Welcome to the Colored Pencils Art Show Blog!

Led by Portland artist Nim Xuto, the Colored Pencils Arts Collective hosted its first art show and open mic at Center for Intercultural Organizing on Friday, Feb. 27. The event drew a large, diverse crowd from all corners of Portland, eager to see the first-ever exposition of immigrant and refugee artists and performers in town.

Originally from Thailand, Nim has been in the commercial art scene in Portland for a number of years. Her vision to showcase the art of immigrants and refugees in Portland was inspired by a shared vision with her husband, writer Ronault (Polo) L.S. Catalani to uplift the talents and voices of newcomers to Portland.

The Colored Pencils Art Show and Open Mic is scheduled every last Friday of the month at the Center for Intercultural Organizing, 700 N. Killingsworth in Portland. The next art exhibit and open mic is scheduled for 5:30-8:30 pm on Friday, March 27, 2009

Oregonian reporter Gosia Wozniacka posted this report on the inaugural event's festivities:

Scene and Heard: Art, far from home

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.

Click here to read the rest ...