Philip Simmons
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| Philip Simmons | |
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| Born | June 9, 1912  Charleston, South Carolina |
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| Occupation | Artisan |
Philip Simmons, b. June 9, 1912 is an artisan of Charleston, South Carolina who has specialized in ornamental iron since 1938. After an apprenticeship with Peter Simmons, a blacksmith on Calhoun Street, he has had a long career, fashioning more than five hundred decorative pieces of ornamental wrought iron: gates, fences, balconies, and window grills. Many of the works are on historical properties. He has apprenticed many younger artisans and the Philip Simmons Artist-Blacksmith Guild of South Carolina is named in his honor.
[edit] Awards
- 1982, the National Endowment for the Arts, National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor that the United States can bestow on a traditional artist.
- 1982, Lifetime Achievement Award, South Carolina state legislature for "lifetime achievement" and commissions for public sculptures by the South Carolina State Museum and the city of Charleston
- 1994, South Carolina Hall of Fame, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- 1998, Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award given in South Carolina, by Governor David Beasley
- 2001, Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for "Lifetime Achievement in the Arts."
[edit] Works
- Much of the ironwork in the Historic District of Charleston
- Richland County Public Library, Columbia, South Carolina
- Daniel Island Company, Daniel Island, South Carolina
