Princess Simpson Rashid: #ibelieveinMOCA for championing artists

Princess Simpson Rashid uses MOCA Jacksonville to inform and inspire her own work as a contemporary artist. She regularly attends previews for the latest exhibitions and takes advantage of opportunities to talk to the artists MOCA brings to Jacksonville.

Throughout the end of the year, we're asking people like Rashid to share why they support MOCA.

Princess Simpson Rashid: #ibelieveinMOCA for championing artists from MOCA Jacksonville on Vimeo.

Tell us a little bit about you.

I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but raised in Plainfield, New Jersey. I went to college back in Atlanta at Georgia State University where I met my future husband. He joined the Navy as an officer and aviator. Eventually he was stationed in Jacksonville. That's how we first came here. I am a full-time artist and have a studio practice at CoRK Arts District, and I'm the head fencing coach at the Jacksonville Fencing Club. My work is my fun.

#ibelieveinMOCA because …

As a contemporary artist myself, I look to MOCA Jacksonville to set the tone and mark of the contemporary art scene for our region. I believe that each year MOCA fills that role more and more. It is important that institutions, such as MOCA Jacksonville, provide a platform for living artists to be recognized and their work presented to the public in an innovative manner.

Why do you support MOCA?

I support MOCA because of the great programming it provides the community. Not only in providing innovative and thought-provoking exhibitions but also in the supporting programming of artist talks and panels.

Why do you think MOCA is important to the community? 

MOCA Jacksonville has been a steadfast champion of contemporary art in our city and a key player in the revitalization of our downtown district.

What did you do last time you were at MOCA?

I was there for the recent Confronting the Canvas: Women of Abstraction exhibition.

What are some of your favorite MOCA exhibitions or artworks and why?

Get Real: New American Painting  in September 2014 was my favorite exhibition so far. I visited the exhibition on several occasions and brought friends with me each time. Because of the great programming scheduled during this show, I was able to meet and talk shop with one of the artists, Frank Oriti. He recently was awarded as a finalist in the prestigious BP Portrait Awards in London. It was an honor to be able to have access and discuss issues in contemporary painting with an artist of his caliber. Another good event was the Women Painting Women panel of the female artists in the show. It was great to hear them discuss their work and the particular issues that affect them as women artists. I gained valuable insights for my own art practice through these encounters.

I also enjoyed greatly the Amer Kobaslija: A Sense of Place exhibition. His artist talk and the insights were invaluable.

Why would you tell your friends to support MOCA?

Because MOCA is awesome and we need to keep young people of all ages engaged and connected to the Museum. Their continued involvement would ensure that MOCA's vision stays fresh and innovative. 

We need your help

Make a donation to MOCA Jacksonville, then share why #ibelieveinMOCA on your social media pages. Are you a member? Join MOCA and receive valuable perks while supporting access to the arts for everyone.

About the artwork

Inspired by his love of Renaissance landscape paintings, Brooklyn-based Patrick Jacobs constructs contemporary studies based on the Renaissance idea of painting as a “window on the world.” To create these hyperreal miniature worlds, he meticulously casts, paints, and positions every blade of grass and flower petal of the dioramas before they are embedded in the gallery's walls. The resulting three-dimensional “paintings” portray an expansive view onto green fields with mountains or snaking rivers in the distance. As the glowing portals invite viewers into his fictional spaces, the use of a concave lens creates the illusion of depth, distorting the environs' scale as it edges toward the lens itself. Yellow Slime Mold with Stump appeared in Smoke and Mirrors: Sculpture and the Imaginary.