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; Odessa, Ukraine; Piraeus, Greece; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Xiamen, China) and our affiliates. Events include:
Ongoing events
Phaan Howng Exhibition – Now through May 15
Phaan Howng: A Bag of Rocks for a Bag of Rice. View online.
Exquisitely disposed rocks and trees and vegetation. The promise of an inspired space of meditation and detachment. Such has been of the Westernized image of the Chinese and Japanese garden. Yet, such enchanted “natural” spaces camouflage the histories of empire, wealth, privilege, exploitation, ecological extraction, and displacement behind their creation. Phaan Howng’s site-specific installation engages East Asian gardens as a case study of the dynamics embedded within these private spaces.
Hosted by Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center. Promoted by Baltimore Sister Cities’ Asian committees (Changwon, South Korea; Kawasaki, Japan; Xiamen, China).
February 11 – May 18, 2021
Online Exhibition: Anak (My Child)
Lek Vercauteren Borja’s mixed media works explore the personal and social impact of Spanish colonization and American imperialism on the Filipino experience. Vercauteren Borja weaves history with personal experience to draw out broader contemporary Filipino American stories of identity, displacement, trauma, survival, resilience, and belonging.
View the exhibition: events.towson.edu/event/exhibition_anak_my_child
Virtual artist talk on February 11 at 6:30pm: More info & registration
Hosted by Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center. Promoted by Baltimore Sister Cities’ Asian committees (Changwon, South Korea; Kawasaki, Japan; Xiamen, China).
March – July, 2021
Middle Eastern American Authors Series at Montgomery County Public Libraries
A series of author conversations hosted by Montgomery County Public Library and the Middle Eastern Advisory Group (MEAGG) in Montgomery County. The events are held on the third Tuesday of the month, 4-8pm ET for 6 months with 6 nations represented, including Syria, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine and Egypt. Events will be moderated by Debbie Trent, MEAGG chair and Karen Leggett, co-chair of the Maryland Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Egypt).
Co-sponsored by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC).
April 10 – May 15, 2021
Asia North: A Celebration of Art, Culture & Community
Exhibition and events: April 10 – May 15, Station North Arts District and online
Virtual festival kick-off: April 10
Celebrate art, culture, and the Korean history and heritage of Baltimore’s Charles North community during this annual event. Area artists and organizations present an exhibit and festival including performances, food, art activities, and more. Program on Asian Arts & Culture Center events page. The Changwon and Kawasaki sister city committees are contributing cultural performances to the program.
Presented by Towson University Asian Arts & Culture Center and Central Baltimore Partnership. Promoted by Baltimore Sister Cities’ Asian committees (Changwon, South Korea; Kawasaki, Japan; Xiamen, China).
May 2021
Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Imagination Celebration
Pratt Library hosts Imagination Celebration (formerly known as the Fairy Tale festival) throughout the month of May. This signature event celebrates creativity and honors diverse voices and experiences within children’s literature and our communities. Baltimore Sister Cities offers fun, free activities for kids from some of the countries around the world where we have sister cities:
May 6: Pratt Virtual Storytime Live! — Changwon, South Korea
May 22: Dutch Tile Painting — Rotterdam, The Netherlands
May 22: Chinese Fan: Take & Make Kit — Xiamen, China
More information: baltimoresistercities.org/library-may-2021
Supported by Baltimore-Changwon Sister City Committee (BCSCC), Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC), and Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee (BXSCC).
Take & Make Craft: Origami (for kids)
Location: At home / on your own
Cost: Free
For kids: calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/take_make_craft_origami
For teens: calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/take_make_teen_origami_kit
Since May is Asian-American Heritage Month, the Enoch Pratt Library is exploring the traditional Japanese paper craft of origami. Origami is the art of paper folding. Stop by the Southeast Anchor branch of the library anytime in May and pick up origami paper and instructions explaining how to make a lotus flower, jumping frog, sailboat, or fish. For teens, the kits are available at the Waverly Branch.
Hosted by Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library.
May 3-10, 2021
Take & Make: Adventure in a Bag! (for kids)
Location: At home / on your own
Cost: Free
Event page: calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/adventure_in_a_bag
Explore the wonder of Japan, the Grand Canyon, and Egypt with this bag of adventures. This take & make kit will be available at the Reisterstown Road Branch from May 3-10 on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.
Hosted by Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library.
May 6, 2021
Baltimore Sister Cities webinar about food resilience
Speakers:
- Holly Freishtat – Food Policy Director, Baltimore Office of Sustainability
- Tim Regan – Executive Director FoodWorks, Maryland Food Bank
- Eric Jackson – Founder and Servant-Director, Black Yield Institute
Video recording: youtu.be/_-WyWs2O6Dk
May 11, 2021
Tuesday Tunes: Kane Shimabukuro & Tara “Trinity” Villanueva
Location: Online
Admission: Free
Time: 2pm ET
Event page: calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/tuesday_tunes_live_hawaiian_music_with_kane_shimabukuro
Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with Kane Shimabukuro & Tara “Trinity” Villanueva. Kane shares his love and knowledge of Hawaiian and other Polynesian cultures through song and dance. Tara “Trinity” Villanueva is a story teller, an award-winning classical pianist, songwriter, a Broadway singer/actress, a visual artist & a Polynesian dancer.
Hosted by Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library.
May 19, 2021
A Novelist’s Journey Across 20th Century Egypt: An Afternoon with Ambassador Tawfik
Location: Online
Admission: Free
Time: 1pm ET
Event page: calendar.prattlibrary.org/event/writers_live_ambassador_mohamad_tawfik
Join us for an afternoon with Ambassador Mohamad Tawfik as he discusses his work as a diplomat, novelist, and everything in between.
Ambassador Mohamed Tawfik is a career diplomat and novelist who translates his own works into English. Ambassador Tawfik was Egypt’s first Ambassador to the U.S after the revolution and took part in numerous negotiations on disarmament, labor, human rights and trade. Educated at Cairo University and the Université de Paris, Tawfik has written several collections of short stories and three novels in Arabic. In 1997, an English selection of his shorts was published under the title The Day the Moon Fell. His novels form a trilogy, the last two books of which – Murder in the Tower of Happiness (2007, AUC Press) and Candygirl (2012, AUC Press) – are also available in English. He generally publishes his works of fiction under the name M. M. Tawfik. A member of the Egyptian Writers Union, Pen International, the Geneva Writers Group and ACT Writers of Australia, he has conducted creative writing workshops in person and online. He is literary editor of arabworldbooks.com.
The event is moderated by Karen Leggett Abouraya, Co-Chair, Baltimore Luxor Alexandria Sister City Committee.
Organized by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC) in conjunction with Enoch Free Pratt Library.
Protecting the World’s Water Supply
Part 4: Water Risk and the Power of Action
World Trade Center Institute (WTCI) is hosting 4 webinars this year on the topic of water. They are part of WTCI’s AGILE innovation series.
The 4th webinar is on May 19 and includes speakers from The Nature Conservancy and Coca-Cola. Bruce McIndoe from McIndoe Risk Advisory is moderator.
Water has long been treated as an abundant resource and a secure asset for businesses. What would be the impact if your water resource was depleted? How would it impact your business and its viability? What is the potential when corporate leaders decide to be a force for good and a force for growth? At this final session of the AGILE Water Series, water experts will discuss the power of action and the current traction in corporate board rooms on understanding the risk profile of water in the business. We will hear from leading organizations on inspiring progress in the private sector, private and public partnerships, and collaborations that are driving awareness, action, and results.
For more information and to register: WTCI AGILE event series page
May 22, 2021
Dutch Tile Painting with Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister Cities (for kids)
Join the Baltimore Rotterdam Sister Cities Committee and learn how to decorate typical Dutch blue-and-white Delftware tiles. Delftware is a famous painting style from the Netherlands that became well-known around the world in the 17th century. Channel your creativity in this workshop and give these characteristic tiles a unique, personal touch.
Time: 2 timeslots: 1pm and 2pm
Location: Outdoors at Washington Village (Pigtown) branch of the library, at 856 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21230.
This program is limited to 10 participants per timeslot and pre-registration is required. To register, call the Washington Village Branch at (410) 396-1099 or email wsh@prattlibrary.org
Event page on the library website (1pm slot)
Event page on the library website (2pm slot)
Organized by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC) in conjunction with Enoch Free Pratt Library.
Chinese Fan: Take & Make Kit with Baltimore-Xiamen Sister Cities (for kids)
Celebrate Chinese culture with the Baltimore Xiamen Sister City Committee. Pick up a kit to make your own traditional Chinese folded fan. This take & make kit will be available at the Washington Village Branch on May 22 from 1pm to 4pm on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.
Time: Available for pickup between 1pm-4pm
Location: Washington Village (Pigtown) branch of the library, at 856 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21230.
Event page on the library website
Organized by Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee (BXSCC) in conjunction with Enoch Free Pratt Library.
May 27, 2021
Our Home Too
A Forum in Support of Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2021
Time: 7-8:30pm
Format: Zoom webinar
Admission: Free (advance registration required).
More info & to register: aapi2021.eventbrite.com
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), a time when we recognize the history and achievements of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Unfortunately, this year’s celebrations are marred by increasing rates of targeted violence against AAPI individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions are rooted in our nation’s history of periodic exclusion, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia which have long been juxtaposed with the vitality, promise, and mutual benefit endowed by our diversity of backgrounds and experiences.
Please join Baltimore Sister Cities and our partners in solidarity, community and celebration as we honor the invaluable contributions of AAPI communities in Baltimore and Maryland. During this panel discussion, we will explore what AAPI heritage means to all of us. How have AAPI communities contributed to Baltimore and American history? What are AAPI communities currently doing to contribute to culture, the arts, activism, and public service in our region? What new directions are they calling for?
Organized by Baltimore Sister Cities in honor of our Asian sister city committees (Changwon, South Korea; Kawasaki, Japan; Xiamen, China). Event Partners: Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) and the Asian Arts & Culture Center at Towson University (AA&CC).
September 2021
Xiamen China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT)
Stay tuned for details.
Supported by Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Commitee (BXSCC).
October 2021
Hermes Expo
Annual Greek-American international business networking trade show. Baltimore-Piraeus committee represents Baltimore and the State of Maryland at this annual event, promoting tourism and business and economic development.
Details to come on the Hermes expo website.
Promoted by Baltimore-Pireaus Sister City Committee (BPSCC).
Fall 2021
15th Annual CHINA Town Hall
Stay tuned for details.
Annual event hosted by National Committee for U.S.–China Relations. Supported by Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Commitee (BXSCC).
Seagull Mamma — A Performance Piece about Trash and Recycling
Rotterdam-based, American-born theatre artist and educator Kathie diStefano visits Baltimore each year to do workshops.
Ms. Kathie is part of the artist roster at Young Audiences Arts for Learning, Maryland and she performs “Seagull Mamma” at several schools in our region each semester. Public schools can sign up on the Young Audiences website to schedule the “Seagull Mamma” performance for this spring or in the future, for kids in kindergarten through grade 2. Young Audiences can provide subsidies to public schools to significantly reduce the cost of the performance by up to 80%; schools can inquire with Young Audiences for details.
This interactive show takes young audience members on a journey through the eyes of a seagull mamma who mistakes trash for fish while hunting for food for her young. The term ‘plastic soup’ is introduced; lakes, rivers, and seas that have so much plastic trash that no fish can live there.
The Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee is also planning a virtual exchange program for Kathie diStefano to conduct with middle school students in Baltimore and Rotterdam during the 2021-2022 school year.
Supported by Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC).
October 2021
24th Annual Meeting of International Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Stay tuned for more details.
Supported by Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee (BLASCC).
Baltimore’s annual Greek Food & Cultural Festival
Stay tuned for more details.
Supported by Baltimore-Pireaus Sister City Committee (BPSCC).
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.
