Capturing Strength.
Preserving Legacy.
Stories My Camera Tells
Selections featured in the Theaster Gates frieze at the Obama Presidential Center.
Opening June 19, 2026, a 175-foot aluminum frieze by Theaster Gates draws from the Howard Simmons photographic collection and the Johnson Publishing archives — placing crowds, Black women, and the civic life of Chicago at the center of a permanent civic-cultural landmark.
Read Theaster Gates Thank YouSix decades
behind the lens.
HOWARD D. SIMMONS · CHICAGOHoward D. Simmons discovered his passion for photography while serving as a musician in the Air Force. Shortly after his discharge, he joined the staff of Ebony Magazine, followed by an eight-year tenure at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Those experiences led him to establish his independent photography practice, where he has continued to work with genuine enthusiasm — whether capturing candid street moments or executing commercial assignments for art directors.
Quiet dispatches.
From the studio.
Occasional emails on new work, exhibitions, and selections from the archive. No noise — a few times a year.