A Virtual Celebration of Lunar New Year at the Walters Art Museum

Baltimore, MD— Join the Walters Art Museum on Friday, February 12, as we honor the traditions and celebrate the Year of the Ox during our 12th annual Lunar New Year Celebration, one of the region’s largest Lunar New Year events. This year, the event takes place virtually; it is free to the public and features an exciting lineup of online performances and activities.

Visitors can participate in story time hosted by the Enoch Pratt Free Library and see dynamic performances by Goh’s Kung Fu School, the Korean Culture and Art Center of Maryland, and the Baltimore Chinese School. This year’s Lunar New Year celebration also includes at-home art-making activities such as paper cutting, calligraphy, and a video recipe for traditional Chinese dumplings to celebrate the holiday. Resources for the virtual activities will remain on the Walters website for visitors to enjoy at their own schedule.

“Lunar New Year is one of our most anticipated events each year, and we’re excited to celebrate this important cultural festival with our community,” said Laurel Miller, Director of Visitor Experience and Interim Director of Education. “The digital events are designed to engage families together, and hosting Lunar New Year virtually will allow our visitors to come together to experience art and history from the safety of their homes.”

Nearly 3,000 community members participated in last year’s Lunar New Year Celebration at the Walters. As a cultural and educational anchor institution in the Mount Vernon Cultural District, blocks away from the city’s Chinatown, the Walters continually seeks to represent its surrounding community in its collections, gallery displays, and programming.

“This year’s Lunar New Year celebration will start off with a welcome video featuring First Lady Yumi Hogan and an introduction by Dany Chan, Associate Curator of Asian Art, talking about the Year of the Ox,” said Rebecca Sinel, Manager of Family Programs. “Visitors can expect all the same artistry and excitement they usually find in the museum, and of course our celebration wouldn’t be complete without a scavenger hunt through the Arts of Asia collection.”

The Walters’ Arts of Asia collection includes more than 6,000 works from diverse cultures and regions across India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. It is known as one of the most exceptional collections of Asian art in North America.

Free admission to the Walters Art Museum is made possible through the combined generosity of individual members and donors, foundations, corporations, and grants from the City of Baltimore, Maryland State Arts Council, Citizens of Baltimore County, and Howard County Government and Howard County Arts Council.

ABOUT THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM

The Walters Art Museum is a cultural hub in the heart of Baltimore, located in the city’s Mount Vernon neighborhood. The museum’s collection spans more than seven millennia, from 5000 BCE to the 21st century, and encompasses 36,000 objects from around the world. Walking through the museum’s historic buildings, visitors encounter a stunning panorama of thousands of years of art, from romantic 19th-century images of French gardens to mesmerizing Ethiopian icons, richly illuminated Qur’ans and Gospel books, ancient Roman sarcophagi, and serene images of the Buddha. Since its founding, the Walters’ mission has been to bring art and people together to create a place where people of every background can be touched by art. As part of this commitment, admission to the museum and special exhibitions is always free.