Here’s What’s Happening (in order of appearance):

Participatory Budgeting Expo and Voting Period / The 10th Precinct Community Council / Music, Art, & More at Verdi Cannabis / Demo and Dine / Art Exhibits at Hudson Guild /  The Furies

Participatory Budgeting Expo: Thursday, March 27, 5-6:30pm at the Museum of Broadway (145 W. 45th St.) and Voting Period (March 29 to  April 6, Online & In-Person) | A cool million–yes, that’s $1 million from the caital discretionary budget of NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher–funds this opportunity for residents of Council District 3 to fund projects in schools, parks, and other  public spaces. The March 27 Expo allows you to have a brick-and-mortar look at all of the projects that made it onto the Participatory Budgeting ballot. Expo visitors will also have the chance to cast their vote on-site. The offficial voting period is March 29 through April 6, taking place online and in-person. (This listing will be updated on March 28 with a link to the online voting and details on the when/where of in-person voting.)

Events at Verdi Cannabis (158 W. 23rd St. btw. 6th & 7th Aves.) | Having recently celebrated its first full year since setting up shop on West 23rd Street, legal cannabis distributor Verdi Cannabis offers free arts programming via gallery-style displays of artwork on their walls, and a Thursday night music series. This month’s remaining featured musical act, on March 27, is the Joe Salgo Solo Project. Now through April 12, the featured artist is Dina Freeman, whose work appears, gallery-style, on Verdi’s walls (and is available for purchase). Throughout the month of March, Verdi is running a fundraiser in collaboration with Rove to benefit LA Wildfire relief. “We have 3 Rove gift baskets, with live product and merch, each at a $350 retail value. You can purchase a raffle ticket for $5 at Verdi,” notes a Verdi staffer. To keep up with what else is up with Verdi, click here to visit their website. To visit the EVENTS page of their website, click here.

Demo and Dine: Friday, March 28 at Market 57’s PLATFORM (at Pier 57, 25 11th Ave.) | PLATFORM, the ultra-modern showcase kitchen and educational facility at Pier 57’s Market 57, is home to this series that sees participants immersed in the favorite flavorful cuisine of a renowned guest chef. The series made its debut on Sunday, March 9, with Milk and Cardamom: Afternoon Chai with Hetal Vasavda. Author and blogger Vasavda shared family favortes during this demonstration and tasting. Upcoming: At 6pm on Friday, March 28, it’s Pasta and Pastry with Chef Renato Poliafito. Brooklyn-based chef/author Poliafiro leads this interactive dining experience and Q&A, while sharing “his expert techniques for making fresh, authentic pasta from scratch, and the step-by-step secrets behind his incredible pastries.” Tickets are available for $95 here.

Water’s Voice and Our Fragile Moment: Climate Crisis-Themed Exhibits at Hudson Guild | Free to the public, these exhibits are the latest in Hudson Guild’s Art in Response series in which “artists  examine issues of social and political importance to our community.” Water’s Voice considers the powerful presence of water in nature—and ourselves. (“We are mostly water,” the exhibit’s promo material notes.) The work of artists Patricia Espinosa, Eleanor Goldstein, Ellie  Irons, Susan Knight, Michelle Lougee, and Camille Seaman celebrate and champion water, working in a variety of formats and mediums. Free to view at Guild Gallery II (119 Ninth Ave.) through April 22; Tues. through Fri., 10am to 5pm, and by appointment (call 212-760-9837 to schedule a visit).

Having opened on February 13 at Hudson Guild Gallery (441 W. 26th St.) with a free reception from 5:30pm to 7pm, the exhibit Our Fragile Moment highlights environmental issues, including sea level rise. “The  combined voices of these artists allow beauty to blend with sadness, fear to be overlaid with hope and optimism, and  apathy to be turned to action,” notes artist/educator Fran Beallor, who curated this exhibit as well as Water’s Voice. As for the talent featured in Our Fragile Moment, Beallor’s hand-picked roster includes Rachel Aisenson, M. Annenberg, Nicole Betancourt,  Lois Bender, Pam Brown, Pamela Casper, Jesica Clark, Simona Clausnitzer, Nora Chavooshian, January Yoon Cho, Nicole Cooper, Cailyn  Dawson, Noreen Dean Dresser, Anke Frohlich, Nancy Gesimondo, Pearl Rosen Golden, Deborah Kruger, Sally Linder,  Christina Massey, Mars Miller, Eleni Mylonas, Beryl Perron-Feller, Grace Graupe Pillard, Jeffrey Allen Price, Kristin  Reed, Yvonne Lamar Rogers, Ann R. Shapiro, Amrita Singh, Molly Tenzer, Tammy West, Jane Whitten, and Lucy Wilner.

“Our Fragile Moment” is free to view through April 22; Tues. through Fri., 10am to 6pm, Sat., 12pm to 3pm, and by appointment (call 212-760-9837to schedule a visit). Monday, March 24, 76pm to 8:30pm, artists from both exhibits come together for a virtual event: “Artists on the Climate Crisis An Artists Talk on Art.”  This online discussion is held via Zoom. Click here for the link and when prompted, use 737066 as the password.

UPCOMING at Hudson Guild, April 4-13: The Furies (a contempory adaptation of The Oresteia) | See the below flyer for more info, and click here to order tickets ($12 general admission).

—Listings compiled by Scott Stiffler

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