Subject
Artisan, Blacksmith, Craftsman
Description
Philip Simmons, a glowing personality in Charleston, became the epitome of artistry in his time. Being a talented artisan, they regarded him as the king of craftsmanship, a preservationist, and the icon of humility. He symbolized wisdom, integrity, hard work, faith, and gratitude.
Early life
On June 9, 1912, Simmons was born on Daniel Island, South Carolina. His grandparents raised him until he joined his mother on Vernon Street, Charleston after he turned eight.
Simmons started his studies at Buist Elementary School (now Buist Academy). The school offered inadequate education because the surrounding community focused on agriculture and fishing. Buist school opened for only three months, and keeping teachers became an uphill task.
En route to school, Philip saw the ironwork and became fascinated with it. The neighborhood was an epicenter for craft workers. Philip visited various blacksmiths, pipefitters, shipwrights, coppers, and other artisans. His interest in blacksmith took a top gear.
Career
Simmons gained his vital education from Peter Simmons (not related to him), a local blacksmith. At the foot of Calhoun Street, Peter Simmons ran a shop. This busy shop became the base that endowed Philip Simmons with values and superior talents in his metalworking career. In the 1920s and early 1930s, smithery became very appealing to Philip.
In 1938, Simmons moved into specialized fields of ornamental iron. He shifted his attention to decorative wrought iron. He fashioned over 500 pieces of ornamental wrought iron. These included gates (walkway gate, garden gates), handrails, window grills, fences, and balconies. Charleston city became decorated from end to end by the works of his hands.
Simmons mastered his metalworking career so well that he said, “I could mash out a leaf the same as a horseshoe. They both got the same principle. An angle is an angle.”
He created smaller metal objects such as tools, fireplace pokers, and shutter dogs to supplement his income. In 1970, Simmons used a coat hanger to craft a Volvo’s cup holder.
Simmons used sculptural motifs, like “snake gate,” “star and fish gate” in his design, for instance, the one made for the Smithsonian Institution in 1976. He often used his imagination to bring the clients’ requests to fruition.
Awards and honors
In 1982, Philip Simmons won the National Heritage Fellowship award, the country’s topmost reward to traditional artists.
Simmons later received a “lifetime achievement award” by the South Carolina state legislature. In 1994, they inaugurated Simmons into the South Carolina Hall of Fame.
On August 11, 1998, “Governor David Beasley presented The Order of the Palmetto,” South Carolina’s highest award to Simmons.
In 2001, Simmons received the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award for “Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.”
In 2004, the Charleston County Aviation Authority commissioned Simmons to create an ironwork display for the airport.
On May 12, 2006, Simmons received the Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from South Carolina State University in Orangeburg.
In honor of Simmons, three public schools, Philip Simmons Elementary, Middle and High Schools, were named by Berkeley County School District.
Simons created the iron gazebo in the Central Marketplace. This gazebo serves as a reminder of Charleston’s rich history and Simmons’ place in creating art that has become synonymous with the Holy City.
Legacy
Philip Simmons’ legacy lives on and highlights his craftsmanship represented throughout Charleston.
In 1991, the Philip Simmons Foundation was established to commemorate his work on St. John’s Reformed Episcopal Church in Charleston.
The National Museum of American History Smithsonian Institution has acquired pieces of his work. Others include the International Museum of Folk Art, Santa Fe; the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, Georgia; and the Richland County Public Library, Columbia, South Carolina.
Death
By 2008, Simmons moved to a support facility as he could no longer work. On June 22, 2009, Simmons passed away at 97, five years after he conceived the airport gazebo. Following his demise, the Charlestonians tied white ribbons to Simmons’ ironwork in the whole city and neighborhood to honor his artistic life.
Simmons was the most renowned among the Charleston ironworkers in the 20th Century. No artist left such an unforgettable and prolific mark on the city as Simmons. Even though the beauty of his detailed handmade ironwork remains clear, craftsmanship seems to have been left by the wayside in this age of technology.
Creator
The Black Male Archives Team
Source
Publisher
Preservation Media
File
