Rachel Simmons, “My Florida”
Artist Statement
In 1980, my family moved from Escondido, California to Tampa, Florida. Even though I was only five, I sensed the culture shock my parents felt. Decades later, as a long-time Florida educator, I returned to the state's past through an unexpected archive: a 1962 educational workbook titled Book 4: Our Florida, Revised Edition, published by Dade County public schools.
The original owner of my copy was a student named Lugenia. While Lugenia is typically a female African American name, I know little else about them. Based on their careful handwriting, I surmise Lugenia was a studious and attentive sixth-grade student. I suspect they would have noticed that Black Floridians are barely mentioned in this text. This book transforms that workbook into a critical examination of the political biases, omissions, and limitations that shape our understanding of home. Drawing from my multiple perspectives as a student, educator, parent, and long-time Florida resident, I created a deeply personal meditation on how educational experiences construct our sense of place. To make this work, I scanned pages from Lugenia's workbook and added layers of digital drawing as erasure poetry. I then printed reproductions of the pages and added flocked screen printing. The non-reflective quality of flocking deepens the black, creates a unique haptic experience, and references how time reshapes historical accounts and reflects individual lived experience.
The book’s large size commands attention, and echoes library reference books such as encyclopedias and atlases. Each screen print is magnetically attached to its corresponding folio, allowing for easy removal and wall-mounted display. This innovative structure allows My Florida to occupy a unique space between a traditional artist’s book and an engaging gallery installation.
rachel simmonsFlorida, USA
https://www.rachelsimmons.net/
IG: @bearwithjetpack
My Florida
2025
Limited edition artist’s book, published 2025 in an edition of 20. Digital and flocked screen printing on Lokta, Mohawk, Epson, and French papers with binder’s board, book cloth and magnets. Drum leaf binding, 50 pages.
Closed dimensions 23.25” tall x 18.5” wide x 2.5” deep; Open dimensions 23.25” tall x 36.75” wide x 1.25” deep.
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