Programs & Exhibitions
Art + Creativity + Community + History Series
Spring 2026
Exhibition
Transformations: Lain Singh Bangdel, Art, Nepal
February 4 – May 16 (closed March 15 – 22)
Gallery Hours: Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Asian Arts Gallery, Center for the Arts, Towson University
1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204
Explore the remarkable artistic journey and cultural legacy of Lain Singh Bangdel (1919–2002), widely regarded as the “Father of Modern Art” in Nepal. This collection of paintings—spanning the 1940s to the 1990s— reflects and reframes the cultural, political, and emotional realities of Bangdel’s time and traces his evolving vision as he navigated multiple worlds: colonial and postcolonial South Asia, cosmopolitan Europe, and an emerging modern Nepal. AA&CC dedicates this exhibition to the memory of our dear, decades-long friend and advocate for Asian arts and culture, John Gilmore Ford.
Opening Gallery Talk & Reception
Dr. Bibhakar Sunder Shakya: Lain Singh Bangdel and the Making of Modern Nepali Art
Wednesday, February 4, 7:30 p.m.
Asian Arts Gallery & Center for the Arts Atrium, Towson University
1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204
Dr. Bibhakar Sunder Shakya, Founder and Chairman of the Bangdel & Shakya Foundation, will present the opening talk for Transformations: Lain Singh Bangdel, Art, Nepal, offering insights into Bangdel’s artistic journey and the vision behind the exhibition. As Bangdel’s son-in-law, Dr. Shakya first came to know him as a distinguished novelist before discovering the depth of his artistic genius. During his time at The Ohio State University, Dr. Shakya met and married Professor Dina Bangdel, the daughter of Bangdel, an esteemed art historian and curator whose scholarship helped redefine the study of Himalayan and South Asian art. Following Dina’s untimely passing in 2017, Dr. Shakya dedicated himself to preserving and sharing Bangdel’s legacy. Through exhibitions, publications, translations, and films, he has become a leading advocate for modern and contemporary Nepali art. His work has brought Bangdel’s story to audiences around the world, ensuring that Nepal’s modernist heritage is recognized as an essential part of global art history.
Visitor Parking Information
Non-TU campus visitors may park in the Union Garage and pay via the ParkMobile app: https://parkmobile.io/. Enter the location as “Towson University Union Garage”, click on zone #83039, enter your credit card and license #. Parking requires payment until 8:00pm. on weeknights. Do not use department or restricted spaces or you will be fined.
AA&CC is a proud partner…
Festival
Lunar New Year Arts Festival 2026
February 15 – 28, 2026
The Vollmer Center at Cylburn Arboretum
4915 Greenspring Ave., Baltimore, MD 21209
From February 15 to February 28 the Vollmer Center at Cylburn Arboretum will transform into a vibrant hub of Asian and Asian American talent across Maryland. This Lunar New Year Arts Festival offers the public a three-week immersive journey through music, dance, visual art, and cultural performance. Three family-friendly signature events anchor the celebration, culminating in the Artists Market on Saturday, February 28. As the festival's grand finale, the Market will showcase exceptional local craftsmanship across a variety of mediums—including jewelry, ceramics, apparel, stationery, and packaged specialty foods. Visitors can connect directly with makers and bring a piece of the Lunar New Year Arts Festival home. Presented by NAAAP Baltimore, Maryland 250, Governor's Office of Community Initiatives, Governor's Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, Towson University’s Asian Arts & Culture Center, Cylburn Arboretum Friends, and Baltimore Rec and Parks.
2026 lunar new year festival at the vollmer center at Cylburn Arboretum
Schedule
Art Gallery Opening Reception
Sunday, February 15, 1 – 4 p.m.
This exhibit will remain on view through February 28.
Celebration of Talent
Sunday, February 22, 1 – 4 p.m.
Artists Market
Saturday, February 28, 12 – 4 p.m.
AA&CC is a proud co-sponsor...
7th Annual Human Rights & History Lecture
The Gaza Famine: International Law, Politics, and History
Tuesday, April 7, 5 – 7 p.m.
Towson University, University Union Theater (UU 324)
Guest speaker Michael Fakhri is professor of law at the University of Oregon School of Law and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. Co-sponsored by TU Human Rights & History Minor and Department of History, Center for Student Diversity, Asian Arts & Culture Center, and TU Departments of English, Geography, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Political Science, and Psychology.
AA&CC is a proud partner…
Virtual Lecture
Elevating Baltimore’s Asian Community Stories
Friday, April 24, 12 – 1 p.m.
Link to join coming soon!
Some of the least known and understood communities across the Baltimore region are those with roots in Asia. They are also some of the most diverse and complex communities in greater Baltimore in terms of history, culture, and art. Dr. Joanna Pecore, Director of the Asian Arts & Culture Center (AA&CC) at Towson University, introduces some of these communities and the intersecting initiatives that AA&CC leads and participates in to promote, document, and share knowledge about them with a broader public. An event by Baltimore National Heritage Area and The Peale.
AA&CC is a proud partner...
Japan Film Club Series
The Japan Film Club Series is hosted by Reed Hessler, longtime host on WBJC, and co-presented by the Asian Arts & Culture Center with the Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC) and TU College of Fine Arts and Communication Dean’s Office.
All film screenings are held in Towson University Art Lecture Hall, Center for the Arts Room 2032. FREE Registration is required.
Saturday, January 17, 1 p.m. – Spring Dreams (春の夢, Haru no Yume)
This 1960 satirical comedy explores class, greed, love and selfishness. A sweet potato vendor has a stroke in the home of the wealthy and dysfunctional Okudaira family. While he recuperates there, “well-wishers” from his tenement house drop in to visit with ulterior motives. (color) Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. (126 minutes)
Register
Saturday, March 14, 1 p.m. – The Ceremony (儀式,Gishiki)
Funerals without bodies. Burials without funerals. Marriages without brides. This 1971 epic drama revolves around twenty-five years of weddings, funerals, and incest of the Sakurada clan and their intergenerational conflicts which mirror Japan’s post-war fall from grace. (color) Directed by Nagisa Oshima. (123 minutes)
Register
Saturday, June 20, 1 p.m. – Humanity and Paper Balloons (人情紙風船, Ninjo Kami Fusen)
This bold, 1937 historical anti-military melodrama is a gem of Japanese cinema. While following Edo-era slum residents—debilitated samurai, peasants, and petty merchants—and their struggles to survive, it exposes the hypocrisy and cruelty of high society. (black and white) Directed by Sadao Yamanaka. (82 minutes)
Register
Saturday, July 18, 1 p.m. – Like Father Like Son (そして父になる,Soshite Chichi ni Naru)
A ten-minute standing ovation followed the premiere of Like Father Like Son at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Two couples—from different classes and with contrasting parenting styles—discover that their six-year-old sons were switched at birth and embark on journeys of soul-searching, impossible decisions, and coming to terms with the meaning of family. (color) Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. (120 minutes)
RegisterPast Events
Fall 2025
Exhibition
Unwound
September 10 – December 6 (closed Nov. 26 – 29)
Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Asian Arts Gallery, TU Center for the Arts
1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204
How have recent upheavals—from the pandemic to global conflicts, amplified by media—reshaped our private lives? How do personal memories become collective history? In a world forever changed, how do we find our way forward? Elaine Qiu’s awe-inspiring installation of painting, video, and sound invites visitors into a multi-sensory exploration of communal consciousness, connection, and healing in a fragmented, post-pandemic world.
AA&CC is a proud partner…
Social Hour
NAAAP Baltimore 2nd Thursdays AAPI Meet-Up
Thursday November 13, 6 – 8 p.m.
Asian Arts Gallery & TU Center for the Arts Atrium
1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204
REGISTER: NAAAP Members $10, non-members $15
Visit Elaine Qiu’s captivating multi-layered art installation, Unwound, to explore how shared historical and contemporary experiences and their media depictions connect us all. Your registration fee includes Thanksgiving-inspired food from Culinary Architecture. The menu includes: Boudin Sticky Rice Stuffing, Red Curry Crab Rangoon, Pork Stuffed Tofu and “Peking” Turkey Rolls.
The Second Thursdays: AAPI Meet-up is a monthly opportunity to socialize, hear from local leaders, and learn about opportunities.
Performance & Gathering
Our Thanksgiving Stories
Thursday, November 20, 6 – 8 p.m.
TU Center for the Arts Atrium
1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204
Celebrate the multitude of culinary traditions in this storytelling gathering highlighting foods shared on Thanksgiving. Presenters include TU students, faculty, staff, and other guests. Audience members are also invited to share their stories and enjoy global foods together. Co-presented by TU Asian Arts & Culture Center, TU Department of Theater Arts, TU Center for Student Diversity, and Alpha Sigma Rho Sorority. Supported in part by TU-COFAC Deans Office.
Performance
TU Cambodian Classical and World Music Ensembles
Wednesday, December 3, 6 p.m.
TU Center for the Arts Recital Hall
1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204
FREE
Enjoy music of Cambodia and the world, while celebrating TU students who are expanding their musical horizons. The Cambodian Classical Ensemble performs on pin peat instruments, a centuries’ old tradition that accompanies Khmer classical dance and sacred, royal, and religious ceremonies. The World Music Ensemble plays arrangements from various non-Western musical traditions.
Japan Film Club Series
The Japan Film Club Series is hosted by Reed Hessler, longtime host on WBJC, and co-presented by the Asian Arts & Culture Center with the Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Committee (BKSCC) and TU College of Fine Arts and Communication Dean’s Office.
All film screenings are held in Towson University Art Lecture Hall, Center for the Arts Room 2032. FREE Registration is required.
Saturday, September 27, 1 p.m. – The Funeral (お葬式, Osōshiki)
Enjoy this 1984 comedy film about a family’s preparations for a suddenly deceased husband and father. The Funeral was Juzo Itami's feature film debut, garnering five Japanese Academy Awards in 1985. (color) Directed by Juzo Itami. 124 minutes.
Register
Wednesday, October 22, 7 p.m. – Tampopo (タンポポ, Dandelion)
SPECIAL WEDNESDAY NIGHT SCREENING IN TU UNIVERSITY UNION UU 329. Uplift your spirits with this 1986 comedy film about transforming a mediocre ramen shop into the epitome of perfection. Hailed by Eater magazine as “a love letter to ramen” and “one of the best food movies of all time.” (color) Directed by Juzo Itami. 114 minutes. The first twenty TU student registrants will receive a free bowl of ramen! Registration and TU photo ID required to receive your ramen bowl.
Register
Saturday, November 15, 1 p.m. – A Story from Chikamatsu (近松物語, Chikamatsu Monogatari)
In this 1954 historical drama, an Edo-period Kyoto scroll maker, his apprentice, wife, and servant spin a web of star-crossed romance, betrayal, and compromised morality. Based on a classic eighteenth-century Japanese bunraku puppet-theater drama by the acclaimed Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Kenji Mizoguchi’s stunning film masterfully portrays the fears, frustrations, hopes and vulnerabilities of the story’s characters. (b&w) Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. 102 minutes
Register
Opening Reception & Artist Talk
Elaine Qiu: Unwound
Wednesday, September 10, 7:30 – 9 p.m.
Asian Arts Gallery & TU Center for the Arts Atrium
1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204
Join multimedia artist, Elaine Qiu, to explore the Unwound exhibition together and gain insights into how she creates art to explore the liminal spaces between reality and fiction, past and present, and physical and psychological.
Peace gathering
Gardens for Peace (G4P)
Friday, September 19, 9:30 a.m.
AA&CC Asian Garden, Osler Drive Entrance to the TU Center for the Arts
1 Fine Arts Drive, Towson, MD 21204
Kick-off the new school year by cultivating a culture of friendship and community. Join a ceremonial raking of the Japanese word for peace (heiwa) in AA&CC’s Asian Garden, while collectively envisioning and promoting peace with others. Recognize the International Day of Peace with 27 other Asian Gardens nationwide through G4P which brings people together to advocate for unity.
AA&CC is proud to co-sponsor…
Celebration
Taste of Japan
Saturday, September 20, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Elkton Branch Library, Elkton Room
Cecil County Public Library
301 Newark Ave., Elkton, MD 21921
Join us for a celebration of Japanese culture and traditions. This event brings the rich traditions of Japan to life through engaging activities, live performances, and food sampling the whole family can enjoy. All ages are welcome—come explore, learn, and celebrate together!
TASTE OF JAPAN
Schedule
10 a.m. Taiko Drumming
10:45 a.m. Kamishibai Storytelling
11:30 a.m. Jujutsu Demonstration
12 p.m. Kamishibai Storytelling
12:30 p.m. Kimono Fashion + Dressing Demonstration
1:30 p.m. Shakuhachi performance– Bamboo flute
AA&CC is proud to co-sponsor…
Virtual Tour
Yu-Shan Cheng
Baltimore Clayworks Visiting Artist
Tuesday, September 23, 1:30 p.m.
Register/Join
Yu-Shan Cheng was born and grew up in New Taipei City, Taiwan. She is currently a second-year graduate student in the Ceramics program at the Graduate School of Applied Arts, Tainan National University of the Arts. In 2024, she participated in a residency at the Keep in Touch International Porcelain Symposium in the Czech Republic. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the National Taiwan University of Arts in 2023. Her practice spans a variety of media, including fabric, ceramics, thread, and beads. Yu-Shan’s work explores themes of ritual, sacred space, life energy, spiritual inquiry, inner psychology, the body, and consciousness. Yu-Shan Cheng is a Baltimore Clayworks Visiting Artist.
AA&CC is a proud partner...
Parade & Festival
Asian Community Processions at the Great Baltimore Lantern Parade and Dia De Los Muertos Festival
Saturday, October 25, 4 – 9 p.m.
(Rain date: Oct. 26) Patterson Park, Baltimore, MD
Join AA&CC in hosting diverse Asian cultural processions as part of the the Great Baltimore Lantern Parade and Dia De los Muertos Festival co-produced by the Creative Alliance and Friends of Patterson Park. Visit AA&CC’s tent before the parade to make festive Asian-inspired lanterns and bookmarks between 4 – 7 p.m. Parade begins at 7 p.m.
Continuing Programs
Asian Garden
The Asian Arts & Culture Center’s (AA&CC) Asian Garden at the entrance to Towson University’s (TU) Center for the Arts building was redesigned and renovated in 2023 in recognition of our fiftieth anniversary. For decades, the garden has honored the memory of Dr. Alexander Sidorowicz (AA&CC friend and Dean of TU’s College of Fine Arts from 1991 to 1996). The renewed garden is created in the karesansui style by John Powell, a Japanese garden designer from Zoen LLC, who installed the garden with community volunteers. The garden is a striking composition of Baltimore gneiss and Cockeysville marble boulders rising above a light gray bed of raked gravel. Key elements of this sustainable garden are the reuse of boulders obtained from TU campus excavations, bamboo from a previous AA&CC exhibition, and a reconfigured walkway. The garden is now a permanent, living exhibit of AA&CC. Campus and local communities interact with the garden in academic and public programs throughout the year. The garden was reinstalled through efforts by Yoshinobu and Kathleen Shiota, members of AA&CC, who are active rakers in the garden on early weekend mornings along with other volunteers.
TU Pin Peat Ensemble (Cambodian Classical Music)
The AA&CC and TU Department of Music teamed up to offer the TU Pin Peat (Khmer classical music) Ensemble led by master Cambodian musician, Chum Ngek. Through this course, which was established in spring 2017, TU students expand their artistic and cultural horizons while contributing to the preservation and longevity of a tradition that was nearly decimated during the Khmer Rouge era in Cambodia.
Special thanks to the Maryland State Arts Council, Citizens of Baltimore County, and AA&CC members for making this initiative possible.
Asia in Maryland (AIM)
Asia in Maryland (AIM) engages community and showcases Asian and Asian American creativity in Maryland. The series, which was launched in 2015, increases awareness and understanding of Maryland’s diverse communities through exhibitions, workshops, family programs, performances, courses, and more. Through the unique power of the arts to connect people on personal and emotional levels, participants gain intimate understandings of the integral roles that over 500,000 Asian and AAPI residents play in the fabric of Maryland life.