IN THE ARTS The annual Mudslingers' Pottery Open House will be held Sunday, Nov. 11, 1-6 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 12, 4-8 p.m. Beautiful wheel thrown and hand built functional and decorative stoneware pottery by Lauren Bellero, and vibrant oil and watercolor paintings by Kathleen Stephens will be featured. The event will take place at 39 Leroy Place (between Broad and Maple), Red Bank. For more information visit www.mudslingerspottery.net. The Brush & Palette Art Guild of Keyport will hold a business meeting Nov. 20 at 7 p.m., at Irene's, 48 Virginia Ave., Hazlet. All are welcome to attend. For more information, call (732) 888-0993. The Art Society of Monmouth County will hold its next meeting Nov. 21 at 10:30 a.m. at Monmouth Beach Cultural Center, 128 Ocean Ave. The meeting will begin with a social half-hour with refreshments, followed by a presentation on painting landscapes in watercolor by artist Jim Ferrier. For more information, call Lucille at (732) 229- 3377. The Performing Arts Ensemble (PAE) will present the holiday classic, "The Nutcracker," Nov. 24 and 25 at 2 p.m. at Strand Theater, Ocean County. Performances will also be Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m., and Dec. 1 and 2 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Two River Theater, 21 Bridge Ave., Red Bank. Guest artists from the Met at Lincoln Center have rehearsed alongside PAE dancers from all areas of New Jersey selected by audition. Professional scenery from across the nation will provide the backdrop for colorful costumes worn by dancers. The ensemble is directed b Evelyn Gardell. Tickets are $25 at either theater, with a $2 discount for children and seniors. For tickets for Two River, call (732) 345-1400. For the Strand, call (732) 671-9655. Monmouth Museum, Lincroft section of Middletown, will hold a trip to "Gates of Paradise" at Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, Nov. 27 from 8:45 a.m.-5 p.m. Lorenzo Ghiberti's doors for the baptistery in Florence or the Gates of Paradise provide the public with an opportunity to see three of the doors' narrative reliefs. Lunch will be at the museum's Petrie Court Restaurant, followed by free time to shop or view the museum's annual Christmas tree exhibition or newly installed galleries of Egyptian art. Cost is $85 for nonmembers, and $80 for members. For reservations, call the museum at (732) 747-2266. The Brotherhood of Temple Shalom, 5 Ayrmont Lane, Aberdeen, will hold an art and memorabilia auction Dec. 1 with a preview at 7 p.m., and the auction at 8 p.m. There will be art for all tastes such as limited edition lithographs and etchings, original oil paintings, animation cells and sports memorabilia. Artists featured include Chagall, Delacroix, Wyeth and other artists. All pieces are custom framed, designed and matted. Cost is $15 per person at the door, and $10 in advance. Food and drinks will be served. Proceeds benefit the Brotherhood. For information, call the temple office at (732) 566-2621 or visit www.templeshalomnj.org. The Shrewsbury Chorale will present "Hodie" by Ralph Vaughan Williams Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. at Lutheran Memorial Lutheran Church, 818 Tinton Ave., Tinton Falls. The concert is a Christmas celebration set to texts and poetry from the gospels, Milton, Hardy and Herbert, and also featuring songs and carols of the season. Conductor will be Anthony LaGruth. Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors and students, and $10 for children age 12 and younger. Discounted tickets are available in advance. For tickets, call (732) 776-5276 or visit www.shrewsburychorale. org. "Mere Mortals," David Ives' hilarious series of short plays, will open Saturday at Two River Theater Company in Red Bank. A sharp and riotous evening from the overactive imagination of today's smartest, most off-kilter, comic master, "Mere Mortals" will run through Nov. 18. The four-actor ensemble cast will play multiple characters. Tickets are $30 - $56 and are available by calling the box office at (732) 345-1400, online at www.trtc.org or at the box office at 21 Bridge Ave. in Red Bank. B4 Play, a free, pre-show discussion 45 minutes prior to the performance, will be Jokeology 101: A David Ives Warm- Up, about how to tell a joke, hosted by actors from the cast.