Celebrate Baltimore’s Charles North – Station North – neighborhood’s constantly evolving identities as a Koreatown, arts district, and creative hub. Co-produced by Asian Arts & Culture Center and Central Baltimore Partnership.

Schedule of Events:

Exhibition
Love Letters to Baltimore + the DMV
Friday, May 3 – Saturday, June 1

Gallery Hours:
16 W North Ave: Friday – Saturday, 5 – 8 p.m.
Motor House: Tuesday – Saturday, 4 – 10 p.m.

APIMEDA (Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern and Desi American) artists based in Maryland, DC and Virginia creatively express their ideas of love and home, including the meaning of home, how they respond to the question, “Where are you from?” and more. Through research from AA&CC’s Greater Baltimore Asian Community History Project, this exhibit honors the Station North neighborhood's ongoing transformation from a historic Koreatown to a diverse arts district. Curated by Nerissa Paglinauan with Guest Co-curator Ryan Jafar Artes.

Opening
Asia North 2024
Friday, May 3, 5 – 9 p.m.
16 W North Ave and Motor House

Celebrate the kick-off of Asia North 2024. Meet the artists featured in Love Letters to Baltimore + the DMV. Enjoy performances by Ami Dang, Soo Kyung Jung, Somapa Thai Dance Company, and the Yong Han Lion Dancers. Savor dishes provided by the Baltimore Xiamen Sister City Committee. Hosted by Joyce Liang.

EXHIBITION
Forest Haven: Trisha Gupta Solo Exhibition
Friday, May 3 – Saturday, June 1
Gallery Hours:
Thursday & Friday, 4 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Opening Reception:
Friday, May 3,  5 – 9 p.m.
Night Owl Gallery

What happens when the treatment is worse than the disease? Trisha Gupta’s solo exhibition at Night Owl Gallery is a collection of research, documentation, and classification of 3 years of study centering around Forest Haven Asylum in Laurel, Maryland. Trisha Gupta is a contemporary artist, community activist, and educator. Her work is heavily influenced by her Indian-American heritage and explores themes of social inequality, colonialism, mental health, and immigration. It has come to light that in the 1960s-70s, the staff there criminally abused, tortured and murdered over 387 patients that were then unceremoniously buried in unmarked graves on the campus. While the asylums have closed, Gupta asserts that the attitudes that promoted mistreatment persist. Not only does Gupta respectfully engage the audience in learning about the travesties that took place in the institution, Gupta highlights the relationship between provider and patient and the inherent vulnerability of the patient. Gupta simultaneously creates a metaphor for her exploration of her own fraught mental health journey. Trisha is an MFA candidate at MICA in the Mount Royal School and has an background in healthcare.

IMPROV
Free AAPI Improv Jam Led by A++
Saturday, May 4, 5 – 6 p.m.
Baltimore Improv Group

All experience levels from novice to experts are welcome.

IMPROV
All AAPI Performer Improv Comedy Show ft. A++
Saturday, May 4, 7 – 8 p.m.
Baltimore Improv Group

SOCIAL HOUR
NAAAP Baltimore 2nd Thursdays AAPI Meet-Up
Thursday, May 9, 6 – 8 p.m.
16 W North Ave
$10 NAAAP Members, $15 Non-Members
Registration Required

Celebrate artists who are exhibiting in the Love Letters to Baltimore + the DMV exhibit while bringing people together for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Enjoy food from a local AAPI-owned business, covered by your registration fee.

DISCOVER & DINE
Kamayan x Crab Feast
Friday, May 10, 6 – 9 p.m.
16 W North Ave

Gather around a communal table with friends, family and strangers alike to enjoy a combined Filipino Kamayan and Maryland crab feast. "Kamay" literally translates to "hand" in this traditional Filipino practice of eating with your hands. Food is artfully laid out atop banana leaves in the middle of a long banquet table. Participating caterers include Frisco Baltimore, Mama Rosa Grill, Barkada Breads, and Kuya Nonoy. Presented with Barangay Baltimore.

WALKING TOUR
Koreatown & Lunch with NAAAP Baltimore
Saturday, May 11, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet at 16 W North Ave

Join us for a guided stroll around Baltimore's first unofficial Koreatown. We will explore parts of Baltimore's Charles North neighborhood and the Station North Arts & Entertainment District to discover an area several Korean-owned businesses and families have called home as early as the 1960s. From landmarks to people, the Asian Arts and Culture Center will facilitate an engaging tour that will compel conversations about Koreatown's past, present, and future. We invite participants for lunch at Kong Pocha following the walk. 12 pm lunch at Kong Pocha. The tour is free. Participants are asked to pay for their own dishes during lunch. Presented with NAAAP Baltimore.

PANEL DISCUSSION
Love Letters to Baltimore + the DMV Artists Talk
Tuesday, May 14, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Motor House

Hear from artists whose works are featured in the Asia North 2024 art exhibition.

PERFORMANCE
The Set List – Live Music Series ft. Shonay K., Silver City, and The Honest Thief
Thursday, May 16, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.)
Motor House
Tickets: $10

Motor House celebrates the abundant musical creativity of Baltimore in this monthly music series called The SET LIST! Each month, enjoy the vibes and tunes of Baltimore's most vibrant musical acts that feature artists who are diverse in terms of style and genre. Come groove with us!

ARTIST TALK
Forest Haven: Trisha Gupta
Thursday, May 16, 6:30 p.m.
Night Owl Gallery

WALKING TOUR
Historic Koreatown & Landmarks with Baltimore Changwon Sister City Committee & Korean American Foundation – Greater Washington
Saturday, May 18, 2 – 4 p.m.
Meet at 16 W North Ave

Join Joy Kim for a walking tour of the Charles North neighborhood’s historical Koreatown landmarks and favorite food spots. Learn stories behind dishes such as Korean BBQ, bibimbap, and rice cakes through a presentation by Joanna Chang. Win a gift card for a local Korean eatery and enjoy an assortment of complimentary snacks that are popular in Korea, such as Choco Pie, boba tea mochi, Kopiko candy, Cosomi, melon crackers, and instant coffee mix sticks. Presented with the Baltimore Changwon Sister City Committee and Korean American Foundation – Greater Washington.

VISIONING SESSION
Baltimore AAPI Learning Community: A Visioning Session
Monday, May 20, 6 – 8 p.m.
16 W North Ave

GUIDED WRITING WORKSHOP & OPEN MIC
Love Letters to Baltimore + the DMV
Wednesday, May 29, 7 – 9 p.m.
16 W North Ave

Participants will engage with each other and themselves by way of a guided writing workshop, during which we will explore easy conversations with each other and ourselves. The aim of the evening is to engage with and generate dialogue around what we consider to be our homes, as a way of understanding our individual and collective power to change our homes into what we desire them to be. Directed by Ryan Jafar Artes and Mohammad Rohaizad Suaidi. The writing workshop will be followed by an open mic, during which audience members will have the opportunity to share their just-written work.

CLOSING EVENT
Asia North 2024
Friday, May 31, 5 – 9 p.m.
Motor House, 16 W North Ave, and Sidewalk in front of the North Avenue Market

Celebrate the conclusion of Asia North 2024. Congratulate the artists featured in Love Letters to Baltimore + the DMV. Enjoy performances by Meki's Tamure Polynesian Arts, Sutradhar Institute of Dance, Steve Hung, Spike Yee & Proper, and 1PICK.

MAKERS MARKET
Asia North 2024
Friday, May 31, 5 – 9 p.m.
On the sidewalk in front of the North Avenue Market (30 W. North Ave) and Motor House

By us and for us from all over the Asian diaspora, the Asia North 2024 Makers Market highlights and showcases local APIMEDA artists/makers and their goods. Connect and resonate with others in a season of transition through community care, cultural work, and crafts. Goods featured include art prints, jewelry, pottery, home goods, and much more. Curated by WeiAnne Reidy.

IMPROV
All AAPI Performer Improv Comedy Show ft. A++
Friday, May 31, 8 – 9 p.m.
Baltimore Improv Group

CLOSING RECEPTION
Forest Haven: Trisha Gupta Solo Exhibition
Saturday, June 1, 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Night Owl Gallery

Fest Date: May 3 – June 1, 2024

Locations:
16 W North Ave, Baltimore, MD 21201
Motor House, 120 W North Ave, Baltimore, MD 21201
Baltimore Improv Group 1727 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201
Sidewalk in front of the North Avenue Market, 30 W North Ave, Baltimore, MD 21201
Night Owl Gallery, 1735 Maryland Ave, Upstairs Unit A

Click here for more information.