BIOGRAPHY:

Leslie Clark, founder of the Nomad Foundation, is an artist whose career has always included travel. After a master of fine arts degree from George Washington University, she traveled to France for her first exhibition. In 1993 she traveled to Niger in search exotic subject matter. She found that and alot more. Ms. Clark met and supported the Wodaabe nomads. She realized that relatively small sums of money could transform a family's life and she could make a difference. In 1997, she opened the Nomad Gallery in Ojai to show her paintings of Africa along with the work of African artisans. Through the creation of the Nomad Foundation, she has sought to preserve the artistic and cultural traditions of these nomadic families. She organized cultural exchanges, bringing African musicians to the U.S. to promote awareness of the beauty of their art forms and music. Today, projects include nomadic schools, wells, women's co-operatives, microcredit, cereal banks, health and nutritional programs. In 2004, she started Nomad Adventures, Inc. to bring employment to her Tuareg partners, to take humanitarian expeditions to visit and benefit the projects and to share the beauty of the cultures and landscapes of the Sahara Desert. As a member of the Ojai Rotary, she continues her work, bettering the lives of these people.

 

 

 

 

MENTOR:

Rotarian Bret Bradigan

Rotary Club of Ojai