Aja Edwin Mujinga

Aja Edwin Mujinga is a Research Fellow in Contemporary Art at the Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin, and a PhD candidate in Art History. Her research focuses on Modern and Contemporary Art of the African Diaspora, particularly its intersections with Contemporary Indigenous Art and Theory, alongside Queer and Gender Studies and Postcolonial and Decolonial Theory. She previously served as an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Montana Western for three years before pursuing her doctoral studies.

Education includes:

• MA in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin
• MFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin
• BA in Postcolonial and Diaspora Literature from Sarah Lawrence College

Her research interests are centered on the Art of the African Diaspora and its intersections with Contemporary Indigenous Art and Theory. She explores topics in Queer and Gender Studies, emphasizing how these disciplines inform postcolonial and decolonial frameworks. Aja’s work critically engages with issues of representation, identity, and cultural memory in modern and contemporary art practices.

Aja has received the prestigious 2021–2022 Mellon Fellowship in Contemporary Art at the Blanton Museum of Art, which supports her research and curatorial activities. She also contributed as a guest editor for the Mid-American Print Council Journal, highlighting her role in scholarly dissemination.

While currently focused on her doctoral research, Aja has prior experience in academic advising and teaching as an Assistant Professor. No current grants or active advising roles are explicitly listed. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges art historical analysis with critical theory, particularly through her dissertation on Firelei Báez framed by the concept of “survivance” in Indigenous studies.