Mary Simpson

Artist Statement

Activism inspires my writing and visual art practice. I volunteer each year to help low-income communities file their taxes to receive government credits and refunds. I also lead my rental building’s tenant union and advocate for affordable housing in New York. Writing helps me process these issues through personal essays and nonfiction profiles. Painting comes from a place for which I have no words—which can be a relief, because confronting unfair power imbalances often leaves me with no more words to give. I fell in love with myth as a kid, when story—told through action, archetypes, and images—became my way of understanding the world. I am always thinking about the importance of community in storytelling. I believe we share stories so that others might see themselves reflected in our experience.

Mary Simpson, nonfiction essay published in July/August 2024 issue of the Brooklyn Rail

Bio

Mary Simpson is a writer and artist from Alaska, currently living in Brooklyn, New York. Her writing has appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, Bomb, Parkett, Broadcast, JRP Editions, The Happy Hypocrite, Hoosac Institute Journal, and other publications. She earned an MFA in visual arts from Columbia University, attended the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She won the Rema Hort Mann prize and has had numerous solo exhibitions in New York, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Her work has been included in group exhibitions at the Seattle Art Museum and the Boise Art Museum. She has shown internationally in galleries in Brussels, London, and Beijing. Her film screenings and lectures include the Artists Institute, The Kitchen, Goethe Institute, Henry Art Gallery, and CAM2 Madrid. She works as curator for the estate of Jimmy DeSana.

marysimpson.net