The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts kicks off its Dialogue series, weekly conversations related to current exhibitions, at 1 p.m. with a panel exploring the question "Renegade or Official? Behind the Public Art Scenes." Panelists are Tim Kaulen, PCA 2009 Artist of the Year; Sheila Klein, artist commissioned to design the East Liberty pedestrian footbridge; Tracy Myers, curator, Heinz Architectural Center, Carnegie Museum of Art; and Heather McElwee, assistant director, Pittsburgh Glass Center. Moderator is artist Eve Heidekat. At 6300 Fifth Ave., Shadyside. Admission is $10, or two for $15; $5 and $7 for members. Information: 412-361-0873 or www.pittsburgharts.org.

Author Lorrie Moore will read from her latest work and first novel in 15 years, "A Gate at the Stairs," as part of the Drue Heinz Lectures at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland at 7:30 p.m. Moore is known primarily for her short fiction, and her new readers will discover an original voice in a book "that reinforces her as one of the great writers of our age." A heartbreaking coming-of-age story in the year after 9/11, the novel delivers Moore's trademark brand of mirth and melancholy as she explores the limitations and insufficiencies of love. Tickets: $15-$25; 412-622-8866 or www.pittsburghlectures.org.

"Green Is a Primary Color: A Discussion on Art, Ecology and Education" will begin at 7 p.m., preceded by a 6:30 p.m. reception, at Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley, which hosts the event organized by the Seton Hill University World Affairs Forum. Panelists will be Angela Belli, director of the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve Environmental Education Center at Saint Vincent College; Dana Elmendorf, Seton Hill art faculty and art therapist; Constance Merriman, who teaches at the CMU School of Architecture and addresses environmental issues in her artwork; and Stuart Thompson, Seton Hill art professor emeritus. The event is free, but seating is limited, and reservations are advised at 724-238-6015.

Canadian keytar-wielding electro-pop artist Lights plays Brillobox, 4104 Penn Ave., at 9:30 p.m. with special guests Stars of Track and Field.

Lights, who is on her first headlining U.S. tour, just finished up a run on this summer's Warped Tour, which led to Rolling Stone calling her "a retro-new wave ... keytar-rockin pixie" and naming her a buzz band in a recent issue. Her debut album is "The Listening" and the video for her first single, "Saviour," has been a top video on MySpace, with almost 1 million plays.

Tickets: $8-$10; www.ticketweb.com/brillobox or www.brillobox.net.

"Dog Jack," a family friendly film about a dog from Pittsburgh who became a Civil War hero, will be screened twice at Soldiers & Sailors Hall and Museum in Oakland. The movie is based on a novel by Lawrence County native Florence W. Biros, who was inspired more than 40 years ago by a picture in the museum of Dog Jack, the companion of a runaway slave. Filmed in Western Pennsylvania and Illinois, the film is narrated by actor Louis Gossett Jr. Tickets for the 2:30 p.m. matinee are $10 for adults, $5 for students between 6 and 14. Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. show are $15 for adults and $5 for students. Children under 6 are free at both showings. Tickets: 1-800-358-0777 or www.sonrisepublications.com.

First Published: October 4, 2009, 4:00 a.m.