Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport installation Terminal 2, 2019-2024
122 Conversations: Person to Person, Art Beyond Borders is an artist-led project based on the art of engagement — art derived from the process of interconnection and cross-cultural dialogue. Organized by the Tweed Museum of Art and in collaboration with Duluth Sister Cities, International and University of Minnesota Duluth, School of Fine Arts, the project celebrates the combined 122 years of relationship with Duluth’s five sister Cities: Rania, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Växjö, Sweden, Petrozavodsk, Russia, Thunder Bay, Canada, and Ohara Isumi-City, Japan. The project is a catalyst for positive social change, one individual at a time.
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson proclaimed April 27, 2019, as Anne Labovitz Day
In recognition of the successful project 122 Conversations, the message it shared across the globe, and the dedicated work that accomplished a huge traveling exhibition, coordinating hundreds of volunteers over six years.
The artwork in the exhibition represented six years of planning and creating, and 60 Skype or in person interviews involving ten residents from each of the six sister cities, including the mayor of each city. The large scale paintings were created by Labovitz in her studio and were inspired by the spirited interview exchanges. Each of the artworks depicts an interpretive vision of the conversations, which include faces, words, and descriptions of the experiences related to the individuals involved. The work chronicles the essence of human interaction through relational listening into palimpsest paintings and video. An integral component was a public invitation for attendees to contribute to an anthology of stories. All are invited to contribute to the exhibition using the provided materials, transforming their responses into art pieces that will be returned to Duluth for the final culminating venue, held at the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth.
Click here to view Exhibition Catalog. Available for purchase through Amazon.
Inspired by Sister Cities International’s mission:
To promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation — one individual, one community at a time.