Welcome to Tulsa City-County Library’s 21st annual Asian American Festival! We are excited to align our event with Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Please join us at the Martin Regional Library on Saturday, May 20th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for live performances, local vendors and community organizations, and plenty of fun activities for all ages. We look forward to celebrating with you.
Asian American Festival Committee 2023
We are excited to welcome many new and returning performers, organizations, and local vendors to this year's Asian American Festival.
Performances by:
- Kanpai Drum Team
- China Roses
- Kaajhuab Dance Team
- Kendo Club
- Di Dim Dol
- Nkauj Huam Ci Dance Team
Our festival will end with a Japanese Tea Ceremony.
Enjoy delicious foods from:
- Manila Ice Food Truck
- Tandoori Guys
- DBK Asian Bakery
- Lucky Tea Boba
Kyoto Art Exchange
Since the inception of Tulsa City-County Library’s Asian-American Festival in 2002, TCCL has participated in the Kyoto-Oklahoma art exchange by displaying artwork created by children in Kyoto at the festival, held annually in June at the Martin Regional Library, and by procuring artwork from Oklahoma students to reciprocate with Japan. The artwork is created by students in pre-K to eighth grade.
Oklahoma has enjoyed a sister state relationship with Japan’s Kyoto Prefecture since 1985. Coordinated by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the Oklahoma Sister States relationships involve community schools, government and organizational support to conduct cultural, educational, business, agricultural, medical, and other types of programs and exchanges, including an annual student art exchange, to further these relationships. For more details about Oklahoma Sister States, visit https://www.sos.ok.gov/protocol/sisterStates.aspx.
Oklahoma students who participate in the art exchange get the pleasure of creating an art piece depicting something from their daily lives to give the children of Kyoto, Japan a glimpse into our culture. In return, they get to see what life is like in the artwork created by students in Kyoto and at the same time learn something about a different culture. They also get to experience the value of sharing as their original artwork is sent to Kyoto.
Below is some of the artwork from the exchange that has been on display as a part of Asian American Fest. Special thanks to Jackie Hill for providing us with the details on the history of this special project!
