Namasha Schelling is the Executive Director of the African Rainforest Conservancy (ARC). After organizing the 24th Annual Artists for Africa event this year for the first time, she reflects on her experiences and accomplishments.

What is your favorite part of the Artists for Africa event?

This was my first time running the event. My favorite part was the incredibly positive energy I got from all the guests. They were so pumped to be there and support the ARC! I was moved to hear how interested they are in environmental issues and in helping us achieve our goals. I am the only employee at the ARC and work mostly alone from home, so to get all this constructive feedback in one night, made it so worthwhile!

How much was raised this year?

This year we raised a total of $136,493.04. This is less than we raised last year, but we were without an executive director for a few months last year, and we are really trying to reinvent ourselves, which takes some time.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next year with the money that was raised?

This year we will send $50K of unrestricted funding to the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG). This unrestricted funding allows the TFCG:
• Security and stability that can be leveraged 10 to 20 times; used as matching funding against larger grants
• Resources to bring in professional grant writers to access large grants
• To retain staff who excel, even when project funding ends
• To maintain a presence in sensitive areas between project cycles
• To respond to opportunities and critical situations as they arise
• To remain true to its mission even when these differ from current funding ‘trends’
• To try new approaches more experimental than large donors are ready to finance

Who attended this event?

We had a total of 150 people come to the event. They included, Nicole Miller, our host, Emily Mortimer, our Mistress of Ceremonies, Andrew Sabin, the New Species Award winner, our Board Members, Beth O’Donnell, Carter Coleman, and David Yamner, our Junior Board members, and many, many more…

Who received the New Species Award? Why?

We awarded the New Species Award to Andrew Sabin, a New York businessman involved in precious metals worldwide, whose true passion is the preservation of the environment. He is the president of the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors of the Turtle Conservancy. His fieldwork and grants to save turtles, tortoises, salamanders, frogs, and snakes make him one of the eco-warriors out there worthy of recognition!

Which was your favorite piece of art from this year’s event? Why?

When I actually hung the pieces up on the walls at Tribeca Rooftop, I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful all the pieces were; up until then I had only seen the jpeg images that were sent to me by each artist. My favorite piece was the Skeleton Man by Gerald Forster (see featured image). The piece had a certain haunting quality that I particularly liked.

Who were the artists featured? What kind of work do they do?

We had 27 pieces of art and 24 artists participate in this year’s Artists for Africa event. The work ranges from photography to aerosol to acrylic to silkscreen to a poster. We also had two handbags donated and one piece of jewelry. What is so amazing about this is that some of the artists have been donating pieces to this event for the last 24 years! Their commitment is what makes this event so successful.

Overall how do you feel the event went this year?

I was a nervous wreck leading up to this event! It was much more work than I expected. But I learnt so much from this one event and it was such a pleasure to interact with all the artists and guests that have been participating in this event the last 24 years. It really helped me understand who our supporters are, what we have achieved in the past, and what we can still achieve. I look forward to the 25th Anniversary of the Artists for Africa event and implementing all I learnt last year to make it the most successful event we have had so far!

*You can win tickets to next year’s Artists for Africa event by becoming a monthly donor.*