Cal Duran

As an artist, it is my connections to my ancestors that guide me in creating. I am a descendant of “Manitos”, the Indo-Hispano people of Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. I carry in my DNA Spanish, Portuguese, Indigenous Mexican & Native American, and also East Indian Bengali bloodlines. I am a woven tapestry of all who came before and of the time/ place where I have been formed. In the early 2000s, when I was about 12 years old my family visited New Mexico. They’re at a small roadside shop, I encountered a wondrous sight - a Pueblo Indian Storyteller sculpture. The maternal figurine with children draped about her mesmerized me. This encounter was my first spiritual awaking regarding the ability of art to touch us on a deeply profound level. To this day I am in still awe of the Pueblo artist who creates Storyteller Dolls. Recently, by chance, I came upon a clay figurine of a mother surrounded by numerous children (Colima Mexico 200 BCE-200 CE). I was intrigued by the similarities between this ancient Mesoamerican pieces to contemporary Pueblo Storytellers. There is no apparent connection between the art forms, but I felt a universal connection. Knowledge, traditions, and stories of a people are nurtured and passed on from elders to children. It is a sacred calling and ensures that our connection to the past is enduring. Art is able to embrace themes and symbols that transcend time. Art explores the human experience, it creates a cosmology understood across all cultural boundaries. With humbleness, I present the Cuentista Collection. Named for the traditions of my “Manito” familia of passing on cuentos. My handmade, custom creations honor the many diverse heritages that are woven into our people of the Southwest. It is with great love and respect that I create these for you and the generations to come.