Munira joined The LP team as our Director of Development & External Affairs this month. Get to know more about her!
In what neighborhood do you live?
Lower Manhattan
How did you first become connected to The LP, or hear about The LP?
I was introduced to The LP during my time at A Blade of Grass when I attended the 2013 Creative Time Summit with my colleagues. There, I had the privilege of experiencing Risë Wilson moderating a conversation on placemaking and gentrification in Brooklyn. To this day, I am deeply moved by the impact of her words when she challenged the audience to acknowledge our complicity in perpetuating systemic racism and urged us to reflect on how much we are willing to sacrifice for equity.
So, what attracted you to The LP? How does working here relate to your professional goals?
For me, my profession is my activism and politics is always personal. Because of the intertwined nature of possessing a livelihood that is in harmony with my whole self, I have long admired The LP for how they embody a set of explicit institutional values––many of which I share on a deeply personal level. These values, which include coming from a place of love and abundance and honoring the power of storytelling, require intentionality, reciprocity, and reflection. I am excited to participate in this practice with my new colleagues and to grow from it. In return, I offer my expertise and perspective in support of LP’s mission.
Do you have your own creative practice? If so, tell us more!
Recently, I have discovered a love for storytelling and reading out loud to children! My interpretation of Hagrid may sound like a pirate, but that doesn’t stop me from having fun.
What is your favorite film?…album?…food?
I’m hard pressed to pick favorites, but a movie I feel like was made just for me is Sorry to Bother You; when I listen to Coltrane’s Lush Life I feel chills; and I can eat my mom’s samosas day in and day out.
Where do you do your laundry?
At home, sometimes in a salad spinner, usually in our washer and dryer.
In your opinion, why does art matter?
Art is the manifestation of ideas. It reflects back to us all that we are and could be.
What LP value do you most related to and why?
I have always been in awe of practicing abundance and the transformational impact it could have on a personal and societal level. It’s a value I hope to impart on my son, despite the hyper-capitalist and individualistic context we live in.
Munira Khapra-Reininger supports organizations by telling their story and rallying support in innovative ways. She brings rich experience from serving as senior leadership for values-driven cultural institutions, including Eyebeam, Creative Time, and Queens Museum. As a consultant, she supports fundraising, communications, and strategic planning for clients who have included the late, great Wayne Shorter, National Sawdust, The Trust for Governors Island, Leslie-Lohman Museum, and Data & Society. Munira is committed to dismantling racism, a core value recognized by artist-activists who tap her expertise in the production of new works. Currently, she holds advisory roles at The Center for Artistic Inquiry and Reporting and an inclusive family center soon to open in Lower Manhattan.