MONROE — Moving Between Cultures is an event presented by Monroe Arts Center and the Multicultural Outreach Program of Green County. It will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. August 25. Audience members can listen as the panel discusses their experiences balancing multiple cultures and their heritage.
“We are all in a constant state of balancing and rebalancing. As immigrants or children of immigrants, we hold within us a sacred set of scales: on one side lies the heart of our native land, and on the other, the heart of our adopted land,” said Sonya Sankaran, artist. “As we build inclusive communities here in the U.S., where most of us are immigrants of one kind or another, we must strive to see the multiple identities within each person in constant flux, seeking balance. And all of us searching for some common, ancient purpose.”
Panelists will include Sankaran; Ilir and Kime Abdule of Monroe; and Karin Monzón Krimmer of Monroe. The discussion will be moderated by Lisa Hendrickson, retired Monroe School District Spanish teacher and MCOP Volunteer.
Sankaran works in mural design and production while also strengthening relationships with schools and other partner organizations. She has a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and a Master’s Degree in Marine Science.
Ilir Abduli’s family is ethnic Albanians who have lived in Monroe for nearly 40 years. Their father moved to the United States from Yugoslavia (now Northern Macedonia) in the late 1970s, eventually making his way to Monroe in the early 1980s. His and two-year-old daughter Sklkime (Kime) joined in 1984, and his son Ilir was born in Monroe in 1985. Kime and Ilir grew up in Monroe and graduated from Monroe High School in 2001 and 2003.
Ilir earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has worked various healthcare jobs in Milwaukee and Chicago’s northwest suburbs. He returned to Monroe in 2017 and has since taken ownership of the family business, the Swiss Alps Restaurant.
Kime earned a law degree from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee and an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Proficient in English, Albanian, and Spanish, Kime is the owner of Abduli Immigration Law in West Allis.
“Being multicultural isn’t necessarily something exotic or unique to immigrant families. In fact, most people could find ways in which they are multicultural,” Ilir Abduli said.
Monzón Krimmer immigrated to the U.S. with her two children, A.J. and Belén, from Guatemala in December of 2002. She had obtained her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Francisco Marroquin University in Guatemala, where she began working in the areas of IT, education, and marketing in both the private and public sectors.
Since arriving in the United States, Karin has worked in various roles related to tutoring, adult education, document translation, Spanish-English interpretation, and housekeeping.
In December of 2010, Karin married Paul Krimmer, and in August of 2019, she became an American citizen. In June of 2020, she joined the Literacy Council of Green County as Executive Director. Working with the Council has allowed Karin to fulfill her goal to help other immigrants to become active members of the Monroe community.
This event will also feature the Monroe Arts Center’s Building Inclusive Communities permanent street art mural collection which includes the work of Madison Muralists, Mike LRoy, Valendice Payne, Keysha Mabra, Lilada Gee, Rodrigo Carapia, Sonya Sankaran, Danielle Mielke.
The Building Inclusive Communities Exhibit was underwritten by; Paul and Sue Barrett, John and Katie Baumann, Dave and Julie Buchanan, Kevin and Chris Callahan, Bob and Wendy Erb, Marc Farmer, Lee and Chris Knuteson, Chuck and Chris Wellington, and Andy and Julie Wilke.
