Laurie Simmons (b. 1949) is an American photographer and filmmaker whose work explores the relationship between artifice and reality. She is best known for her staged photographs of dolls, ventriloquist dummies, and other objects that explore themes of gender roles, domesticity, and identity.
Simmons was born in Long Island, New York in 1949. She attended the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia from 1967 to 1971, where she studied painting and photography. After graduating, she moved to New York City and began working as a freelance photographer for magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.
In 1976, Simmons began experimenting with staged photographs featuring dolls and other objects that explored themes of gender roles and identity. Her work was featured in her first solo exhibition at the John Gibson Gallery in 1979. Since then, her work has been exhibited widely throughout the United States and Europe. In addition to her photography, Simmons has also directed several short films including The Music of Regret (2006) which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.
Simmons' work has been featured in numerous publications including The New Yorker, Artforum, Art in America, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and Time Magazine. She has also received numerous awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship (1985), a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1987), a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant (1989), a Creative Capital Grant (2003), and an Anonymous Was A Woman Grant (2005).
In addition to her artistic practice, Simmons is also an educator who has taught at numerous institutions including Yale University School of Art (1984-1985), Cooper Union School of Art (1986-1987), Bard College (1988-1989), Columbia University School of the Arts (1990-1991), Rhode Island School of Design (1992-1993) and Parsons The New School for Design (1994-1995).
Laurie Simmons continues to live and work in New York City where she continues to explore themes of identity through her photography and film practice.