Rhonda Simmons

Artist Statement

Domino Effect is a game mimicking life. It was born of my frustration with the continued chaos of government slashing of necessary programs and resources, with the biggest impact and greatest effect on our poor.

This art piece is fashioned after the childhood game of dominoes. All ages and abilities are encouraged to interact with Domino Effect and to lay out a pattern or grid that allows them to rise above the poverty position to one of self-sufficiency. The dominoes themselves are life-size, since I see poverty to be a life-sized issue that spans our globe.

The mainstream domino game has dots, but I felt my dominoes should have words on them associated with poverty. As an artist creating this game, I had the expectation of freedom, of the vast number of words that I could adhere to each domino, but the reality was that I was limited to nine letters per line on the domino. I was reminded that we are all limited by the resources we have.

In playing the game, the players have to ask themselves if there is a way out of the maze of poverty or if it is cyclical and self- perpetuating. How does one move above their reality of limited resources to a place of having enough and abundance? Or is it just a matter of survival of the fittest?

I feel every piece of Art I create in my community becomes a large part of the shared journey between me and my audience. As individuals we have to find our own way in life, with the resources we have.

I invite everyone, from those with abundance or power, to those with limited resources to play my game, Domino Effect. Those with resources will be the fortunate ones. It is only a game for them, something they can walk away from and enter back into the reality of their comfortable lives.

It is not a choice to be poor. With more understanding and more support, the opportunities for the poor will allow them to work toward independence and abundance. My thanks and gratitude goes to all who helped Domino Effect happen...

Catalogue Description

Rhonda is an Afro-Canadian artist residing in Abbotsford BC. She began her artist's path early in life and always knew she wanted to create. When health issues forced her to adjust to living on CPP and Disability 2 benefits she saw it as a chance to make her life her own. Rhonda is a self-taught artist who has had many diverse creative learning opportunities, from being mentored in private studios to formal training. Clay is her first love.