ILLUMINATION LIGHT ART FESTIVAL IN BPC
The Illumination Light Art Festival is returning to Battery Park City this Thursday through Satureday, May 2 to 4, at Belvedere Plaza at 7:30p. The event is free, but I think you need to reserve tickets. Participants can interact with light-based creations, dance to DJs, and catch a surprise performance or two. There will also be a large-scale projection on the Oculus. The show closes on May the 4th (get it?) with a Star Wars-themed silent disco by Quiet Events.

HUDSON RIVER PARK IN PRINT
Tom Fox, a Brooklyn resident who was the president of the precursor to the Hudson River Park in the early ’90s and who was also the co-founder and CEO of New York Water Taxi, has released a book titled “Creating the Hudson River Park | Environmental and Community Activism, Politics and Greed.” He is also hosting book launch, reading and signing on Pier 25 on May 9 from 5 to 7:30p hosted by Manhattan Youth and Lilac Preservation.

NEW BENCHES FOR WORLD TRADE CENTER
The World Trade Center has added two beautiful curving wood benches to its plaza between WTC3 and WTC4 that were built by the Brooklyn Woods program, a non-profit that focuses on providing woodworker and fabrication training to unemployed and low-income New Yorkers who face barriers to launching their careers due to their prior records. The benches were built by eight participants who took part in a 10-week job training program in partnership with the Port Authority. The two organizations previously partnered to build a slew of sustainably sourced native bee houses for the World Trade Center’s Liberty Park in 2022.

SELLING WARHOLS IN THE HOTEL LOBBY
The Arlo Soho has a new program where they sell blue chip art to young collectors in the lobby, and starting today there will be Warhol illustrations on view through mid June and for sale starting at $2500. The event’s opening is free but requires registration: Tuesday, April 30, 6 – 8p. The exhibit features an extensive selection of Warhol’s hand-colored illustrations from 1950/60s, including the Wild Raspberries recipe book and the rare Fleming-Joffe collages.