As SHG’s Facility and Operations Manager, Nanci Ochoa Cultivates a Culture of Stewardship
By: Dani Nalangan
Photo credit: Huitzilin Reyes
Nanci Ochoa plants seeds of culture for the future.
As Self Help Graphics & Art’s Facility and Operations Manager, Ochoa is always out and about the building—find her, and you’ll be met with a warm greeting and sunny disposition. One of the first people I met coming to SHG, Ochoa made not only the facility itself comfortable, but also the work environment a welcoming one. I got the chance to sit down with her and hear her story.
Ochoa grew up in the Hollywood and West L.A. area with six brothers and sisters. With not much programming other than what the City of L.A. Parks and Recreation had to offer, she spent her days at the park, playing sports, arts and crafts, tutoring; and in the summer, swimming in the pool. Without diverse and focused programming though, there was something missing.
“But there was nothing that was really focused in the arts, there was nothing that was focused at all really. It was just kind of like open play-type scenarios. So unfortunately, I didn't get to have a lot of culture. I didn't get to have a lot of art as part of my upbringing. And so school really became my place to find any kind of, maybe freedom or some type of security and safety,” said Ochoa.
Dedicating all her time to volunteering and working at school during high school and after, Ochoa dreamt of being a teacher. But, feeling already fulfilled in the education field, she left to find more room to grow. Learn about Nanci’s story here…
Q: I was wondering, since you work in art now, do you currently have an art practice?
A: At the moment, I am starting to explore my creativity. I’m not necessarily good at anything in particular, but I dabble in a lot of things. I've started to learn how to embroider and sew. I'm also learning and practicing techniques in drawing and watercoloring. Let’s see... I write poetry, and I create multimedia collage-type work. The most consistent way I express myself is through words, whether it's poetry or some type of creative writing.
Q: I'm curious what you're interested in writing about.
A: I'm usually sharing my observations and emotions about the different things that I experience in life. A lot of times it's about love, relationships, and the growing pains that we have to go through.
Q: Do you have any particular, specific experiences that you’ve written about in the past, or any work that you are really proud of?
A: Oh, that's interesting because I have not thought about my writing in this way. A moment I should highlight is having had two of my poems published in a zine. Even though it was through a grassroots organization, the thought of having someone else resonate with my words and include it in their publication felt re affirming. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a copy of the zine. Thinking about it now, I would have liked to. The poem was talking about education and how sometimes as students, we don't necessarily get the whole picture. There's a lot of missing historical pieces that I believe if more students were made aware of during their primary school years, that our perceptions on society and each other would be very different. I received more of this information during my time in college and although I didn't graduate I spent enough time to receive a multitude of lessons that informed my current point of view about life.
“Working at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy School District for 10+ years among many things has really influenced my perspective about the importance of a welcoming environment and supportive teamwork,” said Ochoa.
Q: I think that's a really interesting perspective. Do you think that value kind of informs what you like doing career-wise, or things you've done in the past with the schools that you've worked with?
Yeah, absolutely. I would also like to mention the gratitude I feel toward the charter school that I worked at prior to arriving at SHG because the professional development opportunities were through a social justice lens and very much informed my work/personal ethic. Moreso their curriculum also had components of social justice and activism and I got to understand how planting these ideas even in the smallest of ways can trigger curiosity and shift perspectives of students and in communities. It's like planting seeds and watching them grow and sometimes not grow into these beautiful plants or flowers and in the case of the school setting its seeds of consciousness. Definitely, who I am now, and the work that I contribute to, has been impacted by those very pivotal moments of “unlearning”. As a parent, or even just as a member of society, it is this consciousness that I try to share and incorporate in my conversation with others. My intention is not to be judgmental or biased—but more so offering an opportunity to consider, “another viewpoint that maybe someone would consider as an opposition to what they think, so that we can see both sides of that same lens.” That's been the pivotal moment of unlearning I refer to and I still try to implement it in my day to day work or as a parent.
Q: I'm wondering, how old are your children?
A: I have two children. I have a ten-year-old daughter and a twelve-year-old son.
Q: So with those kinds of different perspectives, how have you found teaching that to young children?
A: It's definitely been challenging, because it's always my word versus the TV, or my word versus social media, or my word versus the other opinion. Which they can get anywhere; from their friends, their teachers, or other family members. So it's not trying to convince them that I'm right, but I'm just hoping they take my point of view into consideration. Yeah, (laughs) They're often questioning, “Well, where did you hear that?” Because I often start by saying, “Oh, I've heard or I've read,” —most often “I read” because I do read a lot—and so I'll say, “I read somewhere,” and they're like, “Oh, you read things all the time mom, what makes you believe that that's real, versus this not being real?” And so the challenge that maybe we can all relate to— how do we know what's real and what's not real? When we're constantly only shown one side of the many stories.
Q: I read in your bio on the website that one thing that you value is acknowledging and learning and keeping present indigenous traditions—like ceremonies, rituals, languages—that, you know, our committees have been forced to forget. I'm wondering more about that perspective. How did you come to really value that and why is it important to you? And also, how do you bring that value into education and your work?
A: Initially, a pivotal moment that planted a seed of interest in me was when I was eleven years old, or around that age, a friend of one of my sisters introduced me to a group out here in Boyle Heights. During that time, it was also a small organization that was trying to get its footing, and they talked about ceremony and what this means for people of color and how it connected to us as young women. That was the first introduction, and although I didn't go deep into the cultural practices it definitely sparked a curiosity in me.
A second moment for me was when I was in my later years of high school, when I had a particular teacher who has since passed away, who was adamant about displaying symbols and portraits in the classroom that represented people like me. As my first ethnic studies course I was introduced to many different authors of color and different historical figures from our communities that weren't always highlighted in other classrooms. He really inspired this curiosity of going that down a path that honored my own ancestry.
The last person who I want to attribute my connection to cultural practice is to my current partner. He gently reminded me that indigenous culture is a part of our identity and that this practice is very much alive and prevalent. What is really interesting is when I came to the conclusion that I wanted to incorporate belief and practice into my own identity; messages and certain opportunities started to present themselves. I started to find organizations, people, stories, resources online, in books, in person, that gave me the tools that I needed to begin this path of discovery. I have come to understand acknowledging ancestral wisdom is a lifelong commitment.
So what do I mean about keeping it present? Foremost I honor the language. I have had the privilege of learning the ancestral language of Nahuatl from a community of elders living in Izalco, a city in El Salvador located in the region my parents are from. In addition my children and I, through the temachtiani (teacher) at their school, have had the opportunity to learn Nahuatl from Morelos Mexico. I've chosen to give my children indigenous names using the language. For example, my son's name is Huitzilin Ehecatzin (precious hummingbird/precious wind) and my daughter's name is Tonantzin (our revered mother/mother earth). I often feel this was a radical move because a lot of people in my family and community were surprised and seemed opposed to the idea, often questioning why I would make such a choice. I personally felt like it was an important step I could take in keeping this tradition and culture present. This allows our families and those who interact with us to use Nahuatl words on a more consistent basis and through this seemingly simple practice keeping culture alive.
Another thing that I do is wear traditional fabrics that have patterns, embroidery, or images that reflect indigenous symbolism. Attempting to shine a light on the visual representation of the codices, deities/energies, and the beauty of nature. I do the same with my tattoo choice. Those are little things that I do to keep this culture present. I feel a sense of responsibility to uplift cultures that have been through the de humanizing pracitce colonization, through discrimination, and still today, have been forced to stop practicing their indigenous ceremonies or rituals.
“As a part of my process of reconnecting to indigenous practices. I honor the seasons, the moon phases, offer gratitude and prayer through ritual. In essence, I am honoring and acknowledging the belief that we are all connected, land, body, and cosmos,” said Ochoa.
As I mentioned, my family's from El Salvador, my partner's family is Mexican American, and I want my children to acknowledge the similarities and differences that lie within the many cultures that influence us living in Los Angeles. With that said I like to honor all cultures and world cultures, in my ritual practice. I have learned in my personal studies that rituals can be something as simple as a moment of gratitude, lighting incense or candles in prayer or putting together a small altar as an offering. I try to include my children when taking these small actions and hope they can see the value in this practice as it offers a sense of connection to spirit. At times life can be very challenging and different situations arise and when I do these rituals I find myself contemplative or meditative, which ultimately changes my perception of the situation. Also, as I continue to build on knowledge of these ancestral practices I feel a deep connection to my ancestors, spirit guides and myself.
Q: I really like that. I guess personally, I’m Filipino, and the more I did research about the Philippines, the more I realized that, you know, there's this whole indigenous culture that was erased because of the Spanish colonization. I grew up being Catholic, but there's a whole religion that the native islanders practiced. I'm trying my best to explore that in my life.
A: Absolutely. And even if it's like you're saying, just researching it a little bit, and the beautiful thing is that maybe not every single thing you learn resonates with you, but the things that do resonate, is what you should continue to further explore. Because that's really what you can bring into your daily life, you feel that connection to it. I feel the same way. A part of the belief system is to “honor,” our elements. In particular those that give us life energy like our sun, our wind or air, and our water because without these three things in particular— there's no existence in life. And so to further that, I'm also really adamant about taking care of our earth, where all the necessary elements of life come from. I'm an avid gardener and I try to teach the children about caring for our Earth. We not only work toward growing our own foods, but also in regenerating the soil, meaning, tending to unused soil that becomes hard dirt to the point where we can either plant seeds or watch life naturally resurface. Regenerating is something new that I have recently begun practicing as another form to retract some of the damage that has already been done. Recycling and minimizing my carbon footprint is also something that I have practiced for a long time. I’ve used public transit for many years because I believed that one less car on the road was like, less emission in the air. So little things like that I've tried to incorporate in who I am and in my daily life.
Q: So how did you find out about Self Help Graphics, and how did you get to the position you are today? I'm wondering what your path was like to work here.
A: My arrival to SHG was not necessarily a planned path. As I explained, I had worked in a charter school system, and I had been there for almost thirteen years. Unfortunately, in 2019, that moment came to an end. They had budget cuts and they had to do some layoffs. So I've known of Self Help in the past because of their Day of the Dead celebration and I've always felt that Self Help was my first introduction to the idea that art was accessible. In the past It felt intimidating to go to galleries and to museums in Los Angeles, when Self Help had exhibitions and viewing hours for the community, coming into this space didn't feel as intimidating for me. And, of course, the Day of the Dead, because SHG has been celebrating it for so many years, it's also been a point of contact to this cultural practice. Day of the Dead is something that seems to be very mainstream now, but it wasn't always. At the core of it, it's honoring our ancestors and honoring life and death, and that value itself is very true to a lot of cultures. That was also something that really caught my attention, and felt like it was a part of the pieces that kind of connected me back to this tradition.
I applied for the position through a social media post. I had been laid for over a year, it was during the pandemic, so I thought to give it a shot. The reason that the operations position was something that I was able to get to is because I had done operations at the school level. The experience that I had with the school in terms of the operations is what gave me the courage to take on the operations here at an art and culture facility. This is absolutely the first time I've worked in a space like this. I definitely have been learning a lot from the different folks that I'm working with, and I'm really grateful to Self Help, because they've also connected me to at least a couple of different people that do have experience and have mentored me to find success. I've never really planned to be an operations person, but I've been able to rise to the occasion and I feel comfortable being in this position as long as I can or as long as they'll have me. Operations basically means making sure that the facility is operable, that whoever comes into this space, whether it's a staff member, an intern, a visitor, a guest that's been here for the first time, or somebody who wants to use the space, that they all feel like there is a sense of organization and ease of use . And so for me, I feel like my contribution is to make sure that the space is welcoming and situated in a way that everybody who comes in here feels like they were successful in using the space in whatever aspect it may be.
Q: While you've been here, are there any accomplishments you've been proud of or memories that stood out to you working your role?
A: I think the biggest success that I've had is in organizing the space. There's a lot of different pieces that live in this facility and everything was kind of just everywhere.
My proudest moment, being able to organize everything and knowing where things are, knowing what we have in the building and helping to decide what can go or what can be used. It may not seem like a big deal, but it is when somebody's rushing in to grab supplies for a workshop, or if it's somebody wondering if we have equipment available for them to create their art, or having the workspace in order to do so that you can truly see what I've been able to accomplish.
Q: I’m wondering, has there been an interesting thing you found organizing the space?
A: When I see the historical documentation of SHG, including personal documents of the founders, ephemera from the past or different publications created in or about the organization itself, that's really interesting to me. And of course, just all the art that lives here is quite beautiful. I think that that's one of the most valuable things that I've seen. It really makes me feel like I belong here, when I see all the prints and the range of topics that they dive into, that it feels all of their expressions are something that I can relate to.
Q: I’m curious, in your bio you talked about your love for music and your radio station. What kind of music are you into? And why a radio station?
A: The radio station started because my partner is a DJ, and has been for quite a long time. Music has always been a part of my life, growing up, my mom and my stepfather would always have loud music playing and then think of any excuse to have a party so that they could play more music. It's interesting, you would think that it's all Spanish but they also loved new wave and disco but of course, Spanish music like cumbia and rock en español. I love all music. I'm a big fan of 90’s hip hop foremost but I'm also a fan of afrobeats, Spanish alternative, independent music,oldies, jazz and the list goes on. And so to me, music is a form of healing. When we think about the frequencies that music can emit, and the way that our bodies interpret it, sometimes it'll make us want to dance, it'll make us want to cry or it can make us feel better. That's why a radio station. The type of music that I select, can create a type of mood. Whatever that mood may be, can ultimately be a moment for healing or a moment for an emotional shift. Although, It's not my original music, I'm fairly adamant about sharing other people's expression because everybody deserves to shine. Music is just always a part of my life, and it's really important for me. Oftentimes, you'll hear me playing music in the building.
Q: So is there a website that you can listen to it on?
A: The radio station is online at beatfactoryradio.com. It is very new and still at the beginning stages. You can listen online and we play a variety of music. I love the idea that the station could be played out loud and shining a light on artists that would potentially not be heard.
Q: Within your role here at SHG or in your personal endeavors—like I also saw that you were interested in opening an online gift shop—what would you like to achieve in your career and in your interests?
A: This is a hard question for me, because I am still trying to figure it out for myself. Ultimately, what I hope for is to be self-sustainable, to be my own boss and leave some type of a generational wealth for my children. We are a creative family, my partner, myself, our children. What we hope is that our children understand that through our own work, we can find value, and can get the things that we want in life. We also hope that through our products and through our art, or through our music, that somehow somebody will find a moment of joy. So that's kind of where I want to go.
Dani Nalangan is the summer/fall Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Arts Journalism and PR Intern at Self Help Graphics & Art. She is a musician and illustrator studying Musicology and Communications at UCLA.