Join us for the 2017 European Month of Culture!

All you need to know about #EUMC2017

One of the great joys of working for the Delegation of the European Union here in Washington is an inside appreciation for the immense diversity and creativity of the cultural side of the 28 EU Member Countries. Europe is a living example of the power of culture to open the door in our minds to enjoy what we have in common and to explore and enjoy how we are different. The EU’s motto “United in Diversity” says it all.

Our goal is to share this wealth with everyone in the Washington, D.C. area — whether you’re a local or are just visiting the city. So if it’s May, count on EU Member Country Embassies and the EU Delegation to offer our finest cultural activities and events — dance, theatre, film, music, language, art, workshops — we have it all. Why May? Events radiate out from Europe Day on May 9th, which commemorates the historic declaration that led to the formation of the EU. This year, we’re celebrating the EU’s 60th birthday at the EU Open House, our annual EUMC flagship event.

Come join us and experience cultural diplomacy at work in its most delightful way. No matter what your taste, there’s bound to be something for you.

Here is a sampling of some of the many events we offer throughout the month of May:

Film Screenings

In August 2014, filmmaker Hogir Hirori leaves his pregnant wife in Sweden to travel to his homeland, Iraqi Kurdistan, to recount the fates that have affected over 1.4 million people fleeing ISIS. Through the people he meets, Hogir also relates some of his own experience with war and seeking refuge…He is strongly affected by a girl named Souad and the search for her serves as his compass in the chaos of war. Watch this film at House of Sweden on May 21.

MAY 2: Home Sweet Home (Slovenia)

MAY 3: Abba: The Movie (Sweden)

MAY 4: People in Places (Spain)

MAY 9: Joyeux Noel (France)

MAY 13–30: Reinventing Realism | Various Themes & Times (Romania)

MAY 16: Film and Beer: Lemonade Joe (Czech Series)

MAY 19: Grave Decisions (Germany)

MAY 21: The Girl Who Saved My Life (Sweden)

MAY 23: Adama (France)

MAY 24: The New Rijksmuseum (Netherlands)

MAY 28: Sunset Song (UK)

MAY 31: Sidewalls (Spain)

Performances

Czech pianist Tomáš Kačo will perform his own arrangements of classical compositions as well as original scores in the program “Classical Edge, Gypsy Soul” on May 17, at 12:10 pm, at the National Gallery of Art in the West Building, East Garden Court. More info.

MAY 1: Marco Fusi Music (Sweden)

MAY 2: Handel’s Ariodante (UK)

MAY 2: Janning Trumann Quartet (Germany)

MAY 3: Tonality of Culture (Estonia)

MAY 9–30: Timon of Athens (UK)

May 10: Toward the Sea (Malta)

MAY 12: Messianen: From the Canyons to the Stars (France)

May 17: Tomas Kaco: Classical Edge, Gypsy Soul (Czech Republic)

MAY 19: Classical Music and Folklore: Exploration of National Identity (Bulgaria)

MAY 21: Matt Aucoin and Keir GoGwilt Concert (UK)

May 24: David Six Between the Stations (Austria)

MAY 25: Flamenco Dancer Maria Pages (Spain)

MAY 25: Tracy Chevalier, Hogarth Shakespeare Reading of “New Boy” (UK)

Lectures

Spanish writer Alejandro Palomas (2016 National Children´s and Youth Literature Award) will chat with Matthew Davis, Director of The Alan Cheuse International Writers Center on May 17th about Palomas’ unique portrayal of families in his literary works. More info.

MAY 3: Disco’s Influence on Dance (Sweden)

MAY 5: Famous American in Paris: Art Bouchewald (France)

May 8: Last hope island Book Talk (Poland)

MAY 9: Constructing the Public Realm (Spain)

May 10: Irish Literary Evening with Lisa McInerney (Ireland) — more info coming soon!

May 11: Robert Richmond Lecture, Stage Director: Timon of Athens (UK)

MAY 17: Conversation with writer Alejandro Palomas (Spain)

MAY 18–19: Slovene Language Course (Slovenia) — more info coming soon!

MAY 18: Johnnies, Tommies, and Sammies (UK)

MAY 18: Ebony Fashion Fair Revisited (France)

MAY 24: Pre-Show Talk: Timon of Athens (UK)

Art & Photography Exhibitions

The 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair exhibition will be open all month long at the GWU Textile Museum. Photos — Left: Tilmann Grawe (France), cocktail dress, special order, fall/winter 2003–04. Silk chiné taffeta, horn, plastic and glass beads, horsehair tubing, plastic boning. Appeared in Living It Up. Photo courtesy of Johnson Publishing Company, LLC. Center: Eunice Johnson at work, 1970. Photo courtesy of Johnson Publishing Company, LLC. Right: Patrick Kelly (France), “I love Fashion Scandal” evening dress, special order, fall/winter 1986. Wool knit, plastic buttons. Appeared in Fashion Scandal. Photograph by John Alderson © Chicago Historical Society. More photos at dcist.com.

May 1–30: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair (France/Italy)

May 1–30: Artist Soldiers (Belgium)

May 1–30: Spanish Architecture Abroad (Spain)

May 1–30: Alternativas (Spain)

May 1–30: Kai Wiedenhofer Photography (Germany)

MAY 4: Creativity in Times of Crisis (Greece)

MAY 4–30: Views of the Native Land (Lithuania) — more info coming soon!

MAY 5: Italian Arte Povera works by Marco Bagnoli, Domenico Bianchi, and Remo Salvadori from the Olnick Spanu Collection (Italy)

MAY 6 & 20: Swedish Arts Workshop (Sweden)

MAY 15–30: Peddling — Ribnica’s Woodcraft (Slovenia) — more info coming soon!

MAY 17: Glory and Gratitude to the United States (Belgium)

MAY 17: Nature’s Luxembourg (Luxembourg)

MAY 18: Like a Drop of Ink in a Glass of Milk (Slovakia)

MAY 18–30: Iconic and the Everyday: Creative Finland (Finland)

To see all EUMC events, click here.

Now in its fifth year, the European Month of Culture (EUMC) is a month-long festival of innovative and creative events for the American public highlighting the diverse cultures of all 28 European Union Member countries. Enjoy film, dance, music, theatre, exhibits, language classes, workshops and more in great venues throughout Washington DC. Most events are free!

A special shout out to the outstanding Washington DC institutions that so generously share their dynamic programming and iconic spaces with us, including the Library of Congress, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Gallery of Art, NYU Washington, the Hillyer Art Space, and the Folger Shakespeare Library, just to name a few.