Throughout November, The Babylon Art and Cultural Center will be presenting an exhibit entitled “Return to Babylon.” The exhibit will coincide with the Seward Art Crawl as well as the screening of the documentary “The Fourth World War.”

The mission of the Babylon Art and Cultural Center is to provide an accessible space that brings art, social activism, and the community together to promote interaction, dialogue, and change. Through exhibiting and presenting art that challenges and provokes viewers to assess their world views, as well as serving as a meeting space to groups committed to positive social change, The Babylon strives to promote meaningful dialogue between artists, activists, and the community on the issues facing our neighborhoods, our society, and our world.

But in January of 2004, The Babylon was devastated by a fire that broke out in its space on Lake St. in South Minneapolis. In addition to a gallery, the space housed artists’ studios and served as an important community meeting space for people dissatisfied with anything from the situation in Iraq to perceived domestic injustices.

Due to the fire, the Babylon Collective is actively exploring different options for its next incarnation. Before a new space is decided upon, the Collective is working to plan events, discussions, fundraisers, and exhibits in an effort to continue to foster dialogue about local, national and global issues.

“Return to Babylon” features works of artists who have exhibited at The Babylon previously, as well as friends of the center. Among the artists featured are Hend Al-Mansour, Haider Al-Amery, Elisa Berry Jim Grafsgaard, Julie Graves, Daniel Kinney, Patricia Mendoza, Tammy Ortegon, and John Whitney among others.

The exhibit will run through Nov. 30 with a special reception on Saturday, Nov. 13 to coincide with the Seward Art Crawl. “The Fourth World War” will screen Thursday, Nov. 11 at 7p.m. at the Seward CafÈ.

For more information about either event, please call The Babylon at (612) 729-7147 or go to their website at www.babylonarts.org.

For more information about the Seward Art Crawl, contact the Seward Neighborhood Group at (612) 338-6205.