There is a lot of power in the artwork of Mark Powers

Artist Mark Powers stands in front of the mural he did for the Lower Brule tribal offices.

Mark Powers has only a few more details to add to his mural that will be displayed in the Lower Brule tribal offices.

The mural, which he calls the Stairway Mural, is 90% done according to him and only requires the addition of an eagle.

Starting out in a star quilt design, the mural stretches down the two walls and ceiling of a stairway. At the beginning of the painting, there are tipi’s made of iron to honor Chief Iron Nation. There are also “warriors on horses that are petting reach for a buffalo hunt and a little bit further down you look there’s an encampment,” said Powers.

The mural features bright colors and a fluid presentation going down the stairs of the office building. It has a focus on animals such as horses and buffalo while also focusing on the community and traditions of Native Americans.

Powers’ mural also displays the new Lower Brule tribal seal which he redesigned a few years ago. “I was looking at the old tribal seal and I noticed that the tipi in the seal was wrong,” said Powers. “It shows the back of the tipi with a door, and we don’t have back doors on our tipi.”

Along with portraying the tipi correctly, Powers noticed that animals painted on the last tipi were, as he described them, “a blur.” He then painted a buffalo and an elk on the tipi in the new tribal seal.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is having its pass on all societies, the mural may not be able to be seen until government buildings reopen.

Powers usually paints with charcoal and pastels, but he has done murals for casinos in California and is working on another now in the gymnasium of the Lower Brule high school. He also paints tipis as well.