Reading of “Dream of the Golden Empress” at the Frost Art Museum, FIU, Miami, FL / by Rachel Simmons

I had the opportunity to read from my artist’s book, Dream of the Golden Empress, on August 10, 2023 at the Frost Art Museum at Florida International University in Miami, FL. Reading aloud from my artists’ books is relatively new part of my practice, but so far, it’s been so rewarding to highlight my identity as both a writer and artist. I’m still working on the performative aspect of reading in public, but I love seeing the audience react to the writing as they watch images of the book in motion. A reading also offers a different avenue into the work, helping viewers make connections between writing and art and text as image as they get to know the unique genre of contemporary art known as book arts.

Here’s a portion of the reading I did in Miami (video courtesy of Lua Hancock). https://youtu.be/4rIZGKlysbo