Dr. V. Joy Simmons is a collector and philanthropist who for more than three decades has collected the work of artists of African descent and more broadly, of artists whose work is informed and inspired by Black culture. Championing artists at critical moments in their careers, Dr. Simmons’s collection includes early works by David Hammons, John Outterbridge, Betye Saar, Mark Bradford, Kara Walker, Henry Taylor and Mickalene Thomas that are in conversation with works and site-specific commissions by a new generation of practitioners including Genevieve Gaignard, Lauren Halsey, Deborah Roberts, and Devan Shimoyama amongst others. In addition to supporting artists, Dr. Simmons has played a vital role in the establishment and growth of various small to mid-size institutions that now help define Los Angeles’s vibrant cultural landscape. She served as a founding Board member of LAXART, The Watts House Project, and The Mistake Room where she currently serves as Board Chair.