Duluth Sister Cities International

05/29/2026

Getting excited about our student delegation heading off to Ohara Isumi later this summer! Eleven based students will head to our sister city in Japan in July for around two weeks. Here they gather to ring our peace bell near Enger tower. Foreign exchanges enriches and strengthens our youth population by broadening their perspective and making them better citizens. And it’s a family tradition! Pictured here is Laura (Fryberger) Mullen - a participant in 1994 - ringing the peace bell with her daughter Adella!

04/29/2026

Hello Northland residents! Duluth Sister Cities is actively recruiting members of the community to volunteer with us and join one of our sister city committees, or our executive board.

Duluth Sister Cities is committed to supporting international student exchanges, as well as purpose-driven professional exchanges with sister cities (where feasible) to benefit the health and prosperity of our community. By fostering a meaningful exchange of ideas, culture, knowledge, and experiences, we aspire to create a more connected world for the residents of our community.

We are especially in need of more volunteers for our Thunder Bay and Ranya (Iraqi Kurdistan) committees.

To see more information about our sister cities, see https://www.duluthmnsistercities.org

If you are interested in volunteering and being a much needed member to drive our international engagement, please reach out to Christy Rounds at [email protected]

Building Bridges to Global Understanding since 1986!

04/28/2026

Seven years ago today, Mayor Emily Larson declared Anne Labovitz Day in Duluth, Minnesota. I’m still humbled and grateful.

122 Conversations: Person to Person, Art Beyond Borders began with listening — real dialogue with people across Duluth’s five sister cities, spanning four continents, united by art building peace one individual at a time.

From those conversations, an exhibition was born. It traveled to Thunder Bay, Canada; Växjö, Sweden; Petrozavodsk, Russia; Isumi-City, Japan; and Rania, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and to Washington, D.C. and Kansas, lived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for five years, and is currently installed at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Thank you to every single person who was part of this journey.

Gratitude

04/25/2026

Here are some pictures from the Legislative Tea event that happened at the State Capitol on Thursday celebrating Anne Labovitz’s art project “122 conversations” inspired by Sister Cities International’s statement.

04/23/2026

Join us tonight for Douglas Nord’s book about the importance of the sister cities in making diplomacy!

Join us on Thursday, April 23rd for Douglas Nord's talk about the role of sister cities in international diplomacy. Thank you to the UMD Alworth Institute for facilitating this presentation!

04/15/2026

Free movie night at Zeitgeist!

On Wednesday, April 29th, at 6:30 p.m. Duluth Sister Cities will be offering a free showing of Mr. Nobody vs. Mr. Putin, winner of the 2026 Oscar Award for Best Documentary Feature.

In the film, Russian teacher, Pavel "Pasha" Talankin, documents the systematic indoctrination of his students after Russia declared war with Ukraine.

Duluth Sister Cities board member, JP Gresh, was a military attaché in Ukraine and Russia. JP will host a post-film discussion on the themes the movie addresses, as well as the current socio-political climate in Russia.

04/14/2026

Join us next Thursday, April 23 at the Minnesota State Capitol as we enjoy a Legislative Tea with artist, Anne Labovitz. 122 Conversations will be on display in the 3rd floor exhibit gallery (also the Minnesota Capitol Legislative Library) through the end of 2026.

04/11/2026

Apply by April 15th!!

Calling all young creatives!

The Young Artists & Authors Showcase (YAAS) hosted by Sister Cities International, is an annual art contest that invites students of ages 12-18 to share their creativity through art, writing, photography, and music, by expressing the mission of Sister Cities International. This year’s theme is “Voices of Today, Visions of Tomorrow.”
YAAS Submissions are still open, and the deadline to apply is April 15, 2026!

For more information about the contest or prizes, check the link in the comments!

04/09/2026

Join us on Thursday, April 23rd for Douglas Nord's talk about the role of sister cities in international diplomacy. Thank you to the UMD Alworth Institute for facilitating this presentation!