Adán Huertas

I have been interested in photography since early childhood, but it wasn’t until the middle of the pandemic in 2020-2021 that I decided to teach myself how to use a camera as an excuse to escape the suffocating nature of my home during lockdown. I began by using a digital camera that I found buried in a closet, but eventually moved to film when I bought a medium format film camera. I was obsessed with the process of film—an interest that would only grow after I enrolled into an Intro to darkroom class at the College of Staten Island during my second year. With that, I was certifiably obsessed with the entire darkroom process (printing and developing) and decided to dedicate as much time as I could to this process. From then on, every photo I took would be on film, and whichever I deemed “good” would be meticulously printed on darkroom paper.

The Alice Austen House

The Alice Austen House occupies a singular position, both geographically and culturally—on the water’s edge of Staten Island’s North Shore. Once the home, studio, and muse of pioneering photographer Alice Austen, the house dates back to 1690 and is one of New York City’s historic homes. Yet it functions today not as a static historic site, but as a dynamic contemporary arts hub.

The museum celebrates queer and women’s history while breathing new life into Austen’s legacy by engaging with current artistic, social, and personal exploration. For Austen, this home, now a public park, was a radical retreat and safe haven for her and her largely queer circle of friends. That spirit of refuge and experimentation continues today. We activate the house and grounds through our Queer Ecologies Garden, deep community partnerships, and sustained support for artists, fostering the creation of new work that honors the past while speaking directly to the present.

The museum and public park have been a National LGBTQ+ landmark since 2017.

NYC Parks

NYC Parks is the steward of more than 30,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City — including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens  and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 1,800 basketball courts, 550 tennis courts, 65 public pools, 51 recreational facilities, 15 nature centers, 14 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look after 600,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City’s principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals.