1. Piece by Piece

Sculpture, photography, painting and installation are all in Northern Vermont artist Matt Neckers' wheelhouse. For his current exhibition at the Red Mill Gallery at Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Neckers mounted hundreds of pieces of moveable, magnetic art on sheets of painted steel. "Cataclysm: Familiar Robots & Their Animal Kindred" also features a variety of mixed-media sculptures and is on view through February 25. Email [email protected] to schedule a visit.

2. Girl Growing Up

Readers both young and young at heart join debut author Crystal Maldonado for a virtual conversation and celebration of her book Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, published on February 2. The funny and heartfelt YA novel follows the title character, a brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb, as she navigates her relationship with her mom, her culture and her body. Preregister for this free conversation presented by Phoenix Books on Thursday, February 4, at 7 p.m.

3. Big Words

Poet Amanda Gorman made a lasting impression with her spoken word performance at President Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20. David Valdes' play Raggedy And centers on a fictional poet who receives an invitation from the president-elect to read at her inauguration, putting the writer's family at odds.  In its final production, Vermont Pride Theater presents a live virtual reading of the play on Saturday, February 6, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a talkback with moderator and former Vermont gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist. The show will be available on demand on the Chandler Center for the Arts website through February 13.

4. Democracy in Action

Burlington voters: Have you made your pick for mayor? On Friday, February 5, Seven Days and Town Meeting TV host Ask the Candidates, a live election forum with Queen City mayoral candidates. Incumbent Miro Weinberger and hopefuls Haik Bedrosian, Ali Dieng, Will Emmons, Kevin McGrath, Max Tracy, and Patrick White have all been invited to participate. Voters may submit questions here and watch live on Town Meeting TV’s cable channels (Comcast 1087 and Burlington Telecom 17 or 217) or stream it on Town Meeting TV's YouTube page. Seven Days news editors Matthew Roy and Sasha Goldstein moderate.

5. Great Acoustics

If their cover songs on YouTube ("Lucky" by Britney Spears and "Borderline" by Madonna) are any indication, the members of Pittsburgh, Pa., band Buffalo Rose have delightfully motley musical tastes. Primarily a bluegrass band, Buffalo Rose's players bring backgrounds in folk and punk music to the group's acoustic sound. The sextet serves up a remote performance as part of the Ripton Community Coffee House concert series starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 6. Be forewarned: The close harmonies might bring you to tears.

6. In Dialogue

In late January, the LGBTQIA+ Alliance of Vermont launched the LGBTQ+ Town Hall Series, a succession of statewide meetings for community members to discuss timely topics. The next conversation, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, centers on the topic of Rural Queerness. Another, on Tuesday, February 9, focuses on Youth. The free forums continue through February 23 and culminate in a statewide conversation on March 2 recapping previous meetings and identifying initiatives for organizations and legislative action. Visit the Pride Center of Vermont website for details.

7. Virtual Thrills

Escapades in far-flung locales may be out of reach at the moment, but Mountainfilm on Tour offers adventure hounds a few hours of virtual escape. This environmentally minded film festival features 10 short documentaries highlighting mountain culture and outdoor sports. Among the pictures are "River Surfer," a three-minute portrait of Gannet Horn who — you guessed it — surfs rivers, and Unfenced, an 11-minute flick in which ultra-runner Clare Gallagher raises awareness of environmental threats. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe hosts virtual viewings from Thursday, February 4, through Sunday, February 7.

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This is just a small sampling of the state's in-person and virtual happenings in the coming days. Browse our art, calendar and music + nightlife listings for more.

If you're planning or promoting an event in Vermont, please send details our way for a free online listing. Find our event submission form at sevendaysvt.com/postevent.