29-03-2025
Columbus hosts reception for international art exchange
COLUMBUS, Ga. () — One of the Mayor's Commissions is strengthening Columbus' international ties through an art exchange with a sister city. Today, that exchange took place in person.
Columbus, Georgia, welcomed students from its sister city, Kiryu, Japan, as part of an international exchange program.
The reception, organized by the Commission on International Relations & Cultural Liaison Encounters—better known as CIRCLE—brought students, local officials, and community members together to celebrate cross-cultural connections through art. CIRCLE works with Columbus State University to help the program thrive.
Chair of CIRCLE, Judge Pete Temesgen said the Commission is a 'group that was created in 1996, around the time that we had the Olympics, to just cultivate international connections between our city of Columbus, Georgia, and some sister city relationships that we have since created… CSU, who is a partner of Circle, had a few students and at least two professors go to Kiryu last May.'
The program had been on pause due to the pandemic, but this year's event marks its return—something organizers say is a big step forward.
Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson spoke about the program's impact, 'It's such a great program because we're able to create sister city relationships. One of them is with Korea, Japan. So their students come in and they bring their artwork and we take some of our high school students artwork and they do an art swap. And it gives us a chance to kind of learn about other cultures, solidify our relationship and broaden the horizons of some of these young people.'
Through this exchange, student artists from Columbus and Japan swap their work, fostering lasting connections. This year, artwork from Spencer High School students was selected for the exchange.
As part of the event, Columbus' Youth Advisory Council presented gifts for the visiting students to take home along with the artwork.
The reception also reinforced Columbus's commitment to international relationships. Organizers hope to continue growing the exchange, with future opportunities for Muscogee County students to visit Japan.
They hope this program will continue inspiring young artists and fostering global friendships for years to come.
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