East Portland News || October 2009
Portland hosts the fastest-growing communities of people of color in the State, Josep hSantos-Lyons observed. “But we have very few places to connect deeply and authentically. This space is good, because it brings together both multicultural Portland and more-mainstream Portland.” read more
Mayor Sam Adams Blog || September 2009
The Mayor had his first (excellent) Angolan meal and had the chance to see great art. Our thanks to Polo, Koffi, Nim and all the volunteers for their work on these monthly events. read more
Life by Design NW || August 2009
Colored Pencils Night is Portland's lively response to a city packed with fine artists, energetic performers, and aspiring kids, from all six continents and many islands between. Participants on impulse, as much as event organizers make an evening of laughter and tears. read more
El Hispanic News || March 19, 2009
“We’re a group of newcomers, poets, artists and like-minded people of all colors who gather together once a month to sing, read poetry, and perform in our native languages,” said Portland artist Nim Xuto, who founded Colored Pencils Arts and Culture Night. read more
by Maileen Hamto, The Asian Reporter || March 17, 2009
The inaugural event brought together artists and performers from newcomer communities all over Portland — Arabs, Cambodians, Palestinians, West Africans, Ukrainians, Nepalese, Mexicans, and Samoans. read more
by Gosia Wozniacka, The Oregonian || March 5, 2009
Art can nurture people who are far from home; it can help express loss, belonging, change. Yet there are few, if any, venues in Portland where you can see art by Oregon artists born outside the United States, or hear writers from diverse cultures and continents read their works. read more
by Polo, The Asian Reporter || February 17, 2009
Experts say, some of the first things new Americans neglect and then lose altogether, are our arts. It’s not that artists and poets and musicians mysteriously disappear, say, on their way to work or to Safeway or to our Saturday morning noodleshops. No. The problem is these important people not painting, not reciting, not composing and singing. read more
Portland Sentinel || February 11, 2009
America's immigrants have always unpacked new vitality and new possibilities. Colored Pencils Art Culture Night is an effort to re-assert the cultural wealth of immigrants into newcomer and settled Portland. read more