Faces of the Flower Moon: Steven Grounds
3/29/24-4/19/24
Steven Grounds (Navajo, Euchee, Creek + Seminole) was born in Pawnee, OK in 1977. He has always created art independently since childhood. Upon graduating with his BA in 2004 from Haskell he began to utilize spray paint under the pseudonym Native Evolution. He lived in Phoenix from 2005-2010 and was influenced by the beauty of the graffiti/street art scene there. During this time he focused on native portraits and the story that can be told through the eyes and expressions. Steven eventually moved back to Oklahoma in 2010 and settled down in El Reno to pursue his dream of painting large scale outdoor murals. The most notable being the Cheyenne + Arapaho mural he painted in 2014. This mural is his largest at 100 ft and is located in Concho, OK. To date Steven has painted on the sides of buildings and canvas in galleries throughout the Midwest over the years. Steven also enjoys painting live for crowds and sharing his art with the native community.
"During May on the Oklahoma hills, blooming flowers die when taller plants crowd them out. The Osage people refer to that month as “the time of the flower-killing moon.” The murder of Anna Brown took place in May 1921.” -Bahr
In light of the recent Scorsese movie I wanted to create an exhibit of my aerosol interpretations of the true faces of the Osage in this story. This is for the surviving Osage families and the strength of indigenous women.