When Emma Sambaer, an Art Education student at Michigan State University, was paired with Shiva Mohseni, an OCAD University student from Toronto, for a unique cross-border art project, she noticed how much they had in common despite being separated by an international border.

Students from MSU and OCAD U were tasked with creating portraits of each other to capture the likeness of their partner. But first, they had to get to know each other.

The students connected in a virtual exchange over two months during the Spring 2025 Semester to learn as much as they could about the lives of their cross-border partners. Focusing on themes of site, place, and identity, they shared information and stories about themselves through email and virtual meetings. The artists also mailed each other photographs of themselves and a collection of personal or creative materials that represented their personalities and their locations.

These exchanges provided an artistic challenge for the artists to translate their partner’s presence into a work of art. What resulted are drawings that capture the likeness of their partner and explore their relationships and friendships across the Canadian-American border.

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Letters website.