Mia Kivel is a PhD candidate in the Department of History of Art. Her forthcoming dissertation, "Against Colonial Aphasia: Art in 21st-Century Ainu Moshir," examines the work of contemporary Ainu artists and the potential of their work to recenter discourse around Indigeneity in Japan from a focus on Indigenous culture to a focus on Indigenous rights. Mia is also a contributor to AinuToday, a nonprofit art, scholarship, and advocacy organization founded by Dr. Kanako Uzawa with the goal of broadening public understanding of Ainu life and expression in the present day.