Quarry 2
Biography: Lee Anna Simmons
Contact details:
Email: [email protected]
Websites:
The blog for Q:2 was at leesimmons.org. In 2008 the artist's domain name changed to lee-simmons.com only.
Employment and experience:
July 2006 - Present
Freelance Artist, mainly London and South East England
Working as a freelance artist I undertake commissions, self-initiate projects and work in arts management and facilitation.
Sept 2005 – present
Artist Advisor, arc+, Aspex gallery, De La Warr Pavillion, Turner Contemporary, South Hill Park, OVADA, South East England
One of four artist advisors supporting artists and artist groups in South East England with one to one 40 minute surgeries, and day surgeries with artist groups.
July 2005 – July 2006
Lead Artist, Art Monkeys, Iota, Ramsgate, Kent
(6 month contract x 2) Working as lead artist for this charitable organisation I set up new cross art form projects, an artists' forum and helped sustain and develop existing projects with diverse groups throughout the Isle Of Thanet, assisted with the business development plan and the gallery programme.
Dec 2004 – June 2005
Visual Arts Officer, Surrey County Arts, Woking, Surrey (Maternity cover)
This temporary position involved working within a governmental organisation, to develop and represent visual art across County Surrey.
March 2004 – Nov 2004
Gallery Manager, Vertigo Gallery, Shoreditch, London
Continued involvement to the present day (2007) has involved assisting the director on a freelance basis.
Sept 2003 – Feb 2004
Art and Nature Tutor, Trojans Scheme, South London.
Working with primary age children to design for their environment.
Other experience:
Workshops - Design and facilitation of diverse workshops South East England 2003- 2006
Artist Groups - A founding member of RAT 2004.
Tour guide - The Serpentine Gallery at Battersea Power Station (2006)
Team assistant - (Part time) Richmond Mencap (July and August 1998 – 2005)
Sales assistant - Hauser and Wirth at Freeze (2004)
Student ambassador - The National Gallery with the London Institute (2003-2004)
Illustration work - Yokohama Theatre, Japan (Feb – June 2003) With Hisane Suzuki.
Assistant Art classes - in a Steiner School, Antwerp, Belgium (2000)
Education:
Sept 2003 – Sept 2004 MA Design for Environment, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London
I worked with landscape and interior spatial architects, as well as independently, creating site responsive interchanges in urban public spaces in response to the time and space of the site.
Sept 1997 – June 2000 Ba (Honours) Fine Art, John Moore’s University, Liverpool
Sept 1995 – July 1997 B-Tec National Diploma in General Art and Design, Torquay Technical College, Devon
Other training:
Measuring impact - Kent Children’s Fund, Kent (2005)
Participation and consultation skills - Kent Children’s Fund, Kent (2005)
Professional Grant writing - The Grant Institute, University of London (2005)
Presentation skills workshop - Smart Audiences, Surrey (2005)
Mentoring skills - Always learning, Surrey (2004,2005)
Photoshop and Illustrator - London College of Communication (2004)
Craft book binding – London College of Communication (2004)
Desktop publishing – London College of Communication (2003)
Welding certificate – Southport College (1998)
Selected points in art practice:
Unravel Group Show, South Hill Park, Bracknell, Berkshire (Nov 2006)
Quarry Project Touring Exhibition: spaces so far include Betchworth Quarry, Lockwood Day Centre, South Hill Park, Guildford Council Offices, Dorking Library, South East England (2006)
Q:2, Event, Betchworth Quarry, Surrey (June / July 2006)
A Portrait of Lockwood, Guildford, Surrey (June 2006) Group Show
3 Days 2 nights, Reception Space, Cremer Street, London E2 (Nov 2005) Solo show.
Quarry Project, Exhibition, Lockwood Day Centre, Guildford, Surrey (Aug 2005) Solo show.
The Isle, Gallery Iota, Kent (Aug 2005) Group show.
Quarry Project, Live Art Event, Oxted Quarry, Surrey (Feb - July 2005) I brought 12 artists together for live art to dye a section of the quarry and document the site. Supported by Surrey County Arts, Tarmac, Areas Of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Trickledown Compressor, performance nights, (Feb 2005) (Sept 2004), London
What We Made, Chelsea College, London (Aug 2004) MA group show.
Sound Booth Marble Arch, London (July 2004) Stories from the site played in a photo booth.
Time Spaces, Oxford Street, London (Feb 2004) Fly posters draw attention to hidden spaces.
Outdoor Habitats MoDA, Hertfordshire, (April – July 2004) Group show.
This Is Us, Camberwell College, London (Dec 2003) Work with primary schools. Group show.
3 Days 2 Nights of Idea, The Tap Gallery, Sydney, Australia (June 2003) Group show.
Environmental Art Award, The Tap Gallery, Sydney, Australia (June 2003) Second prize.
3 Days 2 Nights of Idea, Design Festa Gallery, Harajuku, Japan (Nov 2002) Solo show.
Design Festa Event, Tokyo Big Site, Ariake, Tokyo, Japan (Nov 2002) Group sale of work.
International Artists No. 17, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ueno Park, Ueno, Japan (Feb 2002) Group show by UNESCO.
Freeing Rainbows, Immigrant Café, Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan (Jan – May 2002) Solo show.
Plymouth Mental Health Hospital, Devon (Feb – July 2001) Site-specific projects were designed and made with the mental health patients alongside permanent staff. A group dyed the sea in a site specific performance. Supported by NHS, Food Finders, Carlton Television.
Summer Light, Falmouth Art Centre, Cornwall (April 2001) Group show.
Blue Stick Piece, Launceston, Cornwall (Jan 2001) Documentation of land art across Europe. Solo show.
