FROM TOP: Aoki Lee, Russell Simmons and Ming Lee; Russell Simmons with Victor Syng; Danny Simmons, Tangie Murray, Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Patricia Motsepa and Russell Simmons at last year’s Art For Life Benefit Gala; The room at the Art for Life Benefit Gala.

“I’ve been in and out of meetings all day,” he declares. Currently on his plate: UniRush Financial Services, which provides prepaid credit cards that allow users to build up good credit; two new clothing lines, American Classics, sold at Wal-Mart, and Argyleculture, sold at Macy’s; Simmons Jewelry Company; and globalgrind.com, his hip-hop news site. Sounds like a high-stress day, but his voice is cool and collected. His secret? “I got to see my kids, so today’s a good day.”

Indeed, daughters Aoki Lee, six, and Ming Lee, nine, are his proudest accomplishments in a lifetime of momentous achievements. And there’s no time like summer in the Hamptons for them to connect. “We just hang together,” he says. “We like to go to the beach, and to yoga—they’ve been doing it their whole lives.” Simmons’ devoted yoga practice is well known, as is his adherence to spiritual principles. His book Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success applies a spiritual foundation to business practices; it was a New York Times best seller and was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Every year in the Hamptons, Simmons flexes his charity muscles with the Art For Life garden party benefit, one of the hottest tickets of the summer, held at his East Hampton estate. The event benefits Simmons’ Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, the organization he founded with his brothers, Danny and Joseph “Reverend Run” Simmons, that connects disadvantaged youth with art programs. This year’s gala, which will take place July 18, is particularly special: It’s the event’s 10th anniversary, and its roster of chairs is appropriately distinguished, including the likes of Donna Karan, Tim Gunn, John Bartlett, Stephen Hill, Susan L. Taylor and David Tisch. Shepard Fairey is the featured artist, and the evening will include live and silent auctions of art and luxury items.

“It really is a great event,” he says. “All charities are struggling a little bit right now. When people stop giving, it’s good to remind them that just because you lost money in the market that day doesn’t mean you stop giving to the poor.” His Hamptons guests are among the most generous people in the world, which is one of the reasons he loves the area and has long made it his summer home. “It’s nice to be around people you’re partners with and friends with,” he says. “It’s a great place for charity. There are a lot of wealthy people and good organizations. People like being able to play a good role.”

“It’s a cycle of giving,” he continues. “The more you get, the more you give, so it’s humbling.” As for how his frenetic life runs so smoothly, Simmons is quick to defer the credit to others. “I have different people who run different companies,” he insists. “And I’ve found people who are smarter than me, who come to me when they need me to do something, and I do it.” Something tells us he has more to do with it than he lets on.

FORTUNATE ONE
This year’s featured artist, Shepard Fairey, donates his art in the name of education.

BACK IN 1990, when I was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, I had an assignment for which I was asked to illustrate a message inside a fortune cookie. Mine read: “To affect the quality of the day is no small achievement.” I did what I thought came naturally to me: I used art, couched in humor, to make a public statement about our local politics, and it ended up all over the local news. Looking back on that moment, I’ve come to realize that what I thought was my own instinct was really a direct result of the arts education I’d received, and the way it helped me understand the world around me.

When I think about making a difference, I ask myself, What can open people’s eyes? The Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation does just that, through programs that provide underprivileged youth with resources to not only fi nd their voices, but also to get their messages heard. They bring professional artists to public schools to teach and create art galleries, and bring students to museums and commercial galleries to see how the art world works. They also provide opportunities for underrepresented emerging artists to have their work shown in serious galleries, giving the artists a stepping-stone to the art world and the predominantly insular art world a chance to see some new perspectives.

To me arts education is really about problem solving and communication, not just making pictures. When I create an image I have to think about how my message will come across, and what people will think and feel when they see it. That analytical thought process has helped me in every aspect of my life and helped me develop the self-confi dence to express myself in myriad other ways. I have my art teachers to thank for teaching me thinking tools, as well as drawing tools, for self-expression.

Unfortunately arts programs are often the fi rst to go when school budgets get cut, and what should be a right for all kids becomes a privilege for only some. Until that changes I’ll continue to donate my artwork to Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, which auctions it at its Art For Life events each year in Miami and East Hampton. This year the proceeds from my artwork, along with that of many others, will benefi t the foundation and its endeavors in the arts. With events like these, giving really means sharing, and I hope my contribution will help to share the meaningful lessons I’ve learned from art education with thousands of kids who can benefit from it.

The 10th annual Art For Life Benefit Gala takes place on July 18 at the Simmons’ East Hampton estate. For tickets, tables or to become a sponsor, call 212-254-6677 or e-mail tdoolin@inezevents.com.