Sam Kirk

Samantha "Sam" Kirk (born in 1981 in Chicago, Illinois) is a biracial, queer, American artist. She formerly worked in the advertising industry for ten years before pursuing an art career. She explores her mixed race, culture, and queer identity through many different art mediums including digital art, murals, and illustrations.

Biography Samantha Kirk was born in Chicago in 1981. As she was growing up, Kirk's family moved to different neighborhoods in the Chicago area, inspiring her to observe the changing scenery and different human experiences of those around her. Her experiences in these neighborhoods, namely the Pilsen Historic District, inspired her future murals. In Kirk's sophomore year of high school, she discovered art as an outlet for her to communicate her queer identity which she later integrated into her artwork. Kirk graduated from the International Academy of Art & Design earning her BFA in Interior Architecture in 2002 and later went on to earn her BA in Marketing Communication at Columbia College in 2004.

Murals Logan Square Mural (2017) Kirk and Antongiorgi collaborated once again to create Logan Square Mural. This mural highlights the culture that once thrived at Logan Square before being gentrified. Kirk and Antongiorgi wanted people to take a step back to understand the mural and attempt to understand each other's differences.

Sister Cities (2018) Kirk became the first woman invited to participate in the Casablanca street art festival, CasaMouja, for which she painted a 28 ft x 50 ft mural to celebrate 35 years of Chicago Casablanca Sister Cities International exchange. The mural depicts two women facing opposite directions, highlights the connection between the two cities though miles apart. The project was curated by Neysa Page-Lieberman, chief curator for the Wabash Arts Corridor in downtown Chicago.

The Love I Vibrate (2018) Kirk collaborated with Andy Bellomo and Sandra Antongiorgi to create The Love I Vibrate, a mural is to honor non-binary community members and Chicago's LGBTQ community. The Love I Vibrate is on the side of the Howard Brown Health Clinic in Chicago. The mural displays swirls of pink, blue, purple, and gold with a non-binary individual in the center with a shaved head and lips painted gold and eyes hot pink. As a teen, Kirk was beaten unconscious for being gay on 19th Street and Ashland Avenue. In 2021, Kirk returned to the Pilsen neighborhood and created a mural celebrating LGBTQ pride just blocks from where this attack had occurred years earlier.

Do You Think Balloons Cry When You Let Them Go? (2012) Kirk and her assistant Eva Cancino worked together to create the Do You Think Balloons Cry When You Let Them Go? mural. The goal of this particular mural is to raise awareness for homeless youth in the neighborhood.

Weaving Cultures (2016) Kirk collaborated with Sandra Antongiorgi to create the Weaving Cultures mural. This brought awareness to the Chicago community about women growing up racially mixed and queer. The mural includes five women of different racial ethnicities and ages, including one transgender woman, all on a teal abstract background. All women displaying a stoic expression. The mural can be found on 16th and Blue Island in Chicago, Illiones.

Fierce (2021) This mural was created in June 2021 during Pride to celebrate the Queer community in countries and cultures across the globe. The location of this mural is one block away from where Kirk was beaten due to her queer identity when she was younger. This mural has a celebratory tone, featuring queer individuals dancing, talking, and posing while surrounded by the bright colors of the Progress Pride flag. These colorful individuals are surrounded by black and white outlines of traditional Mexican figures such as the Virgin of Guadaloupe and a Mariachi suit with skulls on it. This side by side coexistence shows the intersectionality and diversity of queerness seen in Pilsen and around the world.

Group exhibitions ICONIC Black Panther Dates: November 2, 2018 – January 6, 2019 Objective: Recognition of the past century influential political movements.

Solo exhibitions Double Dutch: An Exhibition by Sam Kirk 2016: Displayed through illustrations, paintings, and interactive artworks, Kirk shows her appreciation for Chicago & New York. Also shows how Kirk jumped between both cities as she discovered her identity and love.

Commissions On February 6, 2026, the Obama Foundation announced that it had commissioned Kirk, along with Dorian Sylvain, to create a work for the Obama Presidential Center. Kirk and Sylvain’s work will be a mural in the Center’s athletic facility.

Collections Kirk has works in the permanent collection at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.

Honors and awards 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