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EL MARSAM B&B

 

Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1948, Ginda Ayd Simpson is one of twelve children.  She has lived in Italy, Germany and Egypt and has traveled extensively in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Russia and in China.  Married to Michael Simpson, Ginda and her husband have three married daughters and three grandchildren.

Educated in the United States and Italy, Ginda has degrees in Italian and French and an Associate of Fine Arts Degree.  In addition to private art studies for many years, she also trained at the Glassell School of Art in Houston.   

In 1987 in New Orleans she won first place in the citywide American-Italian Extempo Competition in Graphics, and again in the 1988 Competition she placed first with a watercolor painting.  Both prize-winning paintings are now in the Collection of the American-Italian Renaissance Foundation in New Orleans.

In 1992 Ginda had a solo exhibition of her paintings “Hill Towns of Italy” at the Cloister Gallery in Houston and at the Italian Cultural Center.  

In 1995 Ginda's paintings “Impressions of Egypt” were reproduced for a calendar sponsored by AECWA, American Embassy, Cairo.

In 1996 the artist had a solo exhibition of her paintings entitled “The Continuing Journey” at Al-Shomou Gallery in Cairo.  She also produced a limited-edition signed and numbered poster entitled “Egypt”.

In 1997 her first book was published under the sponsorship of Bechtel Corporation.  Entitled “Morning of Light”, it is a personal journal of stories and paintings of her life in Egypt.  At the same time, an exhibition of her paintings opened at the American University of Cairo.  During her six-year residence in Cairo, her work was exhibited annually at CSA in Maadi.

In 1999 in a showing entitled “Two Friends – Two Cultures” Ginda exhibited her paintings of Egypt in a two-person show with Ahmed Mansour, a renowned Egyptian artist.   

In 2001, Ginda’s published her second book, a memoir entitled "Deeply Rooted, in Faith & Family."

In 2002, Ginda illustrated the book entitled "An Abiding City" by Neeman Sobhan, a Bangladeshi writer residing in Rome, Italy.

Ginda currently resides with her husband in the Umbrian countryside where she is daily inspired to record the beauty that surrounds her new home - with her pen or with her paintbrush. Ginda has continued to exhibit her paintings in Egypt as well as in Italy.  Ginda is a past member of the West Bank Art Guild, the Degas Pastel Society and the Cairo Art Guild.  She has written for Travel Today Egypt, Travel Today Arabia, and contributes monthly to the BCA Magazine, Cairo, Egypt.


El Marsam Studio

Loc. Spazzavento, Via Villa Pace, 06019 Umbertide (PG) Italy

Tel: +39-075-942-0258

e-mail: itsmeginda@yahoo.com

www.gindasimpson.com

 


Writings by Ginda have been published in:

 

BCA Magazine, Cairo - monthly 2006-07

Incontro Magazine, Cairo - 2007

Travel Today Arabia - 2006

www.traveltodayarabia.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=2612

Travel Today Egypt - 2004

The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore - 2003

The Catholic Review, Baltimore - 2003

Heliopolis Magazine, Cairo - 1996-99

 

Interviews have appeared in:

The Towson Times - 2/20/03 "This hometown girl is living the dream in Italy"

 

The Catholic Review - 2/25/03 "What a journey it has been"

Other articles about Ginda's work:

Daily Star News, Dhaka Bangladesh - 12/04/03

 

American University of Cairo Press,  Cairo - Dec. 97

 

Heliopolis Magazine, Heliopolis, Cairo - Dec. 97

 

The Labyrinth, 1996 


Solo Exhibitions

Severini Gallery, Cortona, Italy, Summer 2004

CSA, Maadi, Egypt, Spring 1999

American University of Cairo, Cairo, Egypt, December 1997

CSA, Maadi, Egypt, Fall 1997

Sahara Gallery, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt, March 1997

Al Shomou Art Gallery, Maadi, Egypt, May 1996

CSA, Maadi, Egypt, Fall 1996

CSA, Maadi, Egypt, Fall 1995

CSA, Maadi, Egypt, Fall 1994

“Hill Towns of Italy,” Cloister Gallery, Houston, Texas, 1992

"Hill Towns of Italy,” Italian Cultural Center, Houston, Texas, 1992

 Flite Three, Baltimore, MD, October 1991

 

Group Exhibitions

 

"Artisti del Mondo" Mostra di Pittura, Cacciano, Italy August, 2007

"Through the Eyes of Women: American Artists in Rome, Villa Aurelia, Rome,

May 5, 2006

“Through the Eyes of Women: American Artists in Rome, American Academy in Rome, April 19, 2002

“Percorsi d’Arte 2000”, Mostra d’arte figurativa, San Giustino, Italy, Spring 2000

“Percorsi” 20 Artisti in Mostra, Florence, Italy, Summer 2000

El Hanager Art Gallery for NIDA, Cairo, Egypt, May 1997

Cairo Art Guild - American University of Cairo, Fall 1996

Cairo Art Guild - Italian Cultural Center, Spring 1996

Cairo Art Guild - Al Ahram, Fall 1995

Cairo Art Guild - Spanish Cultural Center, Spring 1995

 

Private Exhibitions / Fund-raisers

Ministries of the Daughters of St. Mary, Beni Souef, Egypt, 2004

Aghsan El-Karma Center for Handicapped Children, Cairo, Egypt, Spring 1998

Zohny Street Orphanage, Cairo, Egypt, Spring 1997

Moqattam Hills, Maadi, Egypt, Spring 1996

Awlaadi Orphanage, Maadi, Egypt, Spring 1995

 

Donation of Art Work for Charity / Community Fundraising

Ministries of the Daughters of St. Mary, Beni Soueif, Egypt

CSA, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt

Children with Cancer, Cairo, Egypt

Holy Family Church, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt

Awlaadi Orphanage, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt

Maadi Community Church, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt

NIDA Society, for hearing-impaired children, Cairo

American Employees Cooperative & Welfare Association, American Embassy, Cairo

Women’s Association for Egyptian Charities

Zohny Street Orphanage, Cairo, Egypt

Aghsan El-Karma Center for Handicapped Children, Cairo, Egypt

Maadi Episcopal Church


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The Artist

 

Ginda Ayd Simpson
Artist - Writer - Dreamer of Dreams