education Archives - Baltimore Sister Cities

Feb – Apr / Author Conversations: Stories to Broaden Understanding

Photos of the authors' faces and the covers of their books. Reem Faruqi - Milloo's Mind; Mojdeh Bahar - Milkvetch and Violets; Diana Abu-Jaber - Fencing with the King. Background photo: sunrise above the ocean.

Join us for 3 author conversations in February to April, 2023!

February 7, 2023: Reem Faruqi

Time: 7-8pm EST
Format: Zoom
More info & to register: mcpl.libnet.info/event/7813041

Reem Faruqi is the award-winning author of Lailah’s Lunchbox, a children’s book based on her own experiences as a young Muslim girl immigrating to the United States. In this author conversation, she will be sharing Milloo’s Mind: The Story of Maryam Faruqi, Trailblazer for Women’s Education, the story of Reem’s grandmother who founded Happy Home Schools which educated thousands of girls across Pakistan at a time when girls were not encouraged to go to school.

March 7, 2023: Mojdeh Bahar

Time: 7-8pm EST
Format: In-person
Location: Rockville Memorial Library, 21 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850
More info & to register: mcpl.libnet.info/event/7817344

Mojdeh Bahar is a patent attorney and technology transfer professional in the public sector. The recipient of numerous professional awards, Mojdeh currently chairs the Board of Directors of the Iranian-American Community Center. She has a deep interest in poetry. Milkvetch and Violets is her first book of translations from one of her favorite contemporary Persian poets, Mohammad Reza Shafi’i-Kadkani. She will be talking about the power of poetry in any language and her process of translation.

April 11, 2023: Diana Abu-Jaber

Time: 7-8pm EST
Format: Zoom
More info & to register: mcpl.libnet.info/event/7813047

Born to an American mother and a Jordanian father, Diana Abu-Jaber now teaches writing and literature at Portland State University in Oregon. She is the author of the highly-acclaimed memoirs Life Without a Recipe and The Language of Baklava as well as the novels Crescent and Birds of Paradise. Abu-Jaber will be talking about her newest book, Fencing with the King, which has been described as a “mesmerizing breakthrough novel of family myths and inheritances.”

Hosted by Montgomery County Public Libraries, in partnership with Montgomery County Middle Eastern American Advisory Group, Office of Community Partnerships and Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee.

Baltimore-Rotterdam architecture exchange 2023

Morgan State University Students March 2023 Trip to Rottrdam in the Nethelands, the City of Architecture. Logos of MSU SA+P, Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister Cities, RAvB. Photos of Erasmus Bridge and Kop van Zuid; Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (designed by MVRDV); Rotterdam Central train station.

Students and faculty from Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P) will travel to Baltimore’s sister city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands during March 12–19, 2023. The trip includes visits to architecture / landscape architecture / urban design firms such as OMA and MVRDV, visits to architecture schools, architecture tours, lectures, and more. Side trips are planned to other cities such as Amsterdam or Antwerp in Belgium. Environmental sustainability will be a focus during the trip. The students will also participate in activities at Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design (RAvB).

In April 2023, RAvB students will reciprocate the exchange by coming to Baltimore to study infrastructure sites similar to the Rotterdam site in their design studio, and learn about Baltimore’s efforts to heal the divides caused by past infrastructure projects. The 2023 exchange continues an ongoing collaboration between MSU SA+P Professor Cristina Murphy and RAvB since 2019.

Related events

February–March 2023: Baltimore-Rotterdam Designing Cities webinar series
Coordinated by Professor Cristina Murphy, with speakers from Baltimore and Rotterdam; it is part of MSU SA+P’s spring lectures. AIA Baltimore continuing education credits are available for these webinars.

March 17, 2023: Baltimore lecture & reception at Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Design
17.00-18.30 CET at Pieter de Hoochweg 129 in Rotterdam. A talk about Baltimore’s cityscape presented by Klaus Philipsen from Archplan, followed by an informal reception — free and open to the public. This special event is held during the visit of Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning’s faculty and students to Rotterdam. Come meet architects and architecture faculty and students from both Baltimore and Rotterdam!
To register: Event page

Sponsorship opportunities

We invite your firm to become a sponsor to help cover the costs of Morgan State University students and faculty’s participation in this educational travel exchange program to Rotterdam. There is also an opportunity for sponsors to join us on the trip to experience the culture and innovative architecture in the Rotterdam region. Sponsors welcome to stay longer than the dates of March 12–19 and visit even more cities, such as Brussels, Delft, and Utrecht.

Experiential travel education is an impactful opportunity for students to gain global understanding and exchange ideas about architectural design, planning, resiliency, and sustainability. Students who attended past Baltimore-Rotterdam exchanges shared that it was “eye-opening” and appreciated the “exposure to different environments and design” and the “opportunity for creative dreaming.” Morgan State is a leading HBCU (Historically Black College / University). The architecture and urban design profession suffers from a longstanding lack of diversity — your support will help enrich these students’ education and thereby help bring more Black students into this profession.

The Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee is leading this fundraising campaign on behalf of the students and faculty.

Why be a sponsor?

Your support ensures that students and faculty will be able to travel abroad.
Opportunity for you to meet potential interns and new hires through this program.
Great visibility — reach people in the architecture and real estate industries in Maryland and internationally.

Sponsorship levels & benefits

Sponsorship levels: Bronze $300; Silver $500; Gold $1,000; Platinum $1,500. All levels receive: Promotion on social media and post-trip report; ticket to event in April 2023. Silver, Gold, Platinum levels also receive: CityScape sculpture made by the students*; recognition in the webinar series. Gold, Platinum levels also receive: opportunity to participate in the trip to Rotterdam in March 2023 **. Platinum has opportunity for custom meetings in Rotterdam ***.

* Sister CityScape sculpture — Students are creating laser-cut sculptures of Baltimore and Rotterdam landmarks and city skylines as thank yous for the sponsors! For a $1,500 sponsorship your firm even has the option of requesting a unique building, e.g. one that your firm has designed.
** Opportunity to participate in the trip — Sponsors may take part in our customized tours and visits. You will be responsible for your own airfare, accommodations, and meals; we will be happy to point you to inexpensive options. This is a unique opportunity to partake in a low-cost architecture-focused overseas trip!
*** Custom professional meetings — If you have a special request for a meeting or sightseeing, we will do our best to help arrange it for you.

For more information

See our Sponsorship Benefits PDF

Contact us to become a sponsor

Email .

The Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (part of Baltimore Sister Cities) is leading this fundraising campaign. Baltimore Sister Cities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

The Morgan students are also doing fundraising!

The faculty and students have been creating charming Baltimore-themed “CityScape” ornaments and magnets to sell at holiday market tables and other events this winter.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT:

Trip Sponsors

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

GOLD

Gary A. Bowden FAIA, Architect Emeritus

SILVER

brennan+company architects
CallisonRTKL
Jerome C. Gray Architect
Unknown Studio

BRONZE
hord | coplan | macht
Vertical Architecture

Promotion Partner

Donor

The Doctrow Family Endowment Fund

Baltimore+Rotterdam: Designing Cities

A webinar series all about designing cities — spanning Baltimore and Rotterdam!

This series is a sequel to the previous webinar series from spring 2022. The spring 2023 theme is: Infrastructure as a Barrier: The scar that divides communities and breaks the very heart of the city. The 2023 series is intended to critically look at the theory gained through the 2022 series and provide practical input to current urban challenges.

Architects, designers, and researchers from Baltimore (Maryland, USA) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands), discussed “How do architects design spaces for people?” together with the audience — in 4 round tables facilitated by international moderators. Each round table dynamically explores designs that value infrastructures, cities, public spaces, communities, and individuals. Each webinar explores a specific theme. This is a unique opportunity to hear how different types of firms approach design in two cities with similar historical legacies (working class cities with port industries).

The Baltimore+Rotterdam 2023 series was part of Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning’s Spring 2023 Lecture Series. The Baltimore+Rotterdam series was designed and coordinated by Cristina Murphy, Assistant Professor at Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P) and Adjunct Professor at Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design’s Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center.

Dates: Every Tuesday from February 14 to March 7, 2023
Format: Online webinar — moderated panel discussion and Q&A
AIA continuing education credits: 1.0 AIA LU|HSW per webinar

The series has ended, but you can watch recordings of each webinar below!

WEBINARS:

Jump down to:

WEBINAR 1

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

Video recording: youtube.com/watch?v=FeSNoK-B0wc

Event info page

THEME
Urban Ecology: Approaches for Environmental + Social Justice
A discussion on urbanization based on ecological knowledge and sustainability approaches

SPEAKERS
Paul Riley & Cara Versace Marshall Craft Associates (MCA) (Baltimore)
Amelle Shultz Ayers Saint Gross (Baltimore)
Jaqueline Bershad National Aquarium (Baltimore)
Jan Jongert Superuse Studios (Rotterdam)
David ter Avest Urban Geographer; Lecturer, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS) (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Thijs van Spaandonk Program Director for Urban Design, Rotterdamse Academie van Bouwkunst (RAvB)

ABOUT
Urbanization is domesticating our ecosystems. Cities are spatially heterogeneous, complex adaptive systems. Furthermore, contemporary cities tend to be big in size and ecological footprint, fast in growth in population and land, and irregular in landscape configuration. Although the dynamic trajectory of cities can never be controlled, its evolution can be guided toward desirable directions through planning and design that are based on urban ecological knowledge and sustainability approaches.

WEBINAR 2

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

Video recording: youtube.com/watch?v=yzCjIl5kbQE

Event info page

THEME
Collective Reuse: The Art of Reuse through Community Participation
A discussion about the roles of adaptive reuse in the urban environment, focusing on repurposing in order to (re)define the city

SPEAKERS
Megan Elcrat Present Company (Baltimore)
Evan Wivell EastWing Architects (Baltimore)
Duzan Doepel DoepelStrijkers (Rotterdam)
Jan Knikker MVRDV (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Sinisha Brdar Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal

ABOUT
Adaptive Reuse is the use of buildings and materials for purposes other than originally intended. Although adaptive reuse has a long tradition in arts and crafts, more recently environmental awareness and design for sustainability have revitalized the role of a trash-to- treasures approach, providing a wide array of contemporary urban design which is an important part of today’s city sustainability. In this session, we will explore the roles of adaptive reuse in the urban environment, focusing on repurposed objects (also) found in urban public spaces in order to (re)define the city.

WEBINAR 3

FEBRUARY 28, 2023

Video recording: youtube.com/watch?v=aaIH9fWqObI

Event info page

THEME
The Generous City: Infrastructure and the Highway to Nowhere
A discussion on claiming back spaces historically divided by infrastructure

SPEAKERS
Jerome Gray Jerome C. Gray Architect (JCGA) (Baltimore)
Scott R. Vieth Design Collective (Baltimore)
Maarten van Bremen GROUP A Architects (Rotterdam)
Kees van Casteren Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) (Rotterdam)
Moderated by Selina Abraham Doctoral Researcher, University of Amsterdam

ABOUT
Cities and infrastructure can have an incredible impact on the lives of people. In the 1950s, the United States undertook an ambitious national interstate highway project with the goal of building roads to connect American cities. The design was, however, intertwined with racial prejudice creating segregation and impoverishing communities. In the Netherlands, cities like Rotterdam were rebuilt after the war and focused on cars as opposed to people. Urban highways have largely had a negative impact on urban life. This is the opposite of a “generous city”. In this session, architects from the Netherlands and the US will discuss how cities and their infrastructures can consciously contribute to empower people through generosity-by-design.

WEBINAR 4

MARCH 7, 2023

Video recording: youtube.com/watch?v=6ZzmVBNW0PE

Event info page

THEME
The Power of Design! Working with Stakeholders to Design Human Spaces
A discussion on co-designing and co-creating to confront big issues in urban design

SPEAKERS
Tyler Miller Gensler Baltimore (Baltimore)
Jason Neal J.Neal Design (Baltimore)
Elina Karanastasi ExS Architecture (Rotterdam)
Zico Lopes Spatial Codes – Studio for Architecture & Inclusion (Rotterdam)
Moderated by coleman a. jordan [ebo] Assistant Professor at Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P)

ABOUT
In order to improve the way we live, we ought to design healthier and safer cities and smarter buildings. To do so, collaboration is key. Our world faces challenges that are too great to be tackled by a single discipline. Baltimore and Rotterdam, like many cities around the world, face challenges related to food segregation, water resiliency, and poverty (also connected to homelessness), to name a few. More than ever, inviting users, customers, governance, and other stakeholders into the process of design is fundamental. These “new” stakeholders need to be brought in as active co-designers, to confront the big issues and develop actionable ways to improve experiences and to co-create new solutions. How can we, the designers, guarantee the welfare of citizens, through the creation of the built environment? Collaboration is discovering and using unique perspectives and benefiting from collective exploration.

PREVIOUS WEBINAR SERIES

2022 webinar series

2021 webinar series

RELATED: SPRING 2023 EXCHANGE

Several of the above speakers are also participating in the spring 2023 architecture student exchange. Students and faculty from Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P) will travel to Baltimore’s sister city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands in March 2023 and visit several architecture firms and infrastructure sites in Rotterdam. In April 2023, students from Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urban Design (RAvB) will reciprocate the exchange by coming to Baltimore. More information about this exchange.

Webinar partners

Logos of Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister Cities, AIA Baltimore, Rotterdamse Academie van Bouwkunst, Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning

Thank you to the sponsors!

PLATINUM

GOLD

Gary A. Bowden FAIA, Architect Emeritus

SILVER

brennan+company architects
CallisonRTKL
Jerome C. Gray Architect
Unknown Studio

Sep. 24, 27 & Oct. 1, 6 | NALI Sessions

The New American Leadership Institute (NALI) is an annual four-session civics academy for emerging immigrant and refugee leaders to learn about the structure of local government, hone leadership skills, network with peers, and identify opportunities for civic participation. These sessions prepare NALI participants to act as ambassadors for their communities!

Conversational English is required to apply. To apply, please complete the N ALI application by Friday, September 9, 2022.

NALI Sessions

Session I: Leadership 101
When: Saturday September 24th, 10:00am to 2:00pm
This session will focus on training and honing the leadership skills of our emerging immigrant and refugee leaders! Our participants will have the opportunity to get familiar with different leadership styles, and how to effectively facilitate group decision making in their communities!

Session II: Navigating Local Government
When: Tuesday, September 27, 5:30pm to 8:00pm
This session will focus on educating our emerging immigrant and refugee leaders about local government and city structure. Our participants will have the opportunity to meet their elected officials and learn more about who represents them in their respective districts!

Session III: Government Entities & Community Resources
When: Saturday, October 1, 10:00am to 2:00pm
This session will focus on educating our emerging leaders about the role of government entities (agencies) and their role in providing community resources. Our participants will become familiar with the work of city agencies working to improve the lives of individuals, children, and families in Baltimore City.

Session IV: In My Neighborhood
When: Thursday, October 6, 5:30pm- 8:00pm
This session will focus on connecting our leaders with resources in their neighborhoods. Our participants will become familiar with neighborhood planning, and how to effectively apply skillsets gained from previous conference sessions. This final session will also end with a closing ceremony from the Mayor of Baltimore!

For more information, visit this website.

Blooming Rainbow Project

During 2021-2022, artists conducted “Blooming Rainbow” — a collaborative class with children, 5-15 years old, in Baltimore and South Korea to create abstract painting jointly together. In this program, children paint scribbles — they can express their feelings, impulsion or their favorite figures. The scribbles are then exchanged with the artists in Baltimore and Korea, who overlap color onto the scribbles. The children learn about the sister cities of Baltimore, Maryland USA and Changwon, South Korea, and learn about abstract art concepts and artists. The program is coordinated by artists Ara Ko, Jack Koppert, and Huaqi Liu (graduate students in MICA’s LeRoy E. Hoffberger Painting MFA Program in Baltimore) and Chaeyeon Hong, Yongeun Kwon and Jaeeun Kim from Ewha University in Seoul, South Korea (who travel to Changwon to teach their group of students).

Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee (BCSCC) is a project partner.

Video about the Blooming Rainbow project

Exhibition – Summer 2022

The work is shown online on Instagram, and in an exhibition in summer 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland USA and Changwon, South Korea.

The opening was on June 10 at 7:00pm ET Baltimore time and on June 11 at 8:00 AM Changwon time and was livestreamed online. Dami S. Schlobohm was the MC at the opening show and performed music. Dami is a cellist and music teacher born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Maryland.

Watch highlights from the exhibition opening event

The full-length recording of the event can be viewed on YouTube.

The artists who are leading this program

Artist Ara Ko with examples of her artwork — Artist Ara Ko

August 20, 2022 | Asia Collective Night Market

Date: Saturday, August 20, 2022
Time: 2:00-11:00pm ET
Location: Howard County Fairgrounds, 2210 Fairgrounds Rd, West Friendship, MD 21794
For more info and to purchase tickets: Eventbrite page

All throughout Asia, night markets are famous, from the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar in Thailand to the Donghuamen Night Market in Beijing, China. Night markets are not only a place to taste a variety of local delicacies, but also an occasion to foster a community and celebrate culture with your friends and families.

At the Asia Collective Night Market, over 40 local vendors will present their best Asian cuisine and special dishes for you! The event will also feature music, performances, merchandise, and family friendly activities.

Find the Baltimore Changwon Sister City Committee (BCSCC) table in the nonprofit section at booth E7. They will be hosting a craft session from 2:00-6:00pm, where you can create your own Korean-inspired paper fan.

Find the Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC) table at booth E10. Fumiko Campbell will be showing her Origami arts, Misako Aoki her Japanese tea tasting and Yoshitaka Fujii his ceramic arts from 2:00-6:00pm.

Learn more about this event here.

2021 Year in Review: Baltimore Sister Cities

Annual Report & Plan

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Accomplishments Report for 2021 (PDF, 3mb)

Baltimore Sister Cities Annual Plan for 2022 (PDF, 1.3mb)

Some of our 2021 highlights:

Photo collage of Baltimore Sister Cities 2021 activities - the activities are described in the report.

2nd photo collage of Baltimore Sister Cities 2021 activities - the activities are described in the report.

April | Baltimore Sister Cities workshops at Enoch Pratt Library

Photos of painted Pysanky egs; paper dolls; Korean fan dance for the workshops on April 9, 14, and 16, 2022. BSC & Enoch Pratt Library logos.

Baltimore’s public library hosts Imagination Celebration throughout the month of April. This signature event celebrates creativity and honors diverse voices and experiences within children’s literature and our communities. The celebration features special events, arts and crafts, and more.

Baltimore Sister Cities offers fun activities for kids from some of our sister city committees!

Admission is free.

Saturday, April 9: Pysanky Eggs

Time: 3pm ET
Location: Patterson Park Branch (158 N. Linwood Avenue, Baltimore MD 21224)
Event page on the library website

Learn about the Ukrainian tradition of decorating pysanky, or eggs, and create your own.

This indoor program has limited space and pre-registration is recommended. To register, please look at the library’s event page for instructions. Walk-ins are also accepted until the program reaches maximum capacity.

Presented by Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee (BOSCC).

Thursday, April 14: Imagine YOU!

Time: 2pm ET
Location: Orleans Street Branch (1303 Orleans St, Baltimore MD 21231)
Event page on the library website

Join Susan L. Roth, author of “Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt’s Treasured Books” and Baltiimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister Cities to make paper dolls together. Create a doll that represents who you are now, or who you want to be in the future. This workshop is inspired by this year’s Imagination Celebration book selection: What Will You Be? by Yamile Saied Méndez.

Presented by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC).

Saturday, April 16: Korean Fan Dance Demonstration

Time: 2pm ET
Location: Central Library (400 Cathedral St, Baltimore MD 21201)
Event page on the library website

Learn about the tradition of Korean fan dance and enjoy a performance from the Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee.

Presented by Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee (BCSCC).

BGE provides Green Grant for Baltimore Sister Cities educational program

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) has provided a BGE Green Grant of $2,500 to Baltimore Sister Cities for the “Operation Trash” educational exchange project.

In this project — a collaboration between the Baltimore Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC) and Kathie diStefano from Rotterdam-based Avalanche Arts — students from schools in Baltimore and Rotterdam engage in a virtual exchange centered around the topic of trash pollution, and conduct research about the trash in their communities. They study trash reduction and recycling strategies and make presentations to share with their counterparts overseas, and take part in a community cleanup. The program is designed to inspire them to become environment stewards for their communities. The next edition of Operation Trash is planned for spring of 2022 with middle school students.

Baltimore Sister Cities is grateful for the grant provided by BGE, as projects like Operation Trash would not be possible without their generous support.

For more information:

Sister Cities International Annual Conference

Date: July 15–16, 2021
Format: Virtual
Admission: Free (advance registration required)
More info & to register: www.sci-ac.org

This year’s theme is “Building Stronger Ties for an Interconnected World” and features breakout sessions on economic, education, humanitarian, sports, and other themes.

Join us for 3 author conversations in February to April, 2023!

February 7, 2023: Reem Faruqi

March 7, 2023: Mojdeh Bahar

April 11, 2023: Diana Abu-Jaber

Related events

Sponsorship opportunities

Why be a sponsor?

Sponsorship levels & benefits

For more information

Contact us to become a sponsor

The Morgan students are also doing fundraising!

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT:

Trip Sponsors

Promotion Partner

Donor

A webinar series all about designing cities — spanning Baltimore and Rotterdam!

WEBINARS:

WEBINAR 1

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

WEBINAR 2

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

WEBINAR 3

FEBRUARY 28, 2023

WEBINAR 4

MARCH 7, 2023

PREVIOUS WEBINAR SERIES

RELATED: SPRING 2023 EXCHANGE

Webinar partners

Thank you to the sponsors!

NALI Sessions

Video about the Blooming Rainbow project

Exhibition – Summer 2022

Watch highlights from the exhibition opening event

The artists who are leading this program

Annual Report & Plan

Some of our 2021 highlights:

Saturday, April 9: Pysanky Eggs

Thursday, April 14: Imagine YOU!

Saturday, April 16: Korean Fan Dance Demonstration

Contact Baltimore Sister Cities

Donate