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Simi Dabah
-By Karin Moreno
You�ve seen his work everywhere. It�s in the Morongo Basin community, it�s all over Copper Mountain College (CMC) and it�s been around for about 30 years. Simi Dabah�s work is seemingly at every corner of the Morongo Basin.
The reason is possibly better explained by Simi Dabah himself, �I enjoy seeing my work in public locations, and I can afford to donate them because I�m not a commercial artist.�
Although Simi Dabah doesn�t actually live in the hi-desert, he states he bought property here over thirty years ago, and keeps coming back to do artwork. It must be the desert panorama charm that keeps bringing all the other artists back and making the population nearly double in a year�s time.
He has recently worked on a piece called �Half Henge� in collaboration with CMC art professor, Spelman Downer.
Simi Dabah states that his favorite sculpture at CMC is �A very large piece in a cement pedestal by the parking lot.�
The piece Dabah refers to is possibly the half moon that looks like it has harp strings. It frames the San Gorgonio Mountains and the sunsets viewed through it. It has inspired many students at CMC. ASCMC President-elect, Yaniv Newman commented that he would like to someday take a picture of the panorama through the half moon statue.
Simi Dabah explains that it wasn�t always this way, he had other venues or art prior to sculpture but one welding lesson changed everything.
�Before, I did ceramics and painting, and mobiles, and about more than 30 years ago, I got a welding lesson and then started doing nothing but metal sculpture after that.�
If you are wondering why you are so familiar with Simi Dabah�s work, it�s because he has made enough sculptures for everyone to be exposed to them and hopefully we�ll continue to see more of his work.
He proudly explained, �I make sculptures all the time, always bringing up new sculptures, I�ll continue working, I�ve done over 1,000 sculptures, I�ll do as many more as I can.�
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