My Story

Aidȳn (/īˈ-dēn/) Mancenido

Born in NYC to Filipino immigrant parents, I grew up knowing how colorful and complex life can be. I learned what it meant to be different, and what it meant to be the same. As I grew older, I discovered life was far too nuanced to be limited to just two ways of being, difference and sameness. As I traveled the world doing research, consulting and making art, I discovered the rich panoply of life’s stories, as well as my own unique place in it. I came more fully to life, as I embraced the fullness of life around me. I lived amongst Roma and immigrant feminists in Spain. I collaborated with Dakota indigenous leaders and BIPOC artists. I taught university students about identity, art, and activism. I used performance art to create new narratives of who we can be as individuals and as a community.

Through my journeys as an anthropologist, artist, advocate, mother, mentor, and community member, I witnessed the power of stories. I grew committed to honoring the diversity of stories that make up our world, and to sharing those that I am privileged to hear.

I hold a PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Virginia, and an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. I live with my family in Charlottesville, VA.