SPRING 2020
Discover & Dine: Persian Treasures in Washington, DC - Friday, March 6, 10 A.M. -
2 P.M.
Visit the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress to explore Persian manuscript illustrations,
art and artifacts. Stop for lunch in a garden and exchange ideas with participants.
$25 - $30, registration required. (Price includes lunch and transportation between
Smithsonian and Library of Congress). Registration link coming soon.
Exhibition | The Women of Shahnahmeh: The Women of Afarin Rahmanifar
February 13 - May 16 (CLOSED Mar. 15 - 22)
ASIAN ARTS GALLERY, CA 2037
CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Savor Afarin Rahmanifar’s arresting, large-scale mixed media paintings which showcase
the compassionate, brave, loyal, and sensuous female characters of the Shahnameh, the Persian Book of Kings. Fusing her skills as a miniature painter with bold colors, spontaneous strokes,
and natural poses, the artist captures the dreamscape and surreal world of the Shahnameh, evoking a fantasy of literature for a new and contemporary audience.
Gallery Talk & Opening Reception | Meet the Artist: Afarin Rahmanifar
THURSDAY, February 13, 6:30 P.M.
ASIAN ARTS GALLERY AND ATRIUM, CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Celebrate the opening of The Women of Shahnameh, The Women of Afarin Rahmanifar with an opening reception and listen to a talk by the artist. Born in Tehran, Afarin
Rahmanifar’s artworks have been featured in galleries and University Museums across
the US including at Yale University, in New York City (Columbia University), Berkeley,
San Francisco (University of California), Carbondale (University of Illinois), and
at Boston University.
Exhibition & Festival | Asia North: A Celebration of Art, Culture & Community
Station North Arts District
Exhibition: April 4 - May 2, Stillpointe Theatre Gallery
Exhibition Opening Reception: Saturday, April 4, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Festival: Saturday, April 4, 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Neighborhood Food Tour: Sunday, April 5, Time TBD
Celebrate art, culture, and the Korean history and heritage of Baltimore’s Charles
North community. Area artists and organizations present an exhibit and one day festival
including performances, food, art activities, a restaurant tour, a night market, and
an exhibition opening reception. The exhibition remains on view through May 2. Co-presented
with Central Baltimore Partnership.
Community Event | Family Arts Day
SATURDAY, March 28, NOON - 4 P.M.
CENTER FOR THE ARTS ATRIUM AND GALLERIES
Drop-in for an afternoon of hands-on art activities, interactive gallery tours, story
time, and more inspired by the current exhibitions in the Center for the Arts galleries
and Asian Arts and Culture Center. The day’s activities are designed and guided by
Towson University students, faculty and staff. Visitors of all ages welcome!
PARTNERS: TU COMMUNITY ART CENTER, ASIAN ARTS AND CULTURE CENTER, TU COMMUNITY DANCE,
COOK LIBRARY, CENTER FOR THE ARTS GALLERIES, DEPARTMENT OF ART + DESIGN, ART HISTORY
& ART EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Additional programs and events to be announced.
Past Events
Exhibition | SAYAKA GANZ: RECLAIMED CREATIONS
September 19 - December 7 (Closed Nov. 27-30)
ASIAN ARTS GALLERY, CA 2037
CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Enter a wonderland of airy horses, birds, and sea creatures appearing to fly, swim,
run and swirl. Sayaka Kajita Ganz creates sculptures from reclaimed plastic objects, arranging the fragments of waste
into fluid images of birds and animals that appear to be created from brush strokes.
The artist states, “My work is about perceiving harmony, even in situations that appear
chaotic from the inside,” and notes that her work is inspired by “Shinto animist belief
that all things in the world have spirits.”
Produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C., David J. Wagner, Ph.D., Curator/Tour Director
Visit the touring exhibition website.
Admission is free.
Gallery Hours during exhibition: Monday - Saturday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Gallery Talk & Opening Reception | Meet the Artist: Sayaka Kajita Ganz
Thursday, September 19, 6:30 p.m.
Asian Arts Gallery and Atrium, Center for the ARTS
Celebrate the opening of Reclaimed Creations with a gallery talk by and opening reception with artist, Sayaka Kajita Ganz. Ganz is a world citizen who was born in Yokohama; grew up in Japan, Brazil, and Hong Kong; and studied, taught, and works in the United States. She discusses her process and philosophy of creating welded sculptures of animal forms.
Performance | Nakatani Gong Orchestra
Saturday, November 16, 8 p.m.
The Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave, Baltimore
Avant-garde sound artist, master percussionist and composer, Tatsuya Nakatani, performs genre-defying solo works and leads local players in playing complex, harmonic compositions on Chinese wind gongs using his original bowing technique. The Japanese concept of ma (emptiness) and the physicality of vibration are central to Nakatani’s compositions and philosophy of sound.
Performance | TU Ensembles: World Music and Cambodian Classical
TUESDAY, November 19, 8 p.m.
Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall, CA 3042, CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Students in the TU World Music Ensemble, directed by Andrea Vercoe, and TU Cambodian
Classical Music Ensemble, directed by Chum Ngek, will each perform in this joint concert.
Co-presented by the Asian Arts & Culture Center and TU Department of Music.
Admission is free.
Continuing Programs
Asia in Maryland (AIM) Cultural Connection
This ongoing project highlights exhibitions, performances, workshops, artist residencies,
and online resources featuring local Asian arts and culture in Maryland communities
. It also incorporates The Asia in Maryland (AIM) Cultural History Project, an interdisciplinary
studies course combining ethnography and oral history to explore, understand and document
Asian arts and culture in Maryland. Student research informs Center programming. In
fall 2015, we initiated the “Connection” with an exhibition, performances, workshops
and family days introducing local audiences to the living Khmer art and culture in
the Mid-Atlantic region.
Asia in Maryland (AIM) Cultural History Project
The Asia in Maryland (AIM) Cultural History Project (IDFA 480/580 Interdisciplinary
Fine Arts Special Topics Seminar) is an interdisciplinary studies course in Towson
University’s College of Fine Arts & Communication. This course combines ethnography
and oral history to explore, understand and document Asian arts and culture in Maryland.
Students identify their own research topic and conduct independent research with guidance
from the instructors throughout the semester. Topics can include art, music, dance,
theater, foodways, costumes, healing arts, martial arts and more. Students create
a portfolio of their research as a culminating project at the end of the semester.
Student projects will be used in programs at the Asian Arts & Culture Center.
Read about the topics OUR students researched...
Family Arts Days
The AA&CC collaborates every semester with TU’s Community Art Center to engage families
in experiencing and making art through drop-in art activities, performances, interactive
gallery experiences, and story time.
