Xaviera Simmons facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Xaviera Simmons
Artist Xaviera Simmons
Born	New York, New York, U.S.
Education	Bard College
Known for	Photography Conceptual art Painting Sculpture Performance Installation art
Movement	Contemporary Art, Conceptual Art
Awards	The Charles Flint Kellogg Award in Arts and Letters from Bard College, Socrates Sculpture Park Artist Award, Agnes Gund’s Art for Justice Award, Denniston Hills’ Distinguished Performance Artist Award, Louis Comfort Tiffany Memorial Foundation Award, David C. Driskell Prize
Patron(s)	Agnes Gund

Xaviera Simmons is an American contemporary artist. This means she creates art in our modern times. She uses many different ways to make art. These include photography, performance, painting, video, sound art, sculpture, and installation.

Simmons is known for art that explores ideas and politics. Her art often looks at how we experience things. It also explores memory, abstract ideas, and history. She believes her art practice is like a cycle, not a straight line. This means she might focus on photography for a while. Then she might switch to performance, or video, or sound art. She keeps her art fresh by always trying new things.

About Xaviera Simmons

Early Life and Education

Xaviera Simmons grew up in New York City. Her parent practiced Buddhism, and she was raised in a very creative home. She has often talked about growing up with both Buddhist teachings and attending different Black Church services.

As a child, Simmons often traveled to Bangor, Maine. This mix of city life and rural Maine helped shape many of her art ideas. She has also shared that her family history includes both Black American enslaved people, European colonizers, and Indigenous people. This came about through chattel slavery.

Simmons studied at Bard College, earning her BFA degree in 2004. She learned from famous photographers like An-My Lê and Stephen Shore. In 2005, she also completed a program at the Whitney Museum of American Art. At the same time, she trained as an actor.

Simmons has taught art at important universities. These include Harvard University, Yale University, and Columbia University. She has worked with David Castillo Gallery since 2010.

Artworks and Exhibitions

Xaviera Simmons' art has been shown in many places. Her work has been seen in museums across the United States and other countries. Some of these museums include the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

In 2008, the Public Art Fund asked Simmons to create a special project. It was called Bronx as Studio. For three weeks, she used the streets of the Bronx as an art space. She set up sidewalk games, took portraits, and created performance art. People walking by could join in activities like hopscotch and chess. Simmons provided props and backgrounds. All the activities were recorded. Participants received color portraits of themselves. This helped them feel part of the creative process.

In 2010, the Nasher Museum of Art asked Simmons to create a music album. It was inspired by the landscapes and history of North Carolina. Simmons took photographs and sent them to musician friends. These friends then wrote music based on her images. This project led to her album "Thundersnow Road," released in 2010. Famous musicians like Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Mac McCaughan of Superchunk worked on the album.

Simmons also took part in the Artists Experiment series at the Museum of Modern Art in 2013. She explored the museum's own history. She found examples of political actions shown through art.

In 2016, Simmons had a big exhibition called Coded at The Kitchen. For this show, she also created a performance. It used old materials to explore queer history and Jamaican dancehall culture.

In 2018, Simmons created a public art piece in Hunter's Point South Park in Queens, New York. The artwork, called Convene, featured upside-down canoes. They were painted in the colors of flags from different immigrant groups living in the area.

In 2019, Simmons wrote an article for The Art Newspaper. It was about how art culture needs to change. She also decided not to be a speaker at a festival called IdeasCity Bronx. This happened after local organizers in the Bronx raised concerns about the event.

In 2021, Simmons' art was part of a group show. It was called Polyphonic: Celebrating PAMM's Fund for African American Art. This show at the Pérez Art Museum Miami featured artists whose work was bought through a special fund. Other artists in the show included Faith Ringgold and Romare Bearden.

Simmons started a project called Reading Work (www.readingworkstudio.com). This project paid hundreds of people across the U.S. to read and make art. The Ford Foundation helped fund this project. Simmons says this project is ongoing and continues to grow.

In 2022, the Queens Museum asked Simmons to create a special exhibition. It was titled "Crisis Makes a Book Club." This name came from a conversation Simmons had with artist Michael Rakowitz. The exhibition received great reviews, including in The New York Times.

After the show closed, Simmons had a disagreement with The Queens Museum. She felt they used her large artwork "Align" for another show without her permission. Simmons is a strong supporter of artists' rights.

In 2025, Simmons photographed her friend Tunde Adebimpe for his album "Thee Black Boltz." Adebimpe had previously sung on Simmons' album, "Thundersnow Road."

Permanent Public Artworks

• 2025: Marshall L. Davis Sr. African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, Miami-Dade County

Art in Museum Collections

Simmons' art is part of many important museum collections. Some of these include:

• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago
• Guggenheim Museum, New York
• The High Museum of Art, Atlanta
• The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, North Carolina
• The Rubell Museum, Miami
• UBS Art Collection, New York
• The Studio Museum, Harlem
• Weatherspoon Art Museum, North Carolina
• The Agnes Gund Art Collection
• Deutsche Bank, New York
• Soho House, New York City, Rome, DC
• Pérez Art Museum Miami, Florida
• The Museum of Modern Art, New York
• the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
• the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
• the Rubell Family Collection, Miami, Florida
• the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
• Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
• Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, Florida
• Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami, Florida
• the de la Cruz Collection, Miami, Florida
• the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts
• the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, Florida

Board Memberships

Simmons has served on the boards of several organizations. These include:

• Printed Matter, Inc.
• Spaceworks

Spaceworks was a group that helped artists find affordable places to work. It offered low-cost rehearsal spaces for performers. It also provided affordable studio spaces for visual artists.

Simmons has also advised The Foundation for Contemporary Arts.

See also

In Spanish: Xaviera Simmons para niños