On any given Saturday morning on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Betsy Nilan-Sakakini could be found with a croissant in one hand and a paintbrush in the other—an artist at heart, a competitive athlete by training, and a fundraiser by profession.
Cambridge in America’s 25th Anniversary, happening this year, created an opportunity for Nilan-Sakakini to bridge two of her passions: her dedication to supporting Cambridge as a CAm fundraiser and her love for the creative arts. “For as long as I can possibly remember, I have loved the arts and was always taking art classes.” But it wasn’t until she and her husband moved to New York City nearly eight years ago that she became more deeply immersed in her practice, learning to paint portraits at the Art Students League of New York.
“A lot of gifted, famous artists have painted and taught at the Art Students League. So, I started taking weekly classes. Every Saturday there’d be an oil painting class. I’d start at 9 am, bring my croissant, black coffee, and headphones and paint for the whole morning,” she recalls.
The training coaxed her talent into full bloom. After creating custom-painted stationery for her sister’s wedding, menus for dinner parties, and posting some of her portraits and other works on Instagram, it became clear that she’d found a fan base and a market. Nilan-Sakakini’s love for making art has made her a sought-after freelance illustrator.
Diligence and creativity serve her well. As an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, majoring in anthropology and women’s studies, she rowed competitively. As captain, she led her team to an NCAA Championship. When she graduated, she landed a prestigious UK teaching fellowship at Bryanston School, where she taught a “handful of subjects,” including physics and coached the rowing team. She felt an immediate affinity for the UK.
“I was able to see firsthand what UK culture was like and see the beauty of the countryside. So, when the opportunity at Cambridge in America came, well this is just the most perfect thing in the world,” said Nilan-Sakakini.
When CAm asked Nilan-Sakakini to bring her unique talent for painting and drawing to a project celebrating CAm’s 25th anniversary, her answer was a resounding yes.
“I was super excited, because obviously, I love Cambridge,” said Nilan-Sakakini. What followed was a process that produced a panoramic portrait, mixing iconic features of Cambridge and its Colleges, blended with imagery of the US and Canada. Beautiful, whimsical, cinematic, this is Nilan-Sakakini’s watercolor vision of Cambridge in America.
Nilan-Sakakini knew right away that punting boats needed a place in the painting, as did weeping willows, ducks, and swans. “Even the cows are in there and, of course, you have to have bikes,” she said.
“The Mathematical Bridge is represented, showing the bridge between the US and Cambridge. CAm is the bridge from Cambridge to the US and Canada and that’s what we’re really proud of.”