A list of upcoming events organized or supported by Baltimore Sister Cities and our sister city committees (Changwon, South Korea; Gbarnga, Liberia; Kawasaki, Japan; Luxor & Alexandria, Egypt; Odesa, Ukraine; Piraeus, Greece; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Xiamen, China) and our affiliates. Events include:
January 14 – March 25, 2023
Lunar New Year Exhibition at Baltimore Clayworks
Times: Tuesday – Saturday 10am-5pm ET. Sunday 12-5pm ET.
Admission: Free and open to the public
Location: Baltimore Clayworks, 5707 Smith Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209
About the exhibition: Exhibition page on Baltimore Clayworks site
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 14 from 6-8 pm
Virtual Artist Talk: January 24 at 2pm ET with curator Adam Chau About the artist talk
Chinese/Vietnamese American artist, Adam Chau, has produced this series of exhibitions across the United States celebrating the Asian New Year since 2019. Participating AAPI and mixed-heritage artists share original ceramic works inspired by the animals from the Asian zodiac – a rabbit for the year 2023. Multiple cultures are represented in this project, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Event partners include Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC), Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee (BXSCC), Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center (AA&CC).
March – April, 2023
Architecture student exchange
Students and faculty from Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (MSU SA+P) travel to Baltimore’s sister city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands in March. In April, architecture faculty students from Rotterdam travel to Baltimore to reciprocate the exchange
See the Trip to Rotterdam webpage for more information.
Supported by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee.
Q1-Q2 2023
Maryland Global Gateway soft landing program
Are you a Maryland-based business interested in testing put your business in a foreign market? If so, check out the new Global Gateway Exchange soft landing program organized by the State of Maryland’s Department of Commerce. The program helps Maryland companies ease their transitions to global markets and connects them with an international partner. Selected Maryland companies will have the opportunity to explore a foreign market with the support of a partnering incubator. Exchange partners provide companies with access to facilities, resources, networking, advisors, and more. Current international partners include incubator programs in Ireland, South Korea and Japan, with more expected to join in the coming months.
The program is also accepting applications for non-U.S. businesses looking to test out the Maryland market. Applications for foreign companies are accepted through March 15. Participating companies were eligible for funding toward rent costs for up to six months at a business incubator and accelerator in Maryland. The program also offers training, mentoring, matchmaking and networking, and assistance with business registration costs for those that choose to stay in Maryland.
March 17 – April 16, 2023
Crisis Mode: Living Pilipino in America
In-person: Friday, March 17- Sunday, April 2
Online: Thursday, March 30-Sunday, April 16
Location: Strand Theater, 5426 Harford Road, Baltimore MD 21214
More info: Strand Theater website
In this one-person piece, Cori Dioquino explores the complexities of her own identity as she navigates through the three major identity crises of her life. “Crisis Mode” weaves Dioquino’s personal history with that of her motherland – The Philippines – and its complicated relationship to the United States through dance, movement, music, and art. With each crisis, she shares her experiences growing up an immigrant in the “Land of the Free”, coping with hidden mental health issues, and her gradual transition from “Proud Pinoy” to “Generic Asian”.
Produced by Asian Pasifika Arts Collective and Strand Theater Co. Co-sponsored by the Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center (AA&CC).
March 25 to April 3, 2023
Changwon’s Annual Flower Festival
Baltimore Sister Cities members are invited to attend this annual festival. Contact the Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee for more information.
Promoted by Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee.
March 26, 2023
Annual Maryland Greek Independence Day Parade in Baltimore
Baltimore Sister Cities members are invited to arrive at 2pm to march with the Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee!
Supported by Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee.
April 1, 2023
Hanami: Baltimore’s Cherry Blossom Picnic
Join us for the annual Hanami picnic hosted by the Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee
Time: 2-4pm ET
Location: Fort McHenry Park, 2400 E. Fort Ave, Baltimore MD 21230
Admission: Free. Bring your own picnic.
More information & to register: Eventbrite page
Hanami is the Japanese tradition of enjoying cherry blossoms in full bloom with a picnic under the cherry trees. Fort McHenry park has two lovely groves of cherry trees for us to relax under. Bring your blanket, a picnic lunch, and cultural curiosity. Baltimore-Kawasaki committee members will be ready with some extra Japanese finger foods and tea.
You can park in the Fort McHenry parking lot and walk through the Visitor’s Center to reach the East Lawn Cherry Tree Grove. Beer and sake are allowed as per park rules. We anticipate good weather but, rain or shine, we will be present. And bring your camera for blossom selfies. The event is free but please register.
Organized by the Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee
April 1, 2023
Ryokucha Japanese Tea Tasting Workshop
Time: 12-2pm ET
Location: McHenry Row Conference Center, 1215 E. Fort Ave, Baltimore MD 21230
More information & to purchase tickets: Eventbrite page
Nippon Motion hosts a Ryokucha Workshop with Japanese Green Tea. Learn about loose-leaf, matcha, and ready-to-drink tea. Sample over 10 authentic varieties. Receive a Japanese-made yunomi (ceramic tea cup). This is a great opportunity for both beginners and existing fans of Japanese tea to expand their knowledge and get first-hand experience with the world of Ryokucha!
The Ryokucha Workshop takes place near Fort McHenry Park, so attendees of the Ryokucha Workshop can come join the Hanami event (Japanese cherry blossom picnic) in McHenry Park after the workshop.
Go ahead and plan a great day of Japanese culture — start with a Ryokucha Workshop from 12-2pm and head over to the Hanami picnic from 2-4pm. Wonderful scents, sights, and tastes!
Organized by Nippon Motion. Co-promoted by Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC).
April 11, 2023
Author conversation with 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.
April 12–17, 2023
Dutch tall clipper ship in Baltimore Inner Harbor
Tours available to the public through the Sail Baltimore organization.
Opens April 23, 2023
Across Asia: Arts of Asia and the Islamic World
Location: Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201
Opening Reception: Sunday, April 23 at 2 pm ET
More info: Walters museum website
The Walters Art Museum presents a landmark installation of its Asian and Islamic collections, offering new ways to examine and experience both Asian and Islamic art. For the first time at the Walters, visitors can view approximately 500 artworks from across the Asian continent together in a contiguous space, including art from Islamic cultures spanning West to South Asia. Across Asia: Arts of Asia and the Islamic World is the culmination of years of work by Walters curators to expand the connectivity of the Asian and Islamic art collections and will feature visitor favorites as well as works which have previously never been on view.
During the opening reception: Celebrate the opening of the Walters Art Museum’s Across Asia: Arts of Asia and the Islamic World with performances co-presented by the Asian Arts & Culture Center. Listen to Persian music by Ahmad Borhani and Japanese koto musician Masayo Ishigure and enjoy an Indian-Thai collaborative dance performance by Nilimma Devi and Anila Kumari of Sutradhar Institute of Dance and Related Arts/Devi Dance Theatre and Suteera Nagavajara and Vorayot Suksaichon of Somapa Thai Dance Company. The celebration also includes gallery talks, drop-in art-making, and tea tasting from 11 am to 4:30 pm. All ages are welcome.
Opening reception co-sponsored by the Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center (AA&CC).
April 26, 2023
Filling the Skills Gap in the Workplace (Agile Global Innovation Series)
Time: 4-7pm ET
Location: World Trade Center building at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore
More info & to register: AGILE event series page
Job titles and college degrees are out. Skills are in. That is the takeaway from new research about how to hire and retain workers so that businesses can succeed. Emphasizing skills in job descriptions has boosted the quality and quantity of people applying for jobs. And investing in staff training related to specific skills has increased the number of people who stay with their current employer instead of searching for a greener pasture. During this session, participants will learn what academic institutions are doing to ensure their students have the right skills needed to enter and advance in careers related to global business, as well as how artificial intelligence (such as ChatGPT) is influencing the institutions’ decisions about what and how to teach.
May 1, 2023
Sister Cities International Young Artists & Authors Program on Food Security
May 1 is the deadline for sister cities to submit artwork to this showcase. Only members of Sister Cities International can submit artwork for consideration. This year’s theme is: “Peace by Piece: Food Security in My Community.”
May 5 – June 3, 2023
Annual Asia North Exhibition & Festival
Exhibit Opening Reception and Celebration: Friday, May 5
Exhibition and Festival: May 5 – June 3
More info: About the festival
The 5th annual Asia North community exhibition and festival celebrates Baltimore’s Charles North (a.k.a. Station North) neighborhood’s constantly evolving identities as a Koreatown, arts district, and creative center. Inaugurated in spring 2019, Asia North is a collaborative community celebration that recognizes, showcases, and honors the art, culture and the Asian heritage of Greater Baltimore, especially the Korean history of Baltimore’s Charles North community.
Festival includes “Three Patterns” Exhibit & Performance from May 19-28 by Michael Young. The exhibit includes 14 photos and 2 Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) works, with 3 performances on opening night including Shakuhacki by Hideo Sekino.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Co-presented by the Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center (AA&CC) and the Central Baltimore Partnership. Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee plans to participate in this event.
May 31 – June 5, 2023
Japanese Coast Guard ship in Fell’s Point harbor
Tours available to the public through the Sail Baltimore organization.
June 2, 2023
Baltimore Immigration Summit
Towson University and the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) host the 10th Baltimore Immigration Summit at West Village Commons at Towson University, returning after a three-year hiatus. This is a one-day event bringing together academics, policymakers, service providers, activists, community leaders and others working with and for New Americans (immigrants and refugees) in the Baltimore region. The 2023 theme is ”Working Towards Equity: Strength and Transformation in Immigrant Communities.” Stay tuned for more information to come.
June 6, 2023
Annual Women Spanning the Globe conference
Time: 8:30-4:30pm ET
Location: Colwell Center (Formerly the Columbus Center) 701 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD
More info & to register: Event page
The annual Women Spanning the Globe conference hosted by World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) is a chance to learn from and network with hundreds of emerging and existing women leaders from the Mid-Atlantic region.
The voices at the conference are diverse and expansive. Since the event’s inception in 2005, speaker lineups have included marketing and banking executives, engineers, technology and human resources experts, journalists, and humanitarians. And while these women are spread across industries, they often experience the same professional challenges.
Sep 9 & 10, 2023
47th Annual Ukrainian Festival of Baltimore
Details to come.
Note: due to the evolving worldwide COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we advise you to check each event’s page or event organizers for the latest updates about the event, before you go to attend an event.
