There’s nothing like spending an evening in a room of Born Free supporters and wildlife enthusiasts!
Having just completed my work in Veracruz, Mexico at the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, last Friday I flew straight to New York for our annual Art for Conservation event at the terrific Taglialatella Galleries in Chelsea. [teaserbreak]
Guests viewed beautiful artwork from famous street artists, such as Banksy and Swoon, internationally renowned artists such as Lichtenstein (one of my daughter’s favorites)… and then we auctioned off a well-known Miro piece. Attendees especially loved the artwork painted by a few of the monkeys at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary, which fetched a few hundred dollars apiece: art made by monkeys to benefit monkeys!
Our guests helped us raise more than $9,000, which we’ll use to build a new transition enclosure for the monkeys we give a home to in Texas. And, while the money we raised will help the primates, everyone in attendance got to hear about Born Free’s global work to save lions, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, and so many other species in need.
Thank you to all the contributors – the bidders in our live auction (wonderfully shepherded by Katelyn Norris of Christie’s auction house), the bidders in our silent auction (including our own Public Relations consultant, Rodi Rosensweig), and the donors who simply slipped checks and cash in our donation box for the animals!
Thank you to Christie’s, This Chick Bakes, Taglialatella Galleries, Guitar Center, Cruelty Free NYU, Born Free USA board member Jessica Nelson, and staff member Hannah Shaw for all of their donated goods, time, space, and energy!
And, a personal thanks to Brian Gaisford of New York’s Hemingway African Gallery, who donated two items, including the three foot tall ironwood giraffe that now resides in my Washington, DC Born Free USA office!
Already looking forward to seeing everyone next year…
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Adam