News
Las Vegas native Alex Allington wins Luna Strong Mural Contest
Luna Strong is excited to announce the winner of the Luna Strong Mural Contest. Alex Allington, a Las Vegas native and former LCC student, created a beautiful submission that won the hearts and votes of the LCC community.
“Luna Community College’s “Strong Resilience” contest inspired me as a result of watching my community go through the fires and then water shortages of last year,” said Allington. “In particular, I was directly involved with the evacuation of domestic homeless animals, lost animals, and animals left behind. Every day I watched the skies and I watched the people. As the skies got darker, the people got stronger. We are a community always looking towards the light.”
Alex’s father also sculpted and he was surrounded by artists at an early age. Alex grew up exploring the mesas and forests of northern New Mexico, painting its landscapes and showing them in local galleries by age 13. Alex attended Virginia Commonwealth University and graduated with a computer animation degree from The School of Communication Arts in Raleigh, NC.
Alex honed a career for himself in video game development as a digital artist across the country. However, the wonders of the land of enchantment called him home where he now resides in Las Vegas. Alex is best known for his unique tables and organic designs, which accentuate the natural beauty of woods and stones, encased in quality epoxy finishes. Each creation leads you to imagine a world embedded in the grain and wood texture. You can easily imagine landscapes and our ancestors roaming in covered wagons, tiny villages along riverbanks, or sea life from an ancient world. Or perhaps, you just feel the native beauty of the Southwest warming your home.
The mural contest arose as part of the Building Rough Rider Resilience grant. The purpose of the mural was to remind the LCC community of the resilience of the community and the strength that can come from adversity. Luna wants the mural to be a sign of hope in times of future struggles.
Luna Strong was established in September 2022 through funds from the New Mexico Higher Education Department. The NMHED mental and behavioral health initiative funded the Building Rough Rider Resilience grant in June 2022. The Feeding Rough Rider Success grant is part of New Mexico’s governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s College Food Security initiative.
Luna Strong’s mission is to shine a light and raise awareness of services currently available to the Luna community that promote the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. Luna Strong identifies areas of need, and connects students, staff, and faculty to services and support to address those needs.
The mural will be located in the Student Services building on the wall between the boardroom and registrar’s office.