ABOUT / CONTACT

Shorty Bio:

Mia Park is a multi-dimensional, Korean American artist based in Chicago, IL. Mia’s upbeat energy fuels her multiverse of community engagement. She functions as a grassroots eco-system of projects that connect people as a taiji, yoga, and acting teacher, an actor, a producer, and as a Patient Care Tech in nursing school in Chicago.IL. Boundless enthusiasm binds them all.

Highlights of advocating for Asian American representation include founding the non-profit arts group APIDA Arts, which produced the largest Asian, Pacific Island, Desi American arts festival in the Midwest; drumming in the female rock band, Kim; founding Our Perspective: Asian American Plays; producing Let Me Tell You: Stories of Asian American Authenticity; MCing ROAR Story Slam by KoreanAmericanStory.org; and producing an Asian American music series at Old Town School of Folk Music.

Mia believes that with self-awareness, a life of purpose can be lived. Her passion for teaching taiji, meditation, and yoga is to support inner development and transformation. She co-owns the school Taiji in Chicago and is also in nursing school.

As one of the first Asian American adjunct professors in The Theatre School at DePaul University and at Second City Chicago, Mia is committed to authentic representation by teaching with her whole self.

Longer Bio:

Mia has been featured on ABC's "Asian Influences" and NBC's "Making a Difference" as an influencer and outstanding community member in Chicago.

Mia has professionally acted since 1997 and teaches in The Theatre School at DePaul University as well as Second City Chicago. TV highlights include Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Shameless, BOSS, APB, Empire, Saturdays, and hosting the cult favorite, Chic-A-Go-Go! dance show with puppet Ratso. Film highlights include The Other Guys, The Lakehouse. Theatre highlights include Goodman, Court, Jackelope, Silk Road Rising. Mia connects to acting as a way to discover deeper parts of herself, while helping audiences experience themselves, as well. 

Mia is also passionate about teaching yoga and taiji to help people balance their health and wholeness by deepening a connection to their inner self. She has offered free, online yoga nidra conscious relaxation classes for years and has volunteered as a pre-natal yoga therapist at Cook County jail for over a decade. She has taught yoga in a Tantric lineage since 2006 and teaches taiji in the lineage of Patrick Kelly at the school she co-runs, Taiji in Chicago.

As a producer, Mia produced the largest APIDA arts festival in the Midwest in 2023. She also received a grant from the City of Chicago to produce "Let Me Tell You: Stories of Asian American Authenticity". She also founded and produces the theatre group, "Our Perspective: Asian American Plays" and has staged dozens of performances and events that highlight Asian American theatre artists including playwrights, directors, and actors. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Mia conducted live, online interviews with almost 100 people from around the world about their internal responses to outside pressures in her series, “In Response: Interviews with Intriguing Internalizers”.

For decades, Mia has been an advocate for Asian American representation. In 2022, she founded the non-profit arts group APIDA Arts, which produced the largest Asian, Pacific Island, Desi American arts festival in the Midwest. Sher currently serves as Executive Director. She also founded Chicago's only Asian American female rock band, "KIM" and booked AAPI music at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music. Mia works for representation in the theatre world with her theatre group Our Perspective, has served on the Jeff Committee, produced the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists National Theatre Conference and Festival, and organized Meetup groups to support Asian American performances. In the civic world, Mia works with and donates to several Chicago-based Asian American organizations such as HANA Center, KAN-WIN, the Korean Consulate, the Asian American Coalition of Chicago, and more.

Mia has played music in over a dozen bands in Chicago since the '90's, mostly as a rock drummer. Her favorite moments include trailblazing with the Asian American female trio "KIM", playing in the Asian in Rock tour, and drumming with the Miyumi Big Band project at the Chicago Jazz Festival.


In addition to volunteering in Cook County jail since 2010, Mia is a Domestic Violence Advocate and has volunteered at the gender-based violence prevention organization, KAN-WIN, for over twenty years. She also volunteers at a food pantry and is a Certified Nurse Assistant.

Mia has boundless energy and enthusiasm and chooses how to live by doing what gives her life. She is dedicated to supporting others to do the same. You can support Mia by becoming a patron at Patreon.com/MiaPark