NEW YORK, NY.- ProjectArt, a 501c3 nonprofit founded by CNN Hero, Adarsh Alphons, with a mission to provide arts education to children and support local creatives, has just announced its latest impressive hire. Starting November 1st, Claire Breukel, an industry leader in nonprofit and art partnership strategies, will join the New York-based company as Executive Director. ProjectArt works with libraries across America to offer free art classes to thousands of children in underserved communities. With the pandemic, the need for after-school education programs sky-rocketed and ProjectArt’s mission and scope has grown immensely as a result. With this increased demand and changing educational environment, Claire’s arrival comes at an opportune moment for the necessary growth of the organization.

“I founded ProjectArt 10 years ago to make sure children who did not have access to art education had a safe place to go—our public libraries—and be given a creative outlet through free art classes,” comments ProjectArt Founder, Adarsh Alphons. “Currently, 11 million American children are without supervision from 3-6 pm, 4 million do not receive arts education, and 280,000+ visual artists are currently unemployed. ProjectArt brings these worlds together, training artists as teachers to inspire and educate youths within these communities. Bringing an expert like Claire onboard solidifies our vision and allows us to dream even bigger.”

​​South African-born Claire Breukel first came to the U.S. through the Rubell Family Collection and took the position of Executive Director at Locust Projects, a globally renowned non-profit. She has since worked in the world of the arts and sponsorships, with tenures as a Curator of PUMA.Creative, a strategist in art partnerships for the Miami Design District, city of Bal Harbour and the Miami Downtown Development Authority, where she founded two citywide programs, Art Days and Fringe Projects. She spent 10 years with The Robert S. Wennett and Mario Cader-Frech Foundation spearheading their art program YES Contemporary and has co-produced two successful auctions, including the 2013 (RED) Auction curated by Jony Ive and Marc Newson that raised 26.2 million US in the fight against AIDS, and the (RED) auction in 2018 curated by David Adjaye and Theaster Gates, both in collaboration with Sotheby’s and Gagosian

“So often one of the first financial cuts to be made is to arts education which we witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, in the 2021 fiscal year, New York experienced a $15 million cut from the $21.5 million budget for arts education in middle and high schools—a roughly 70% reduction!” continues ProjectArt Executive Director, Claire Breukel. “ProjectArt’s role is ever more important to ensure the next generation has access to art and is encouraged to think expansively. It is an honor to join such a committed board of directors and national team, and I hope to bring energy, dedication, and my love for the impact of art to this role.”