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:
Fall 2024 & Spring 2025
Walk On By exhibition and artists exchange
Walk On By is an exhibition and a cultural exchange that connects Black artists, their diverse experiences, and artwork, across the Atlantic. Explore the Black Atlantic through the diverse stories of local artists in the historical port cities of Baltimore and Rotterdam, through exhibitions in both countries and an exchange program. Featuring works by Schaun Champion (Baltimore), Charles Mason III (Baltimore), Naomi King (Rotterdam), kolpeace (Baltimore), Djon Seedorf (Rotterdam), and Tarona (Rotterdam). Curated by Joy Davis, Visual Arts Director at Creative Alliance and founder of Waller Gallery.
Sep 26 – Nov 30, 2024: The exhibition is at Creative Alliance in Baltimore; the Rotterdam artists and artwork travel to Baltimore for community engagement activities in the week of the exhibition opening.
Mar 24 -June 8, 2025: The exhibition is at TENT in Rotterdam; the Baltimore artists and artwork travel to Rotterdam for the reciprocal part of the exchange.
Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC) is collaborating with curator Joy Davis, Creative Alliance, and TENT Rotterdam to plan and fundraise for this project.
Fall 2024
Asia in Maryland exhibition
Exhibition on view: September 11 – December 7, 2024 (closed October 25 and November 27-30)
Hours: Monday – Saturday 11 am – 4 pm ET
Location: Asian Arts Gallery, Center for the Arts, Towson University, 1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204. Some works will also be on display at the Enoch Pratt Free Library (central branch), 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Opening reception: Wednesday, September 11, 7:30pm ET
Closing reception & meet the artists: Saturday December 7 at 2pm ET
More info: Towson University Asian Arts and Culture Center’s events page
Explore diverse works of art by Maryland-based Asian and AAPI visual artists which showcase the stories of, raise awareness about, and facilitate dialogue about the ideas and issues that are most important to the 500,000+ Asian and AAPI residents who play integral roles in the fabric of Maryland life.
Hosted by Towson University Asian Arts and Culture Center.
September 9 – December 14, 2024
The Me Before The War No Longer Exists: Ukrainian Portraits
Exhibition: September 9 – December 14
Receptions: Thursday September 26, 4-6pm | Saturday November 9, 1-4pm
Location:
Stevenson University
School of Design, Arts and Communication Lobby Gallery
11100 Ted Herget Way, Owings Mills MD 21117
More info: Stevenson University arts & cultural programs
Participatory project from Elena Volkova that engages the community of Ukrainians displaced by war in collaborative creation of wet plate collodion portraits, with the aim to provide a platform for refugees to reclaim their sense of selfhood. Elena Volkova is Associate Professor of Arts & Graphic Design at Stevenson University.
November 2024
Maryland State Trade Mission to China
The Maryland Department of Commerce and the Maryland Department of Agriculture are planning to lead a trade mission to China this November aimed at strengthening economic collaboration and expanding trade opportunities between Maryland and China. The anchor event will be the China International Import Expo (CIIE) on November 2-13 in Shanghai, with business networking and site tours in surrounding prefectures. A limited number of Maryland companies are being recruited to join the delegation in the following sectors: Agriculture, Cleantech, Logistics, Life Sciences.
More info: International Trade Shows on Maryland Commerce website
December 14, 2024
Bonenkai
Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee hosts a year-end get-together (“Bonenkai”) at Ramen Ustuke in Baltimore. Details to come.
Spring 2025
Egypt World of Spices event
The Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee is planning a special event in Baltimore where you can sample the flavors of Egypt! Date and more details to come.
March 2025
Architecture & urban design student trip to the Netherlands
Students and faculty from Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (SA+P), representatives from Baltimore Department of Planning, and design professionals travel to Baltimore’s sister city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands in March 2025. The trip includes design workshops, visits to design firms and architecture schools, architecture tours, lectures, the city of Amsterdam, and more. Community-centered design, low carbon, circular design, and environmental sustainability are the focus for this trip. Professor Cristina Murphy (SA+P) is the lead organizer/curator for this annual trip.
Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC) helps fundraise, promote, and plan these exchange activities.
April 2025
Dutch urban design delegation – Research trip to Baltimore
City planners, community organizers, and researchers from Amsterdam and Rotterdam will come to Baltimore in early April 2025 for a work week. Goals for this research trip: learning how community-led visioning and urban development happens in Baltimore, and alternatives to real-estate-developer-driven development; sharing examples of community-led initiatives in Amsterdam and Rotterdam; how city government can support community-led development; how to engage/empower youth in shaping the future of their neighborhood.
This trip is a follow-on to an earlier exchange when students and faculty from Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning (SA+P), design professionals, and representatives from Baltimore City Department of Planning traveled to the Netherlands in spring 2024.
Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee (BRSCC) helps fundraise, promote, and plan these exchange activities.
May 30, 2025
The 2025 Baltimore Immigration Summit will take place May 30, 2025, and the theme this year will be Narratives of Hope and Healing: Transforming Immigrant Integration Through Local Initiatives. Registration begins in early April 2025. A call for proposals will happen in Fall 2024.
The Baltimore Immigration Summit is a free one-day event that brings together academics, policymakers, service providers, activists, community leaders, and others working with and for immigrants and refugees in our region. Baltimore and its surrounding suburbs represent an area with a growing and diverse immigrant population, and local governments view them as essential to the region’s ongoing resurgence. We invite you to join us in learning about and celebrating the empowered immigrant communities in our region and discovering new opportunities for collaboration!
For more information and to stay up to date with registration information, please visit the webpage on Towson University’s website.
June 8, 2025
Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City Committee’s annual picnic.
Details to come.
