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.
In the next chapter of his career Howard made a dramatic shift into the world of Commercial Photography with his own studio. From photojournalism to ads for Coca Cola, McDonalds, Proctor and Gamble, Folgers, Canadian Mist and more.
Quiet dispatches.
From the studio.
Occasional emails on new work, exhibitions, and selections from the archive. No noise — a few times a year.