The Art Gallery of Queensborough Community College is pleased to sponsor this exhibition and its accompanying catalog. House of the Spirit: The Work and Collection of Danny Simmons represent more than two decades in the life of this influential artist, philanthropist, and collector. His paintings and drawings have been widely exhibited throughout the United States. He manages The Corridor Gallery in Brooklyn and chairs the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, which funds numerous arts groups. We thank Mr. Simmons for opening his studio to us, not once but many times in preparation for this exhibition. Our appreciation also extends to The Corridor Gallery and Rush Philanthropic Arts staff, Nina Ziefvert, Manager of Exhibition Programs, and Sameeh Alderazi, Gallery Assistant, for their assistance in compiling photos. We are also grateful to Lisa Scandaliato, Administrative Assistant at the QCC Art Gallery, for her help with this exhibition. Private collectors loaned paintings by Simmons for this exhibition. We are grateful to them for their cooperation in making part of their collection available for the duration of this show.
We extend thanks to Donna Page for curating this exhibition and for the catalog essay. Providing background information on Simmons’ artwork and his African art collection, she explains some of the threads that link these seemingly divergent bodies of work. She has previously written for QCC Gallery publications, including Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures (2005) and A Cameroon World (2007).
Two other scholars contributed separate introductions, each in their own area of expertise. Leonard Kahan is a curator and appraiser, artist, and writer. Most recently, he co-authored Surfaces: Color, Substances and Ritual Application on African Sculpture. In his introduction to this essay, he provides an overview of the African art in Simmons’ collection. Leslie King-Hammond is Graduate Dean Emeritus and Founding Director of the Center for Race and Culture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. In her introduction, she places Danny Simmons within the contemporary art milieu, elucidating some of the endeavors he has included in his career path.
Thanks and great appreciation go to the President of Queensborough Community College, Dr. Eduardo Marti, for his ongoing dedication and support of the QCC art Gallery.
Faustino Quintanilla, Executive Director
QCC Art Gallery
The City University of New York
