY: TRAVEL TO COLOMBIA, BY WAY OF QUEENS

Join the Queens Museum of Art for their weekly outdoor festivities of food, fun, and foreign culture. Every Friday the museum spirits guests to a different location around the globe--metaphorically speaking (its a recession after all)--to celebrate the culture of one of the myriad nationalities that live to Queens. This week Passport Friday will spotlight Colombia, with dance performances, a live concert by Grupo Latino Son, and a screening of the multi-generational comedy "Mi Abuelo, Mi Papa, y Yo" ("My Grandfather, My Father, and I"). Hours: 6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. Admission: free.

SATURDAY: ADDRESS ADVERSITY

To accompany the show "Reflections on the Electric Mirror: New Feminist Video," the Brooklyn Museum will screen a variety of films produced by young artists that address the hardships inherent in queer culture. One movie, "Fenced OUT," documents attempts by the local gay community to preserve the Christopher Street pier from developers, while another film will explore the social pressures and angst among GLBTG teens. The film screenings with be followed by discussions. Hours: 2 p.m. - 4 p.m, Admission: free with general admission.

SUNDAY: SYMPATHIZE WITH LADY LIBERTY

As part of Deitch Projects' continuing "The Pig Presents" series at the gallery's Long Island City space, artists Ragnar Egilsson and Karen Azoulay will host "Down With Liberty!," a lecture and slide show about the various catastrophes and destructions the Statue of Liberty has been subject to throughout cinematic history. Bring your Swiss Army knife and some canned goods... you never know when disaster will strike. Hours: 5 p.m. Admission: free.