The SDG5 Global Alliance is thrilled to announce Kristin Simmons as our new Artist in Residence! Simmons’ work is as acerbic, provocative, and as unapologetically clever as it is empathetic and vulnerable. Her visual creations inspire conversations around conflicting social expectations and realities; women’s equality being the inspiration of several new pieces to emerge in the coming weeks. 51% of the world’s visual artist are women, but only 5% of their work make up permanent collections. We want that to change.

Kristin Simmons is proud to unveil Women Of Change, the first of four commissioned art pieces, on September 5th at the United Nations. Women Of Change portrays an accurate but unfortunate reality; in the 21st century, women continue to face significant pay inequality, with most recent data suggesting that women earn an average of 80 cents to every dollar earned by men. Kristin believes art can inspire provocative and uncomfortable topics to be addressed in a collaborative way, akin to how the UN operates through conversation, diplomacy and integrity. She not only hopes to give a voice to female artists, but also to inspire conversation about how we can eradicate harmful gender stereotypes through both action and reaction.