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Adarsh Alphons (born on July 4, 1984) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and artist, most notable for founding ProjectArt [2], an organization that brings creative education – specifically art classes to youth, due to the massive slashing of arts education funding in public schools. As of 2017, ProjectArt is the largest free art school for kids in the US, without owning a single building [3] [1]. He is a CNN Hero [4] [2] and is among 50 Biggest Philanthropists in the World (Town and Country) along with Bill Gates, Tim Cook and George Lucas [5] [3]. He is a Columbia University Community Scholar [6] [4]. He was a prolific artist in his childhood years and among others, painted for Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela [5]. In 2018, he founded Wardrobe, a New York-based FashionTech company based on the Sharing Economy and sustainable fashion.


Adarsh Alphons
Born (1984-07-04) July 4, 1984 (age 40)
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, Educator, Artist
Years active2011- present
Known forFounder at ProjectArt
Websitehttps://projectart.org

Early life and Family

Adarsh Alphons is born on July 4, 1984 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India and grew up in New Delhi, India. He was expelled at the age of 7 from elementary school for drawing in class, but by the time he was 15, he was a celebrated artist, painting portraits for, among others - Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and The Pope. He's the son of Alphons Kannanthanam, an anti-corruption crusader and politician currently serving as the Union Minister for Tourism for India, in office since 3 September 2017 under the B.J.P. Government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His father’s strong anti-corruption stance put the family under constant threat and uncertainty in the 90’s and his mother, Sheela Alphons was attacked and hospitalized with an injury to the head. He has a brother named Akash Alphons, based in London.

Artist

"Painting, it's more than a hobby and it really saved my life - stated Adarsh Alphons.[6]. In 1996, he created "Mother's Golden Hands", a painting he did based on his encounter with Mother Teresa. The painting focuses on her hands rather than her face, as, for Alphons, it’s the action that matters. The painting was sold in London during his Alphons's global exhibition in 1999. He was commissioned by the Vatican to create a second rendition of the painting, retitled "Bharat's Golden Hands" as a backdrop for Pope John Paul II’s visit and Holy Mass in New Delhi [7].

Education

Alphons got his BFA in 2006 from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Alphons attended Boston University and got his MS in Arts Administration in 2007 from there. In 2014, he was made a Community Scholar at Columbia University, where he focused on Economics, in particular Game Theory and in that, Non-Zero Sum Games [8]. At the conclusion of his time at Columbia University, he was invited to lecture at the Faculty Hall for their Speaker Series [7].

ProjectArt

ProjectArt was founded by Alphons in 2011 with nothing more than a bag full of art supplies and a borrowed office space in Harlem. Having personally experienced the power of art and its role during his childhood, and realizing that children in his Harlem neighborhood, were denied the same access, he began the organization. Research supported his work – over 4 million children in the US currently do not receive any access to arts education and less than 1 in 5 American kids receive attend after-school programs. After experimenting various models, Alphons decided to form partnerships with public libraries and trade space for programming. In 2012, he taught his first class in NYC with 10 Students and a Harlem library (Hamilton Library). His classes were so popular and over-enrolled that he needed to quickly expand. In 2013, he added additional classes at the library and expanded to Brooklyn. In 2014 and 2015, ProjectArt expanded to The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island, officially covering all of NYC’s 5 boroughs. In 2016, the organization expanded to library systems in Miami and Detroit. And in 2017, further expanded to LA, Chicago and Pittsburgh, making ProjectArt coast-to-coast and by far, the largest arts school in the US, all without investing in brick and mortar. ProjectArt is now in 43 libraries in six cities [8].

Impact

In 2011, ProjectArt was founded in hopes of reaching as many of those kids as possible. Its goal is to unleash the creative power in every child and change the way the world values art education by bringing art into their lives, able to seismically change things from self-esteem to scores and attendance in school. It's using art as a way to emotionally develop children and try to give them tools that help them get out of poverty. Currently, the organization serves thousands of children every week. The program has the ability to attract and bring youth into libraries as 57% of students are first-time library goers, even though they reside in the neighborhood where the library is located. Increase in self-esteem as 81% of its students say that participating in a ProjectArt class increased their self-esteem. Personal importance as 91% of our students say art is important to their life. Taking advantage of library’s services as 54% of students end up enrolling in other services/ programs at the library, such as story-time, homework help and computer classes. ProjectArt work has been recognized and funded by institutions such as The Rockefeller Foundation, Knight Foundation, Nickelodeon, Matisse Foundation, NFL and Goldman Sachs Gives.

Philanthropy & Awards

In 2015, Alphons was chosen as amongst 50 biggest philanthropists in the world along with Bill Gates, Tim Cook and George Lucas.. [9] In 2015, Alphons was made CNN Hero.. [10] Later that year, he was selected a 40 Under 40 in Art Business the US by Apollo Magazine. Then next year, he was chosen as a Global 40 Under 40 by Apollo Magazine.[11] In 2014, he was invited to be amongst a group of 25 Emerging Innovators by Ashoka and American Express. Later that year, Alphons was awarded "PAVE Rising Star 2014". Among his other accomplishments, Alphons was made Community Scholar at Columbia University.[12] In 2011, Alphons was featured by NY1 News as the New Yoker of the week.[13]

Wardrobe

Alphons founded Wardrobe in 2018, a mobile peer-to-peer marketplace for the rental of apparel and accessories.

See Also

1. Adarsh,The portrait of a young artist, October 30,1999 2. ,YOUNG INDIAN'S GOT INGENUITY,Friday, June 18, 1999 3. NY1's New Yorker of the Week,ProjectArt- Adarsh 4. Art program turns New York Public Libaries into studios for young students uptown,JUL 19, 2013 5. CNN Hero,Art pioneer once expelled for doodling,May 28, 2015 6. 50 Biggest Philanthropists of the World,April 7,2015 7. Wall Street Journal,2016 8. 2017 BROCK PRIZE NOMINEES,Brock International Prize Nominee,2017 9. innovative step towards closing that gap,Apollo 40 Under 40 USA,2017 10. Apollo 40 Under 40 Global,33 | Founder and Executive Director, ProjectArt, New York, USA,7 SEPTEMBER 2017 11. Columbia University Community Scholar,|Community Scholar Adarsh Alphons: From Teaching Kids Art to Creating a National Nonprofit Arts Organization|,School of Professional Studies, Oct 10, 2017 12. Despite being kicked out of school at age seven for drawing in class, Adarsh Alphons ’06 says that art saved his life, Today, the founder and executive director of ProjectArt now leads his team with a goal to give kids from under-served areas across the U.S. a safe space to create,MICA,2018 13. ,Colourful vignettes to adorn Pope's High Mass,November 6, 1999 14. Paul II’s special love for India 15. ,Heart to art approach,Friday, Aug 08, 2003 16. ,Haute Event: Adarsh Alphons Projects Hosts First Gala with CNN’s Soledad O’Brien in Attendance,BY BENJAMIN-EMILE LE HAY|NEWS|NOVEMBER 1, 2011 17. ,The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS ,ProjectArt Brings Art Education to Children,2011 18. ,Adarsh Alphons rented some office space in Harlem and launched ProjectArt,2014 19. An exclusive interview with Adarsh Alphons, acclaimed artist and founder of ProjectArt,An exclusive interview with Adarsh Alphons, acclaimed artist and founder of ProjectArt,2015 20. ,Indian Americans Adarsh Alphons, Reshma Saujani, Shaila Ittycheria among 50 biggest philanthropists of 2015 21. ,ProjectArt Brings Arts Education to NYC Kids Who Need It Most, June 3,2015 22. A Stroke Of Genius Is Bringing Free Arts Programs To Kids Nationwide, October 28, 2016 23. America's Largest Free Art School Is Spreading Creativity from Coast to Coast, Setting up shop in public libraries, ProjectArt is on the rise, By Rachel Hurn on September 19, 2017 24. Artworld Talk | Artist Commissions and Sustainability, December 10, 2017 25. Alphons, Founder And Executive Director Of ProjectArt,2017

Reference

  1. ^ The Entrepreneurial Spirit Behind ProjectArt, 2015
  2. ^ CNN Hero, May 28, 2015
  3. ^ 50 Biggest Philanthropists of the World, among Bill Gates, Tim Cook etc, April 7, 2015
  4. ^ Columbia University Community Scholar, October 10, 2017
  5. ^ Early years: Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Pope, October 30, 1999
  6. ^ Adarsh Alphons ’06 says that art saved his life, 2018
  7. ^ John Paul II’s special love for India, April 29,2018
  8. ^ Columbia University Community Scholar,|Community Scholar Adarsh Alphons, Oct 10, 2017
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ Honored as CNN Hero, 2015
  11. ^ Global 40 under 40
  12. ^ Community Scholar of Columbia University, 2017
  13. ^ NY1 news as New Yoker of the week, 2011
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