Staff

Npaus Baim Her

Arts & Culture Creative Placemaker

Npaus Baim Her, an educator and storyteller, is known for her work in chronicling the narratives of Asian Americans. In 2023, she spearheaded “A Reflection on Hmong Culture & Language” with Public Art St. Paul as part of the Sidewalk Poetry Workshop series. Her digital zine, “Hmong American Experiences during the Pandemic,” was published in 2022 in collaboration with the Hmong Museum.

From 2019 to 2021, Her’s works were featured in #MinneAsianStories by the Coalition of Asian American Leaders, “Staring Down the Tiger” by Pa Der Vang, and The Summit Avenue Review. Prior to these, she served as an instructor at the University of Minnesota Duluth where she taught College Writing and worked as a Writers Consultant for the Writing Workshops.

Currently, Her holds the position of arts & culture coordinator at XIA Gallery & Cafe, where she champions Asian and BIPOC artists. She recently launched SEA (Southeast Asians) Us Write & Design, a youth program aimed at nurturing the creative, entrepreneurial, and leadership abilities of Southeast Asian youth.

Email: npausbaim@aedamn.org

Ngân Huỳnh

Arts & Culture Program Coordinator Assistant

Ngân Huỳnh (she/they) is a Vietnamese illustrator-designer based in Minneapolis. Ngân graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Marketing. They are excited to join XIA Gallery in supporting artists and small businesses to ensure that they benefit from their participation in AEDA programs and activities.

“I look forward to being in connection with the local artists and working together with AEDA to successfully run the events and creative workshops at XIA. Being a young Vietnamese artist, I find the value in helping others like me in finding opportunities that help them grow their creative career. I will make sure our brandings reflect the values we are supporting here at XIA Gallery.”

Email: ngan@aedamn.org

Alex Heu

Cafe Manager

Soon to Come

Kara Thawmi

Books Manager

Kara Thawmi Bookstore Manager Born in Seoul, raised in Maplewood, MN by a German-Irish mother and Norwegian father, Kara left home to enter the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) where she earned a BFA in painting and drawing (plus took a fortuitous hand-bookbinding course). She stayed in Chicago for 19 years and moved back to MN in 2013. While in Chicago after graduating from art school, she did a string of "odd jobs" from horse-carriage driving to selling luggage to coordinating craft workshops. In 2009, Kara started making hollow books as a passion project which turned into an e-commerce side-hustle which turned into a full-time business of 13 years — kickstarted when Etsy editors noticed her product photos and featured her shop on the front page of Etsy.com. A death in the family set off a new chain of events that led to a career change into editing and layout design at a print newspaper. But the constant in Kara's winding road since her earliest memory has always been curiosity about people's stories and a strong appreciation of the written word.

Email: kara@aedamn.org