Gregory Porter says he got into songwriting because his mother was a minister. "Melodies, lyrics, thoughts come to me in the most average of places ... when I'm birdwatching, which I like to do," he said on Soundcheck. Watch a video of Porter singing "On My Way To Harlem."

Manhattan's Community Board 10 is mulling whether to ask bars, nightclubs and restaurants to stop serving liquor two hours before last call. This week, the board tabled a recommendation that would require establishments to stop serving liquor after 2 a.m. in order to get more information from its economic development committee, which proposed the rule.

A tribute to Romare Bearden, "portable" murals by Diego Rivera, an artist who reproduces the work of other artists, and the roots of documentary photography in New York. Plus: enough performance art to gag an ox. Here's what's cooking this weekend in the big bad city.

At long last, a decades-old arts education group has a permanent home uptown. On Tuesday night, the National Dance Institute will inaugurate its first-ever headquarters in central Harlem, complete with studios and a 175-seat performance space.

The Richard Hambleton retrospective at Phillips de Pury & Company is only on view through Tuesday. But there's still plenty of historic graffiti around town to cast your eye over. With the help of graffiti aficionada Katherine Lorimer (who snaps shots of street art as Luna Park), WNYC has created a tour of five of the coolest and oldest pieces of graffiti around town.

Next month, Cyndi Lauper's 1986 hit "True Colors" takes on new meaning when the True Colors Residence for homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (L.G.B.T.) youth opens in Harlem on September 1. The shelter will be the first permanent housing facility in New York for homeless L.G.B.T. youth.

A group of 30 teenage artists from Harlem is telling the story of the neighborhood with a colorful mural dubbed "Magic with Logic."

Harlem Day was started 37 years ago to pay tribute to the rich economic, political, and cultural history of Harlem. The one-day event morphed into Harlem Week, which has now attracted so many participants that it is more than a month of 100 events that promotes Harlem's proud culture.

Trophies made of tire, a can of pickles spinning on a turntable, two gigantic pop-up books and walls covered in graffiti. These are some of the pieces featured in "El Museo's Bienal: The (S) File 2011," an exhibit that opened on Tuesday at El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem.

On Monday night, a new festival hopes to draw attention to old-school venues like Minton’s Playhouse and the Lennox Lounge by bringing modern-day luminaries to Harlem for a week of concerts. The Harlem Jazz Shrines Festival will feature performances by Jason Moran, Wycliffe Gordon, Geri Allen, and Meshell Ndegeocello, among others.

In the age of YouTube, sometimes it seems like everyone is a cover artist. This weekend, two groups of young artists take on music from the past at Harlem Stage and the Joyce Soho Theater.

In honor of Black History Month, the Schomburg center will celebrate Allen's life and career with music, video and anecdotes.

The New York Public Library officially announced the acquisition of the archives on Friday, which include handwritten notes for Angelou's autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

School is back in session at the Harlem School of the Arts. The afterschool program which has trained Harlem children for decades in visual arts, theater, dance, and music started its fall term on Thursday.

From rooftop films to free concerts in nearly every park, New York offers a bounty of reasons to leave the buzz of your apartment’s air conditioning this summer. One small, 55-person movie theater adds to the mix by bringing a wide range of documentaries and classic cinema to Harlem.

Harlem music legends are honored on 125th with commemorative plaques. Janaya Williams reports.