Jamaican-American, b. 1961
For over three decades, Arthur Simms has developed a singular approach to assemblage, producing a prolific body of sculpture, as well as dimensional paintings and works on paper. Simms was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1961 and emigrated to Brooklyn, New York in 1969 with his family when he was 7 years old. He received his Master’s Degree in Fine Arts (1993) and Bachelor of Arts (1987) from Brooklyn College.
Simms is the recipient of many prestigious grants and awards including the Irving Sandler Prize from the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program (2022); The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (2007); The American Academy of Arts and Letters Award (2006); The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (1999/2000); Prix de Rome (2002/2003); The Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant (1997) among many others. He is Program Director and Professor of the Arts at CUNY, LaGuardia Community College, New York. Simms serves on the Board of Directors of MacDowell, Peterborough, NH, and the Board of Governors of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME.
Recent solo exhibitions include, And I Say, Brother Had A Very Good Day, One Halo, Martos Gallery, New York (2021); Throughline, Shoot the Lobster, New York (2019). Numerous national and international exhibitions include the Kingston Biennial in Jamaica (2022). Simms represented Jamaica in the 49th Venice Biennial in 2001. His work will be featured in Mettere Al Mondo at the Thomas Dane Gallery in Napoli, Italy in October 2022.
Simms is the recipient of many prestigious grants and awards including the Irving Sandler Prize from the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program (2022); The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (2007); The American Academy of Arts and Letters Award (2006); The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (1999/2000); Prix de Rome (2002/2003); The Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant (1997) among many others. He is Program Director and Professor of the Arts at CUNY, LaGuardia Community College, New York. Simms serves on the Board of Directors of MacDowell, Peterborough, NH, and the Board of Governors of the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME.
Recent solo exhibitions include, And I Say, Brother Had A Very Good Day, One Halo, Martos Gallery, New York (2021); Throughline, Shoot the Lobster, New York (2019). Numerous national and international exhibitions include the Kingston Biennial in Jamaica (2022). Simms represented Jamaica in the 49th Venice Biennial in 2001. His work will be featured in Mettere Al Mondo at the Thomas Dane Gallery in Napoli, Italy in October 2022.
