Sherry Simms is an Associate Professor of Art and the Coordinator of the Metalsmithing and Jewelry area at the University of Akron’s Myers School of Art. Previously she taught in the metals programs at the State University of New York in New Paltz, and at The University of Oregon in Eugene. Simms holds an MFA in Metalsmithing from the State University of New York at New Paltz and a BFA from The University of Akron. Simms is a mixed media artist who creates jewelry and sculptural objects that challenge cultural understandings of craft, jewelry and ornamentation. Her work has been widely exhibited and has appeared in both American Craft and Metalsmith magazines, and a variety of other art publications. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, which include: three Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships; a 2017 University of Akron Summer Research Fellowship, and a Jentel Foundation Residency Fellowship. Simms has exhibited her artwork in group and solo exhibitions for more than twenty years. Recent exhibitions include: Heavy Metal at the Akron Art Museum (August 2107 – February 2018), Reflections & Transparencies at the Box Gallery in Akron, Ohio; and Bead at the Greater Reston Art Center in Reston, Virginia.
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