Hot Coffee conversation between New York-based curator and educator Anna Khimasia & cultural advisor Emily Lutzker, producers of the International Arrivals Podcast

Published Friday, May 30, 2025

New York is endearing in allowing all of us to meet people who share our values and passions. Conversations that start at art openings might last a minute or might last years, yet most often than not, they all give a sense of community. When I met Emily Lutzker in March and heard about the vision behind her podcast,the International Arrivals Podcast, co-produced with Anna Khimasia I immediately knew that I wanted to hear more because artists, and especially non-American artists, need all the support they can get when arriving here or fighting for social justice. And arts professionals who talk about the issues of displacement, border politics, migration, and diasporic experience with candidness and insight need all the attention, too. I was glad to expand this conversation into a longer interview with both Emily and Anna.

Nina: Imagine you are in your favorite coffee or tea spot. Where is it? What are you drinking? What are the three things you see right now?

EL: I’m in Venice in the Carnereggio, drinking a perfect cappuccino. I see canals and boats and the sanitation workers on a barge doing their thing–which always fascinated me in Venice. Is that one thing or three?

AK: If I go to a coffee shop it is usually to meet up with someone to talk about a project. One of my faves in our hood–Emily and I both live in the Lower East Side–is Little Canal in Dimes Square. I usually order Le Hammeau tea, made with lemongrass, lemon verbena, chamomile, lavender, rose petals, mint, and sage and watch the diverse life of the Lower East Side through the window.

Episode is available here.

Nina: Please tell me about your podcast "International Arrivals." How did this idea first come to you? How do you select your artists? How are you planning to continue with this show?

Initially, we imagined International Arrivals to be a residency with an exhibition space and public programming along with a cafe, all in a building in NYC. We envisioned somewhere where artists from all over the world, and the public, could gather, and there would be dialogue about what is occurring in the world and how artists are responding to it. Needless to say, it was unreasonable that we could manifest the fantasy into reality without any funding, so we needed to start smaller. A podcast seemed like a good way to create dialogue and impact without a giant budget.

The current refugee and immigration crisis and the rhetoric surrounding this issue is divisive and exclusionary, and we believe that art and artists can help facilitate more open discussions around these issues. The International Arrivals Podcast amplifies the voices of artists whose work actively engages with concerns around displacement, border politics, migration, and diasporic experience. Additionally, we are interested in their personal journeys and how these are enmeshed in their work. Broadly, the artists we choose create work about social injustices. We also want their work to be strong conceptually and aesthetically.

As an organization, we find that partnering with different galleries and organizations that complement our programming helps us reach a larger audience together.

International Arrivals_Here and Now_2025_photo by IA_ Jenny Wang, Ya Yun Teng, Emily Lutzker.

Nina: In addition to being involved in various parts of the arts system, you also teach. In this world of shifting paradigms, what are the challenges you encounter when teaching? And what are the upsides?

AK: Yes, I currently teach two courses at UCLA during the Winter or Spring term, and usually one or two in the Fall at Rutgers.

Let me start with what I love: I genuinely love teaching. Being in the classroom, engaging in meaningful conversations about art, politics, and culture—it’s an incredibly energizing part of my practice. I find that students are remarkably informed, thoughtful, and politically engaged. One of the courses I teach at UCLA focuses on contemporary art and protest, and it has been eye-opening, especially during the encampments last year, and now under the current administration. These conversations became even more urgent. I’ve learned so much from my students. As cliché as it may sound, being challenged by them—intellectually and politically—is what I value most.

That said, I’m also deeply concerned about the state of academia. Universities are increasingly being run like corporations, prioritizing financial stability over critical inquiry and accessibility. This shift has had a detrimental effect on critical thinking and creativity, and the kind of risk-taking that true learning requires. Now we’re seeing direct attacks on higher education: targeting DEI initiatives, funding cuts, denial of visas, and the closure of exhibitions. I worry about what’s ahead—about how these pressures will shape what we’re allowed to teach, who gets to learn, and whose voices are heard or silenced in the classroom.

I remain committed to teaching because I believe in the classroom as a space of enquiry and collective thinking. But it’s clear that the university as a space of free speech and critical thinking is under threat.

International Arrivals_2025_photo by IA_Anna Khimasia, Nathacha Voliakovsky, Emily Lutzker_at Slip Gallery.

Nina: What are the most exciting projects for you that are coming up in 2025 for both of you?

We both really enjoyed producing Here and Now, a live event at Abrons Arts Center where we invited other speakers whose work overlaps with ours to be part of a public discussion (The Immigrant Artist Biennial, Impulse Magazine, artist Erika Harsh, and the Immigrant Program at NYFA). The conversation about the current political atmosphere and its threat to artists, arts organizations, and artistic freedom was provocative, personal, and inspiring. We are looking for other ways to collaborate and support each other to amplify artists’ voices, particularly at this critical moment. We hope to produce another Here and Now next year.

AK: This summer, I’m thrilled to be working on a project in Winnipeg centered around the ritual of tea. I work with Thomas Grondin—an artist, curator, and educator based in Quebec—as part of the collective Fait Maison[Homemade]. We’ve been invited for a curatorial residency to develop a performance event and exhibition in collaboration with local artists at La Maison des artistes visuels francophones, in partnership with Urban Shaman, an Indigenous artist-run centre.

This marks the third iteration of our performative tea, a project that interweaves colonial histories, cultural rituals, and personal narratives through the act of making and serving tea. The generosity and openness from artists and organizations in Winnipeg has been incredible, and I’m very excited to be working on this project.

International Arrivals_Here and Now_2025_photo by IA_Anna Khimasia, Erika Harrsch, Katya Grokhovsky, Jenny Wang, Ya Yun Teng.

Nina: During our initial conversation, we spoke a lot about creating communities to sustain intellectual and spiritual engagement in the time of the current disillusionments. As I continued thinking about this, I wanted to ask you what communities stand out to you historically that could serve as prototypes?

AK: That’s a great question—and honestly, I’m still figuring it out. Rather than fixed models, I tend to think about the communities that I’ve been part of and what made them meaningful. One example is the alternative theatre scene in Montreal, which was incredibly formative for me. It was a space rooted in collaboration, where artists worked collectively to create provocative, boundary-pushing work. That spirit of collaboration continues to be one of the most important strategies in how I build and sustain community in my practice.

Another example is the solidarity I've experienced through spaces like SAW Centre (yes, with an ‘RE’) in Ottawa. SAW has been both a political and social hub—hosting strong, critical exhibitions that center underrepresented voices, artists, and ideas. It’s a place where artistic rigor meets deep care and mutual support. These experiences have shown me that community can be built through shared values, sustained relationships, and a commitment to creating space for others.

EL: I’ve always been inspired by 20th century art-political movements: Dada which was an informal community uniting artists opposed to the violence and the outcomes of WWI and the political movement arising from the Bauhaus, which was, of course, formed due to the academic affinity of the students and teachers there. Now it seems that these kinds of movements are not taking shape in the same way. Our institutions are large, they are often tied to resources that have affiliations with their own agendas. Often, this prevents communities that have opposing views and movements from forming. That being said, I do believe there is room for people who have common interests and ideas to come together and exchange ideas and support each other. At the very core, the dream of International Arrivals to have a space, and a salon-type atmosphere might just be the next Cabaret Voltaire.

International Arrivals_2024_photo by IA_Emily Lutzker, Hangama Amiri at P&T Knitwear Podcast Studio_FS.