Colors of Influence had the opportunity to sit down with Nim Xuto, Events Producer for the Summer Free for All Program at Portland Parks and Recreation. Since 2009, Nim has brought together Portland's diverse arts and culture communities at unforgettable events in intimate venues that merged visual and performance arts through Colored Pencils. Here, she explains her new role with Portland Parks and her vision for nurturing inclusive spaces for Portland's growing community of diverse artists, poets, musicians, painters and culture-bearers.
What is your primary charge as Events Producer
for the City of Portland Parks Bureau? What are you responsible for?
As producers, we manage
the whole event production from beginning to end. We help create programs that
bring families together to bridge our different communities living in each
neighborhood. We work with our partners who are groups of neighbors that form
concert committees in many neighborhoods in Portland. We start by identifying cost, raising funds with partners, learning what cultural groups we are serving, listening to hundreds of diverse local musicians, and then choosing bands that identify with the neighborhood as a whole. We hire diverse staff, train them and produce events. We handle everything, from setup, emceeing, and take down.
Outreach is also part of
our work. Once the current summer events are over, we plan for next year
started by out reaching to create diverse concert committees and help them with
fundraising for the next year.
As
a visual artist, how did you start out in events planning and management?
I have a marketing and
advertising degree from Thailand and worked in advertising for a while before
coming to school in the U.S. While I was working as a fine artist, I used my
marketing skills to market my own art and manage my own art school.
In 2008, when I was in a
leadership training (PILOT program) at the Center for Intercultural Organizing,
I came up with the idea of using art and culture events to bring people together.
Basically, I just fell in love with my classmates and want to keep seeing them.
So, I convinced a group of immigrant and refugee community leaders to join me
to create a monthly art and culture event: Colored Pencils. I used the same
skills to launch our community building project.
In 2011, Colored Pencils
became a nonprofit organization and soon, I started to partner with Portland
Parks to curate cultural events. This year, Portland Parks hired me to do the
same job: to create arts and culture events.
What do you find most challenging about the
work?
A key challenge is
getting people to understand others who are from different cultures. I found
that most Americans are loving and generous. But if you have never gone through
wars or a corrupt government, it can be hard to understand the mentality of
people who have lived through those situations.
When we have to
facilitate the room filled with those different cultural groups, conflicts can
arise pretty quickly. We work very hard to earn trust and show that
whatever project we are working on together, we must accomplish our common goal.
We don’t favor any group over another. We must create space where everyone
feels safe and valued.
What aspect/s of the work do you find most
edifying?
To see that we all share
one same goal and to be safe in one another's company. These programs draw
thousands of followers and volunteers from all walks of life who wants to feel
safe and love one another unconditionally.
Working for Colored
Pencils, we had one volunteer who wanted to work for our nonprofit. She had
cancer, but wanted to work with us because she believed helping our project was
something she wanted to do before she died. A year later, she passed away. I
was touched by how many volunteers went to the hospital with our Thai Buddhist
monk to say our goodbyes.
What
are some important milestones for the Arts and Culture program?
When the mainstream
community opens up not to only admire beautiful dances but truly embrace the
ceremonies, rituals and cultures that are deeply within those dancers, their
history, and who they are.
How does your cultural background impact the way
you do your work?
I was born a Buddhist. Buddhism is a philosophy
of how to generate compassion to create peace. Thai culture is so refined, and
the “seniority system” in our culture makes sure that we have plenty of respect
in so many levels. In my work, I lead by compassion in every issue from how we
all can share safe space to conflict resolution in the workplace.
In terms of outreach to diverse communities,
what is the most crucial lesson you've learned thus far?
It’s important to gain
trust in order to work with diverse communities. You don't need to try to be
anyone different or try so hard to gain trust. Know how to show love
unconditionally, and trust will follow.
What's
on your wish list?
Art links to our cultures, which also link deeply
to spirituality. For example, if you enjoy salsa dancing, also make an effort
to appreciate people from cultures where dancing salsa is a huge part of life.
Love the people the same way you love their art. Understand them deeply.
