Happening Tuesday: Thinking on the Middle East, NPR at 40 and more

BOOKS

Hooman Majd and Reza Aslan Iranian American authors Hooman Majd and Reza Aslan, two leading thinkers on the Middle East, will engage in an open-ended discussion about the region’s politics, culture and religion. Majd’s new book, “The Ayatollahs’ Democracy,” examines Iran’s disputed 2009 elections; Aslan’s new “Tablet and Pen” is anthology of modern writing from the Middle East. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Free. (310) 443-7000. https://www.hammer.ucla.edu

EVENTS

Sustainability and Heritage in a World of Change Negotiating the uneasy balance between promoting sustainable development and maintaining cultural heritage has vexed civic planners for decades, but a panel of preservation experts — moderated by the Getty’s own Susan Macdonald — offer stories of their own experiences as a framework for moving forward. Museum Lecture Hall, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. 7 p.m. Free with reservation. https://www.getty.edu

NPR at 40: What Is the Future of Public Radio? Veteran NPR correspondent Susan Stamberg joins USC School of Journalism director Geneva Overholser for a discussion of how public radio might weather and adapt to the tectonic shifts that are reshaping the media landscape. KPCC reporter Leslie Berestein Rojas will moderate. Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. 5th St., downtown L.A. 7 p.m. Free. https://www.lfla.org

ART

Blinky Palermo Artist and experimental filmmaker Morgan Fisher discusses the body of work left behind by German abstract painter Blinky Palermo. Famous for monochromatic canvases and fabric paintings, some of Palermo’s most innovative pieces will be on display for this exclusive tour. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Free, tickets required. (323) 857-6000. https://www.lacma.org