Kimberly Duran facts for kids
Kimberly "Shmi" Duran, born in 1989, is a talented Chicana mural artist. She creates amazing large-scale paintings on walls, mostly in Santa Ana, California.
About Kimberly "Shmi" Duran
Kimberly "Shmi" Duran was born in Artesia, California. She grew up in Santa Ana, California. Her trips to Mexico when she was a child greatly shaped her early art. Her family was very active in their church. At just 11 years old, she started painting large backdrops for plays in her father's art studio.
In 2013, she co-founded The Heavy Collective with Bud Herrera. This group focuses on creating public art for the community. Their shared art is inspired by a quote from Marcus Garvey. He said, "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots." This means they believe it's important to know where you come from.
Shmi Duran's Art Style
Duran's art often reclaims or takes back ideas from graffiti and the Chicano art movement. She mainly uses aerosol (spray paint) and acrylic paints. She is known for her very large murals, which are paintings on walls.
Her art often mixes symbols from different cultures. These can include images like Buddhas or the Ajna symbol. Through her work, she wants to bring art into public spaces. This way, people in her community can see art they might not find in museums or galleries. She also helps young artists. She teaches them about art and helps them find public spaces to share their own creative voices.
Community Art Projects
In 2013, Duran led a community mural project called Madre Naturaleza. This mural is in Downtown Santa Ana. It is on the back wall of Macre's flower shop. Many people helped create this mural. Local artists, young people, businesses, and residents all worked together. The mural shows the dreams and hopes of the people living in Santa Ana.
The Heavy Collective has received money to create their art. From 2017 to 2019, Duran used some of this money to build an art wall. This wall was easy for the community to access. It also allowed different artworks to be shown over time.
The first mural on this wall was Chinatown Burning. This painting remembered a fire in 1906 that destroyed Santa Ana's Chinatown. It also honored a man who died in that fire. This artwork was later painted over.
One of her most famous works came from that project. It is called Creator Quetzalcoatl (2018). This colorful painting shows the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. It is still on display on the wall. This piece has become a key part of Duran's artistic vision. It shows her focus on community, culture, and heritage.
Duran and Herrera mostly create murals. However, they also make digital art and paintings on canvas. They even do videography. Some of Duran's works are listed in a "Mapping Arts" Database. This database is run by California State University, Fullerton. She also helped create a mural for the Santa Ana Family Justice Center.
In 2020, Duran won a poster contest for the California Strawberry Festival in Ventura county. Also in 2020, Duran and Herrera created an artwork called Inner Self.
