Amplifying Indigenous and Endangered Voices: The Critical Role of Collaboration for the Talk of the Town Program

Many people often ask me about what type of cultural work I do. One of the most significant projects I have worked on took place in 2024 with El Museo del Barrio on a community engagement program with the support of the National Endowment of the Arts and the Avery Foundation and in collaboration with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs ( MOIA). I had the opportunity to be led by Rodrigo Moura, Chief Curator and Alexia Arrizurieta, Curatorial Assistant of El Museo del Barrio and I am grateful to them for the amazing opportunity to collaborate together along with a distinguished group of other advisors and subject matter professionals to take all of these ideas to a reality.

El Museo del Barrio’s Talk of the Town Artist-in-Residence: Engaging with Indigenous and Endangered language communities was a groundbreaking program designed to amplify the voices of immigrant New Yorkers who speak indigenous and endangered languages. Carishina’s consultancy services in project management and cultural programming was instrumental in navigating every phase of the project. 

Guiding the Project Through Cultural Strategy

From the inception to the final reporting phase, Carishina provided essential subject matter expertise to ensure the project met its goals efficiently and thoughtfully. Their contributions spanned the following critical areas:

 1. Planning and Timeline Development

I supported the curatorial team craft a clear roadmap for Talk of the Town. I named the project “Talk of the Town: Engaging with Indigenous and Endangered Language Communities” to signal to audiences the languages the majority of recent migrant new yorkers from indigenous and endangered languages from Central America( Nahuatl), South America’s Andes Region ( Kichwa) and West African languages like Wolof. Planning included designing a timeline that balanced the demands of selecting artistic proposals while contacting and working with a panel of distinguished artists and linguists, selecting community-based organizations (CBOs), and coordinating multiple stakeholders to create a seamless workflow.

 2. Open Call and Recruitment

With a nuanced understanding of outreach strategies, Carishina guided the development of an open call that yielded over 40 artistic proposals. Their insight ensured a fair and transparent selection process, engaging a diverse pool of artists whose practices aligned with the program’s mission. From these activities the artists awarded were: 

Raul Ayala

Radhiyah Ayobami

Cinthya Santos-Briones

 3. Stakeholder Engagement

Carishina played a vital role in fostering partnerships with CBOs like the Endangered Language Alliance and African Services Committee. Their guidance and collaboration ensured that these organizations were aligned with the project’s vision and equipped to host artists effectively, despite initial funding and resource challenges. I want to thank Daniel Kaufman from ELA and Emily Goldberg Hall from the African Services Committee for their invaluable contributions and care for this project.

 4. Activation and Event Planning

The program culminated in a public event on November 7, 2024, where the outcomes of the residencies were shared with the community. Carishina managed the logistics of this presentation, ensuring that it showcased the residency results while fostering dialogue between participants, artists, and attendees.

 5. Evaluation and Reporting

For the evaluation portion of the project, Carishina partnered with Kera Collective, whose systematic approach to evaluation ensured that all aspects of the program were thoroughly documented. Their efforts included tracking participation metrics, gathering feedback from stakeholders, and crafting a comprehensive final report that highlighted the program’s achievements and areas for growth.

Key Accomplishments Enabled by Carishina

• Cultural Preservation: Carishina’s guidance helped the program amplify the narratives of immigrant New Yorkers and preserve linguistic diversity.

• Community Engagement: Their expertise ensured successful outreach to underserved populations and fostered strong partnerships with local CBO’s.

• Program Efficiency: Through streamlined planning and management, Carishina optimized timelines, operational workflows, and event execution.

The Lasting Impact

The collaboration with Carishina exemplified the importance of working with subject matter experts who understand the intricacies of cultural programming. Their contributions not only ensured the program’s success but also laid the groundwork for replicable models that institutions like El Museo del Barrio can apply towards future cultural responsive initiatives.

By amplifying the voices of underserved communities and fostering meaningful connections through art, Talk of the Town underscores the transformative power of cultural program partnerships for Carishina. This collaboration, created a program that honored heritage, fostered inclusivity, and ensured lasting cultural impact.

Featured at NYC Museum Educators Roundtable

The project was featured at the NYC Museum Educators Roundtable conference 2025 at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Once more, CBO leaders and artists who worked on this project gathered to present the takeaways of this participatory art project.

In the cross-functionality of this experience I had the privilege and pleasure to work with the following people whom I would like to acknowledge and thank:

El Museo del Barrio

Rodrigo Moura

Alexa Arrizurieta

Helena Vidal

Adriana Morán Garcia

Antonieta Landa

Evelyn Rivera

Giovanni Vidal

Carlos Galvez

Susanna Temkin

Pamela Hernández Hower

Project Selection Panelists Artists

Cristina Cortés- Director Coop Danza

Leenda Bonilla

Juanita Lanzo

Humanitarian Professionals

Deborah Denis

Ugochi Obidiegwu

African Services Committee

Emily Goldberg-Hall

Hassanatou Barry

Nathalie Weeks

Malet Maru

Stefanie Zavala

Indigenous Language Alliance

Daniel Kaufman

Ibrahima Traore

World’s Borough Bookshop

Adrian Cepeda

Ecuadorian Civic Committee of New York

Oswaldo Guzmán Calderón

NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

Eileen Reyes Arias 

Shaina Coronel

Kera Collective- Evaluating Partners
Filippa Christofalou, Field Researcher
Hannah Heller, Researcher
Stephanie Downey, Owner + Director