Eliaichi Kimaro is director of 9elephants productions, a company that uses art and video to bring stories of struggle, resistance and survival to a broader audience.
FILM
9elephants has produced over 80 videos for organizations working within underserved communities to address social and economic justice issues. Kimaro brings a lifetime of personal and professional experience exploring issues of culture, identity, race, class, and gender to her Award-winning directorial debut, A Lot Like You.
Kimaro toured the campus/conference lecture circuit for 10 years, engaging with communities around the world about the issues raised in her film, before distilling her keynotes into her 2016 TEDx talk, “Why the World Needs Your Story.”
Complete list of KEYNOTES/LECTURES.
ART
In 2014, painting became her primary focus. Eliaichi was selected for Center on Contemporary Art’s Artist Residency in 2017. The following year, she was the recipient of the Artist Trust Fellowship and a scholarship from the International Encaustic Association. She has received multiple grants from CityArtist, 4Culture and Artist Trust for her work in art and film. In 2020, she was awarded the McMillen Foundation Arts Fellowship. The following year, she received the Denis Diderot Grant and was the recipient of the Chateau Orquevaux International Artist Residency in France.
Eliaichi is currently a member artist at Columbia City Gallery and the Center on Contemporary Art Gallery, and a juried artist of the City of Seattle’s Ethnic Artist Roster.
ACTIVISM
From 2006-2011, Kimaro served as President of the Board at the NW Network of Bisexual, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse. Prior to joining the Board, she worked for 12 years as a community organizer and crisis counselor, supporting survivors of rape and domestic violence.
Kimaro also served on the Seattle Globalist Board of Directors, a daily online publication dedicated to elevating diverse voices through media. She was a Mentor with the Globalist Apprenticeship Program.
Kimaro was Vice President of Seattle Documentary Association, where she coordinated the Works-In-Progress program.
In addition, she has served on numerous art grant panels, film festival juries, museum exhibition planning committees, and advisory committees.
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