Alex joined The LP team as our Programs Associate in December 2022. Get to know more about him!
In what neighborhood do you live?
Elmhurst, Queens!
How did you first become connected to The LP, or hear about The LP?
I first heard about The LP during a discussion with my book club. We were reading the book Museums as Agents of Change: A Guide to Becoming a Changemaker. (Non-)Coincidentally, the last chapter of the book was named after and focused on The LP’s foundational value: Propelled by Love. What I read rocked my world and made me an instant fan of The LP!
So, what attracted you to The LP? How does working here relate to your professional goals?
I’m absolutely in love with how The LP manifests its intimately crafted values and principles! This is the only arts organization I know of which embraces community at every level of its practice. Working at The LP is a chance to both serve communities of color and co-create a thriving present where art is a catalyst for collective care, locally and globally.
Do you have your own creative practice? If so, tell us more!
Honestly, I’m more of a serial hobbyist than an artist. I’ve dabbled in everything from playing the saxophone to singing, sword dancing, creative coding, poetry, and photography. Lately, I’ve been thinking about studying either salsa dancing or ceramics as my next artistic foray. Making art is how I like to experience and share joy!
Can you tell us about an artist or project that has inspired you?
Recently, I’ve found inspiration through the works of Kent Monkman and Xaviera Simmons. In the summer, I had a chance to view History is Painted by The Victors at the Denver Museum of Art—a painting which reverses the artistic gaze by having Monkman’s alter ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle look at a European person in a critique of historical perspective. Closer to home, I also just viewed Xaviera Simmons’ newest exhibit at the Queens Museum, Crisis Makes a Book Club. The exhibit is a powerful meditation on how the construction of empire and institutional oppression are, amongst many other factors, maintained by false gestures for liberation. How much longer can we stare blankly at history and read the literature of the oppressed without genuine action? Each of these artists inspire me to ask questions, listen, reflect, and move with intention.
What is your favorite… film? …album? …food?
It’s hard to say! I have a rotating list of favorites that change frequently. Here’s my current top three for each category. Films: The Mark of Zorro (1940), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Albums: Freedom Is Free (2017) by Chicano Batman, 85 to Africa (2019) by Jidenna, Ita (2021) by Bobby Sanchez Food: Lomo Saltado, Pancit Palabok, Nasi Bungkus
Where do you do your laundry?
At the 24 hour laundromat two blocks away from my apartment.
In your opinion, why does art matter?
Art is alive. It is an act of drawing upon inspiration to infuse life with energy, a materialization of personal, collective, and cosmic imagination. The arts matter because art exists at the nexus of daily life. Whether we’re talking about the creation of a master painting or someone singing karaoke on a Friday night, the arts allow us to connect better with ourselves and each other.
What LP value do you most related to and why?
Most definitely, the value of writing our own histories. History is power and serves as a repository for the knowledge, cultures, and imaginations of a people. Our ability to shape the present begins with agency rooted in knowledge of how we came to be and the futures we hope to embody. As a person of color, I’ve often had to navigate around silences and omissions woven into the stories of my communities. I view our collective capacity to remember and speak out as an essential step toward liberation and social change.
Alexander “Alex” Huaylinos is an arts administrator, cultural worker, scholar, and educator. He is a passionate advocate for paid internships, radical education, and multivocal narratives in museums and the arts at large. Prior to The LP, Alex worked in the Marketing, Communications, and Advocacy department at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts while providing critical support to the institution’s Internships and Venue Sales teams. He holds a B.A. in Anthropological Archaeology from CUNY with complementary training in Ecology and Data Analysis. Outside of work, Alex enjoys volunteering for community projects, reading BIPOC authored literature, museum hopping, and playing pool.