Career
As part of Rush Philanthropic, Simmons also founded Rush Arts Gallery and soon thereafter converted part of his loft in Brooklyn into the Corridor Gallery. Both galleries provide exhibition opportunities to early and mid-career artists who do not have commercial representation through galleries or private dealers. In 2004, Simmons published Three Days As the Crow Flies, a fictional account of the 1980s New York art scene.
He has also written a book of artwork and poetry called I Dreamed My People Were Calling But I Couldn"t Find My Way Home.
He earned a degree in social work from New York University and a master"s in public finance from Long Island University. He began painting after he realized how much he hated his job with the Bureau of Child Support.in 2012 he received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy in fine arts from Long Island University.
Simmons is the co-executive producer of Russell Simmons" Def Poetry. Def Poetry of which episodes were produced for Home Box Office from 2002 to 2007.
Simmons came up with the idea for the series when a group of Simmons"s friends would gather and perform open mikes at art galleries in the early 1990s.
The poets did shows at the Nuyorican, Danny"s home, and an art gallery in Manhattan. After many more live events and showcases Danny and his associates Stan Lathan, Bruce George and Bob Sumner managed to launch "" as both a cable show and a Broadway play.
