Background
She was born and resides in New York City.
She was born and resides in New York City.
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, New York;
Parsons School of Design, New York, New New York
Simpson"s photographic career began as a fashion photographer for the Village Voice and the Amsterdam News in the early 1980s, and covered many African-American cultural and political events in the mid-1980s. She is also noted for her studies of Harlem nightlife. Her work"s ability to present a wide variety of subjects with "depth of character and dignity" has been compared to that of Diane Arbus and Weegee.
In addition to her photography, Simpson also designed jewelry.
Her most notable jewelry collection is known as (1990). The collection reintroduces the ancient tradition of cameos, but features portraits of black women.
The portraits show the great variety of features of black women. Simpson’s goal was that every black women would be able to identify with the portraits within her cameo jewelry.The success of lead Simpson’s jewelry clients for her designs to include Ruby Dee, and Oprah Winfrey.
The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York, 2001 Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, New York, 2001, 1998 Anacostia Museum/Smithsonian, Washington, District of Columbia, 2000 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, 1999 Musée de la Photographie, Brussels, Belgium, 1998 International Center of Photography, New York, New York, 1998 Light Work Residency, 1987 Nueva Luz, Volume 1#2 The Mary McLeod Bethune Award from the National Council of Negro Women, 1994 The Madame Chief Justice Walker Award, 2000 The National Council of Negro Women "Legend"s Award", 2006.
