A variety of events celebrating the singular world of jazz musician Sun Ra are being held at the Institute of Contemporary Art (118 S. 36th St., 215-898-7108, www.icaphila.org) to celebrate the exhibit "Pathways to Unknown Worlds: Sun Ra, El Saturn & Chicago's Afro-Futurist Underground, 1954-1968," which runs through Aug. 2.

Admission to all events is free.

John Szwed: Lecture by the author of "Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra." (July 8, 7 p.m.)

Outdoor Double Feature: Screenings of the 2005 documentary "Sun Ra: Brother From Another Planet" and the hourlong 1980 film "A Joyful Noise," which includes footage from the Arkestra house in Germantown. (July 15, 7 p.m.)

Saturn Never Sleeps: A sonic and visual collage created by King Britt using snippets of Sun Ra music and live experimentation. (July 22, 7 p.m.)

Death's Headquarters: In Celebration of Le Sony'r Ra: Curated by Ars Nova Workshop, performances by two local groups in the avant-garde spirit of Ra and the Arkestra: Planet Y, the duo of Charles Cohen and Yanni Papadopoulos; and Sonic Liberation Front, a 12-piece ensemble combining free jazz with Afro-Cuban percussion. (July 29, 7 p.m.)

- Shaun Brady