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Timothy Simmons is an African American Artist and Newark native. His early passion for art led him to pursue drawing and painting at the prestigious Arts High School. It was at Arts HS where Simmons first earned recognition as an emerging artist. In college, Timothy pursued other endeavors and went on to earn a Master’s degree from Seton Hall University in Educational Leadership. Today, Timothy is a Vice Principal at a high-performing charter school.

As a contemporary African American figurative artist, Simmons’ work engages the viewer with positive imagery of African Americans through symbolic representations of normalcy, excellence, and the manifestation of God in his depictions of black men and women. By removing negative stereotypes and applying historically African traditions or religious overtones to the subject matter, his painting re contextualizes Black life. By providing viewers with unbiased “conventional” images of African American family life, the viewer becomes open to “see” African Americans through the artist’s eyes – loving, caring, and exceptional people. Simmons’ work showcases his daily experience as an African American, either as standalone portraits or figurative pieces of families. The subjects of his current work are derived from photographs of members of his family.