HISTORY
Through Each Others Eyes™ began in 1988 as an artistic outreach of the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission. The commission that year sent two professional photographers from Phoenix (Peter Ensenberger and Errol Zimmerman) to Japan to take pictures of Japanese life and culture, which was followed by two Japanese photographers traveling to Arizona to capture images of American life. The photo exhibition in February 1988—one of many cultural and artistic exchanges featured in Phoenix’ first Japan Week—was successful in its visual presentation of how two different cultures perceived each other.
The invitation card for the first Through Each Others Eyes™ Exhibit (February 1988)
Collen Miniuk-Sperry and Art Holeman (center) with photographers Antonio Figueroa (left), Juan Cassanova (second from right) and Salvador Borrega (right) in Álamos, Son., México in January 2009
While under the umbrella of the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission, our organization held regular photographic exchanges and exhibitions involving photographers in Japan and in Phoenix’s sister city of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. In 1996, Through Each Others Eyes™ became a separate non-profit organization, but continued to work closely with the Phoenix Sister Cities Commission in establishing exchanges with photographers in the following sister cities: Prague, Czechia; Catania, Sicily; Ennis, Ireland, and Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Our organization has also enjoyed exchanges with photographers in other countries around the world, including Havana, Cuba; Edinburgh, Scotland; Baguio, Philippines; Guatemala, and Zenzhou, Henan Province, China).
Since the first exchange in 1988, more than 100 photographers in Phoenix and abroad have participated in photo exchanges, which have produced more than 150 exhibitions worldwide viewed by more than two million people. In addition, photographers in our organization have developed photo exchanges for school students, given portrait photos to underprivileged children, and provided pictures for families in homeless shelters.
35 YEARS STRONG
Since inception, our photographers have tirelessly worked to showcase the beauty of diverse cultures, telling stories that transcend time and geography. With three and a half decades of unwavering dedication, we have become a trusted force in promoting global unity and appreciation.
