Sam Kirk facts for kids

Samantha "Sam" Kirk (born in 1981 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American artist. She is biracial and identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Before becoming an artist, she worked in advertising for ten years. Sam Kirk uses many art forms, like digital art, murals, and illustrations, to explore her mixed race, culture, and personal identity.

About Sam Kirk's Life

Sam Kirk was born in Chicago in 1981. As she grew up, her family moved to different neighborhoods in the Chicago area. This helped her notice the changing places and different people around her. These experiences, especially in the Pilsen Historic District, later inspired her murals.

In high school, Sam found that art was a way to express her identity. She later included this in her artwork. She earned a degree in Interior Architecture in 2002 and another in Marketing Communication in 2004. After college, Kirk worked in advertising for ten years. She left this job in 2010 when she got the chance to start an art career. She was offered two big art projects, which helped her begin her journey as an artist.

Sam Kirk's Amazing Murals

Sam Kirk is well-known for her large murals, which are paintings on walls. Many of her murals share important messages about community, identity, and history.

Logan Square Mural (2017)

Sam Kirk worked with another artist, Antongiorgi, to create the Logan Square Mural. This mural shows the vibrant culture that used to be strong in Logan Square, Chicago. The artists wanted people to look closely at the mural and try to understand different points of view.

The mural features three very large people. They are surrounded by buildings and yellow train tracks. Below them, smaller people are shown playing, selling ice cream, and protesting. Palm trees and city signs are also part of the scene. This mural was funded to celebrate the diverse history of Logan Square.

Sister Cities Mural (2018)

Sam Kirk was the first woman asked to join the CasaMouja street art festival in Casablanca. There, she painted a huge mural, 28 feet tall and 50 feet wide. This mural, called Sister Cities, celebrates 35 years of connection between Chicago and Casablanca. It shows two women facing different ways, highlighting the bond between the two cities, even though they are far apart.

The Love I Vibrate Mural (2018)

Kirk teamed up with Andy Bellomo and Sandra Antongiorgi for The Love I Vibrate. This mural honors non-binary people and Chicago's LGBTQ community. You can find The Love I Vibrate on the side of the Howard Brown Health Clinic in Chicago. The mural has swirls of pink, blue, purple, and gold colors. In the middle, there is a non-binary person with a shaved head and bright gold and pink features. The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs helped fund this mural.

A Tribute to Victoria Cruz Mural (2019)

Sam Kirk was one of 50 artists from around the world chosen to paint a mural in New York City. This was part of WorldPride 2019. She chose Victoria Cruz as the subject for her mural. Kirk wanted to celebrate transgender women of color and feature someone who is still alive.

Murals in the Pilsen Neighborhood

As an adult, Sam Kirk has painted many murals in the Pilsen, Chicago neighborhood. These murals often focus on including and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. Kirk feels a strong connection to Pilsen. She was born in Chicago and faced challenges there as a teenager because of her identity. In 2021, Kirk returned to Pilsen. She created a mural celebrating LGBTQ pride just a few blocks from where she had faced difficulties years before.

Do You Think Balloons Cry When You Let Them Go? (2012)

Kirk and her assistant Eva Cancino created this mural. Its goal is to bring attention to young people who are homeless in the neighborhood. The mural shows two skeleton figures. They represent homeless youth in Chicago reaching for balloons that are floating away. In the middle, there are black and white buildings from Chicago.

Searching for Mentors in Memories (2016)

Kirk made this mural for the “Mujeres Poderosas” (Powerful Women) Exhibit in 2016. This exhibit and mural aimed to show strong women in the Latina community. The mural features two figures. On the left is a young girl with colorful skin, showing her biracial identity. On the right is a larger figure of Frida Kahlo, a famous artist. A banner connects them, saying “Searching for Mentors in Memories.” The young girl looks up at Frida Kahlo, who looks back at her. This shows Kirk's hope that young Latina women today can find inspiration from Latina women of the past.

Weaving Cultures Mural (2016)

Sam Kirk worked with Sandra Antongiorgi to create the Weaving Cultures mural. This artwork helped the Chicago community understand what it's like for women who are both racially mixed and part of the LGBTQ+ community. The mural shows five women of different races and ages, including a transgender woman. They are all on a teal background and have calm expressions. You can find this mural at 16th and Blue Island in Chicago, Illinois.

Fierce Mural (2021)

This mural was painted in June 2021 during Pride Month. It celebrates the Queer community in different countries and cultures. This mural is located one block from where Kirk faced difficulties because of her identity when she was younger. The mural has a joyful feeling. It shows queer individuals dancing, talking, and posing. They are surrounded by the bright colors of the Progress Pride flag. These colorful people are next to black and white outlines of traditional Mexican figures. This mix shows the many different parts of queerness seen in Pilsen and around the world.

Pilseneros Mural

In this mural, Sam Kirk shows a colorful scene from the Pilsen neighborhood. You can see a paletero (ice cream vendor) pushing his cart. Children are riding bicycles and playing in the background. The colors in this mural are bright and lively. They show the busy community life of Pilsen. A street sign in the mural confirms that the scene is at the intersection of "Cermak" and "Paulina."

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Sam Kirk's art has been shown in many places, both by herself and with other artists.

Group Exhibitions

• ICONIC Black Panther
  • Dates: November 2, 2018 – January 6, 2019
  • Goal: To recognize important political movements from the past century.

• Peeling off the Grey
  • Dates: May 11, 2018 - February 3, 2019
  • Goal: To explore the changes happening in Pilsen. The art shows the feelings of the Pilsen, Chicago community about these changes.

Solo Exhibitions

• Double Dutch: An Exhibition by Sam Kirk
  • 2016: This show featured illustrations, paintings, and interactive art. Kirk showed her love for Chicago and New York. It also showed how she moved between both cities as she discovered her identity and passions.

Art in Collections

Sam Kirk's artwork is part of the permanent collection at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. This means her art is kept there for people to see all the time.

Awards and Recognition

Sam Kirk has received many honors and awards for her art and her work in the community.

• 2023: Leppen Leadership Award
• 2021: Human First Award, Telley Award (Color of Tomorrow), Communicator Award (Color of Tomorrow), LGBT State of Illinois Honoree
• 2020: Davey Silver Award (Color of Tomorrow), Human First Award
• 2018: Chicago Revueltas Award
• 2017: 3Arts Make a Wave Award
• 2014: Curators Choice Award