06/16/2026
It is with profound sadness that the Black Rock Coalition mourns the passing of a literal arts community giant, Danny Simmons Jr., who we lost over the weekend. Danny built a vibrant network of artists, many of whom were family members of the BRC, from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, spearheaded several arts initiatives in the nonprofit arts sector, co-founded Rush Philanthropies and Rush Arts, The Corridor Gallery (Brooklyn) and Rush Arts Philadelphia Gallery (Philadelphia), created Def Poetry Jam and launched the careers of many Black creatives. He was an immense art talent himself, a prolific painter and designer, a deep and imaginative poet, author and playwright. He sat on several boards, including the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Brooklyn Public Library, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Conference of Artists, and was a past Chairman for the New York State Council on the Arts. He collaborated and organized with different arts institutions all across the country, including Miami Art Basel and the Houston Museum of African American Culture.
But most importantly, he was deep in the cut with the Black arts community, always expanding our collective space and visibility and standing firm on our right to be in those spaces. He was an organizer and unifier and a deep well of sage counsel for everyone who came into his orbit...
We express our heartfelt condolences to Danny's immediate and extended family. We all stood much taller upon his broad shoulder. We are now left with gigantic shoes to fill...
We love you, Danny. Plain and simple. We shall forever strive to "stay fly" so we don't have to "get fly"...
