This weekend in Boston: Robots, records, and roller derbies

Celebrate art and alliteration at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s Third Thursdays: Moda party, featuring live music, a cash bar, and the new contemporary fashion exhibition from Carla Fernandez, “The Barefoot Designer.” If she’s anything like the Barefoot Contessa, my girl Ina Garten, all the garments on display will specifically use GOOD fabrics. It really makes a difference. (5:30 p.m., $12-15, 21+)

Combining the forces of text, song and physicality, “The Wholehearted” from ArtsEmerson opens Thursday with a narrative fraught with the violence of love and the sexuality of sports. If you don’t know what that means, I guess you’ve never felt your pants get a little tight after a Tom Brady touchdown pass. The Future Boston Alliance presents special post-show lobby talks after the Thursday and Friday performances, and you can snag discounted tickets with the code Future25. (7:30 p.m., $25, 14+)

After moving from Japan to Boston, artist Kenji Nakayama spent the past decade mastering the art of pinstriping and traditional sign-painting. Check out his new ”Études” series for the Fourth Wall Project at Friday’s opening reception. The 49 works will be displayed in the gallery through May 18. (7 p.m., FREE, all ages)

Science is totally having a moment right now, either due to the popularity of “Breaking Bad”, or the fact that studying science is a solid path to a real career instead of a perpetual membership in the creative underclass. So it’s a perfect time for the Cambridge Science Festival, kicking off Friday and running through April 27. This weekend’s events include Friday’s Big Ideas for Busy People (kind of like mini TED talks) and Saturday’s Science Carnival and Robot Zoo (kind of like a zoo without the poopy smell). (Various times, locations and prices, all ages)

The Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis lecture and discussion examines whether a cultural fear of women exists, which yes it totally does, but only because we fear what we don’t understand. If you’ve ever tried to analyze texts from a girl you like to figure out if she likes you back, then you know what I’m talking about. A riddle wrapped in an enigma inside an emoji. (10 a.m., FREE, all ages)

And obviously all men are a little bit intimated by women who do roller derby. The Boston Derby Dames kick off their season Saturday at Shriners Auditorium, taking on the Charm City rollers from Baltimore. One time on the T I saw a big group of ladies with shirts that said “Hell on Wheels” so I got excited and asked if they were a roller derby team, ‘cuz of the shirts. “Um, we’re a bachelorette party,” one answered. “Our shirts say ‘Hell on Heels.’” Reading comprehension is important. (7 p.m., $12-16, all ages)

Celebrate National Record Store Day by stopping by the local vinyl shop and picking up one of the day’s many special releases, instead of just raiding the stash at your local Goodwill. (Fun fact: Every pile of more than 20 used records includes at least one copy of the “Man of La Mancha” original Broadway cast recording.) I’m not sure I buy the idea that music sounds better, warmer, on vinyl; I think album sleeves are probably just a really good surface for breaking up weed. (Various times and locations, FREE, all ages)

Hey, speak of the devil! The devil’s weed, that is. It’s every stoner’s favorite holiday, and Allston’s Green Side Up Gallery celebrates with an all-day music festival upstairs from the “tobacco pipe” shop at Great Scott. Roll up a jazz cigarette and head over for some crunchy grooves, raffles and giveaways. (“High” noon, $10 suggested donation, 18+)

Photo credit: Masonite Burn/Creative Commons

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