Registration now closed

Festival of Cultures: We're All In: Many Cultures One Heartbeat

Lecture Hall, Small Meeting Room, Author Room

Celebrate the fourth annual Festival of Cultures! Experience the rich diversity of our county through special performances, and arts and crafts. Bring your friends and family for a memorable day celebrating our cultural tapestry.  Registration is encouraged but not required.

Special Performances

10:15 - 11 am  // Performing Arts

Angel Rose Artist Collective (ARAC) is a Two-Spirit Transgender Native-led group that centers healing through the arts. Named in honor of Angel Rose, a 21 year old Trans Woman who lost her life on December 10, 2019, who was an integral part of the collective. ARAC strives to provide artistic opportunities for LGBTQIA+ BIPOC, particularly Trans and Intersex folks with disabilities, migrant/refugee backgrounds, low- or no-higher education status, and other experiences that may affect a human being’s access to the arts. Though ARAC’s main avenue of expression is theater, the collective is made up of multidisciplinary artists, including, but not limited to: clothing designers, digital designers, painters, dancers, singers, teaching artists, puppet makers, poets, drag performers, dubbing artists/voice actors, and more. Visit ARAC’s website: www.AngelRoseArts.org 

Yek Peyna Guxgatan (Good Morning, El Salvador/Buenos Dias, El Salvador) is a heartwarming story about a Salvadoran-American grandchild visiting her grandmother in El Salvador for the first time, and discovering their Indigenous history and language through song. Yek Peyna Guxgatan is directed, music direction facilitated, and choreography facilitated by Melissa Strova Valencia (she/her), and dramaturgy by Nanzin Anastacia Lopez Lopez (she/her) and Petrona Xemi Tapepechul (she/her). Ahanu From the Blood (they/them) is Co-Puppet Designer (along with Strova Valencia), Co-Set Designer (along with Tapepechul)  & Prop Designer; Phoenix Sweeney (fae/faer/faer {neo}, it/it/its, & hit/hit/hits {archaeo}) is Light Designer; and Strova Valencia and Tapepechul are Co-Costume Designers. The production cast features: Petrona Xemi Tapepechul (she/her) as Puppeteer; and Veronica Gomez Giraldo (she/her) as Musician.

11:15 am - 12 pm  //  Folkdance

Established in 1985, MABUHAY, INC. was organized in response to a felt need in the Filipino American community for a support group — a network of individuals, families and their friends who have similar concerns about assimilation into the American mainstream, interracial marriages, raising biracial children, and maintaining ties with the “old country” — the Philippines.

Goals and Objectives

To foster a better understanding of American and Filipino culture among its members by providing a forum whereby ideas, hopes, talents and skills may be shared and developed.
To provide emergency assistance to qualified persons in need.
To form a network of resident Filipino Americans to facilitate adjustment to life in the United States .
To foster an awareness and understanding of the Civil Rights Act.
To develop, promote and sponsor programs and activities that advance the ideals of multiculturalism, peaceful co-existence and harmony among all people.

12:30 - 1:15 pm  //  Poetry Workshop and Reading

Buddah Desmond aka BDez (he / him / they / them), is a writer / poet, artist, singer, entrepreneur, health + wellness advocate, and user experience (UX) professional based in the DMV. His writing highlights the gritty side of life, while offering messages of hope, love, healing, and resilience. He is the author of six poetry collections, Prevail: Poems on Love, Life, and Politics (2012), Exotic Shifter (2014), From The Inside Out: A Poetry Collection (2020), shifting from the inside out: love poems (2022), Everything I Miss(ed) At Home (2023), and Coming Up From the Downside: Finding Joy in Our Song (2024). 

He served as a panelist at the 2023 DC Black Pride Author’s Forum, and performed at events such as Authors & Appetizers, AWARE, DC Refresh, The Summit 2017: Healing Through Faith & Justice, the DC Metro Scholastic Writing Awards, and the Baltimore African American Book Festival. He is a member of Gamma Xi Phi, a professional arts fraternity. And has served as a healing leader in the DC-based arts + faith + social justice organization, The Sanctuaries. About the workshop Finding Home (The Home Within)

The topic for this workshop will highlight the journey many of us may go on to find or create home. Often searching externally in physical spaces, and within community, family, friends, and our romantic relationships—before realizing it's the home we find or create within that's most important. 

Notable Figures Tabling & More

11 am - 1pm  //  Facepainting

Irene S Sitoski is The Pirate Girl Painter! I am a professional face painter, balloon twister and henna artist serving the Maryland, and Washington DC area with over 18 years' experience bringing fantastic fun and creativity to parties of all kinds. From detailed full-face make-ups to cute glitter tattoos, intricate Henna patterns and even a host of balloon animals, I bring fantasy and vibrant joy to every event. 

All Day  //  Art Exhibit

Marilyn Gates-Davis

Having nurtured a passion for painting since childhood in southern Virginia, Marilyn Gates-Davis has over 40 years of experience as an artist and continues exploring and growing in her craft. A graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, she has over 30 years as a graphic designer, lending her creative touch to the design of magazines, books, and various print materials. In addition to graphic design in her professional journey, her true artistic purpose lies in portraying the black

culture in her figurative work. Marilyn draws inspiration from personal stories and cherished childhood memories. She aims to create images that celebrate the essence of Black life. Through her paintings, she strives to challenge negative stereotypes and illuminate the inherent joy that permeates black culture. Each brushstroke is a testament to the grace, strength, dignity, and love that define Black people. She has received first juried awards in Prince George’s County Juried Exhibitions, first place in the Maryland Foundation Art “Voices of our Ancestors” Juried Exhibition and has sold her work nationwide. She has had two solo shows in the past three years. In her work, she predominantly uses acrylics and oil paints to bring her vision to life. She also ventures into the realm of collage, utilizing cut paper and other organic, textured materials to add depth and dimension to her work. Through her art, she aspires to shed light on Black individuals' untold stories, struggles, and triumphs, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for our culture.

Artist Statement

Painting since a child in southern Virginia, Marilyn Gates-Davis has over 40 years and counting as an artist and graphic designer. She has been designing magazines, books, and print materials in the Washington, DC metro area for most of that time. She is a figurative artist that typically paints intimate portraits of family, the black culture, as well as iconic figures. To counteract negative stereotypes, she chooses to depict the joy of the black culture through her paintings. Marilyn paints images that celebrate grace, strength, dignity and love of black people, often utilizing her art to share personal stories and childhood memories. Marilyn paints primarily in acrylics and oils. She also creates collage work using cut paper, acrylic paint and other organic textured materials. While there is much diversity in her work, her goal is to take the everyday images and life experiences and elevate them to tell stories that connect us all.

All Day  //  Read and Relax with Welcome Wagon books

If you need a quiet moment during the festive day children and their adults can take a moment to read one of our 15 books from the Welcome Wagon. Explore themes of kindness and belonging during our special day of celebrating cultures. The Welcome Wagon was gifted by Welcoming America and Bob McKinnon’s non profit organization, Moving Up Media Lab. Notably, you can find the newly released book by McKinnon in the wagon, America’s Dreaming.

All Day  //  UMD’s Nutrition Extension program