Vaimoana (Moana) Niumeitolu is an Artist (Painter/Muralist, Poet, Singer and Actress) and Educator. She was born in Nuku’alofa, Tonga; raised in Hawa’ii and Utah and is based in NYC. She is the founder of Mahina Movement, an all woman music and poetry trio who have performed on over 500 stages. Moana is the author of a poetry, performance text, and visual art chapbook, tonga provo harlem. She has been designing curriculum and facilitating education initiatives all over New York City, and has led community based art programs in Alaska, California, Utah, Texas, as well as internationally in Italy, Ireland, and South Africa. She has directed and written over 20 educational theater productions with youth including, a production being performed at Lincoln Center in New York City last year. She has completed community murals in Los Angeles, the Bronx, New Zealand, Australia, Utah, Brooklyn, and Palestine. She has been seen acting at the Metropolitan Opera and sharing her one woman show, Tongue-in Paint, which had its world premiere at Performance Space 122 in NYC. Her other production, A Prayer for Tonga, premiered at Harvard University. She graduated from New York University in painting and performance, earned the Ellen Stoekel Fellowship/full scholarship in painting & drawing from Yale University and attended Columbia University’s Graduate Program in Acting. She loves that she is getting older. Life has just begun.