Butler Institute of American Art: Danny Simmons: Visual Expressions

butler institute of american art:

“The minute I was introduced to the work of Danny Simmons, I knew it would translate beautifully with silkscreen. Danny and I chose a painting resplendent in color and texture and embarked on a journey that would yield both an edition of 30 and a suite of original monoprints. “Strata” is a striking example of what can be accomplished with silkscreen and the monoprints that emerged as a result of the process demonstrate Danny’s mastery of collage. Ever the storyteller, there is nothing random about the choices that Danny makes and his history is woven into the fabric he selects for hand embellishment. Danny’s work encourages exploration and this entire exhibition of prints has given us tremendous opportunity for discovery.”

– Gary Lichtenstein

“For an artist, the printing process has a magnetic pull,” said Danny Simmons. “The transition from a layered painting to a silkscreen print is a powerful evolution. The printing process acts as a mirror, with every layer of ink informing the original artistic decisions I made. Upon seeing the initial prints for my Butler Institute exhibition, my immediate instinct was to continue their story. By integrating textiles and fabric back onto the prints, I bridge the gap between original and reproduction, physically constructing my exploration of deep-seated themes of ancestry, memory, and the diaspora. I truly enjoyed working with Lichtenstein Editions on this body of work, and I’ve included something totally unique that deviates from those prints while remaining squarely within the exhibition’s themes—you’ll just have to come see it for yourself.”

About Danny Simmons

For over four decades, Danny Simmons (b. 1953) has created paintings, works on paper, and assemblages informed by the spirit imbued in indigenous and African cultures. As the founder of the artistic movement Neo-African Abstract Expressionism, Simmons reclaims traditional African motifs used in modernism through his use of dots, textiles, and tribal markings. Simmons is an author, poet, philanthropist, curator, co-creator of Def Poetry Jam, and co-founder of the renowned Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. Through the non-profit organization, Rush Arts Gallery NYC and Rush Arts Philadelphia have served as important cultural hubs providing exhibitions, arts education and opportunities for hundreds of emerging, developing and underrepresented artists of color since 1995. Simmons is also a collector of contemporary art and African sculpture.

Simmons’ artworks are in multiple private and museum collections including the Brooklyn Museum, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Montclair Art Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, The Smithsonian, Chase Manhattan Bank and the United Nations. In 2024, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, MD presented “The Journey to Everything,” a sweeping solo exhibition of Simmons’ work. In 2025, “The Journey to Everything” traveled to the Houston Museum of African American Culture and opened on August 29th.

Danny Simmons is represented by Westwood Gallery, NYC.