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Towering mural of Tribal member rises in Miami

MIAMI — Visitors to South Florida often travel to the Wynwood neighborhood in Miami to see the many colorful murals being painted in just about every corner of the booming arts district.

But a new Wynwood mural will be of particular interest to the Tribe, as an eight-story high depiction of a Tribal member is in its final stages.

A mural of Seminole Kyle James Grant is being painted on the side of an apartment building in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. Up close you can see the traditional Seminole Tribe colors starting to take form on the shirt. (Photo Damon Scott)

Internationally renowned Los Angeles-based artist Miles MacGregor, also known as “El Mac,” is in the process of completing a massive mural of Seminole Kyle James Grant, 17, on the northeast side of the Wynwood 25 apartment building in the heart of the district.

Grant’s father is James Grant and his grandmother is Rosie Grant – all are from the Hollywood Reservation.

James Grant has two other sons as well, ages 13 and 6. His cousin, Thomas “Breeze” Marcus, is a colleague of MacGregor who helped to jump start the project in Wynwood.

Kyle James Grant, right, is one of three youngsters being depicted on the massive mural. (Photo Damon Scott)

Marcus lives in Phoenix and was born and raised on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Reservation, just east of Scottsdale. He’s been painting graffiti and (like MacGregor) publicly sanctioned murals for many years in the Phoenix area.

MacGregor was born in Los Angeles and was influenced from an early age by classic art and the Art Nouveau style. His Mexican culture is an element that can also often be found in his work.

For 20 years, MacGregor has been creating gigantic portraits using different techniques, including one called “spray paint twisty shading.”

A mural of Seminole Kyle James Grant is being painted on the side of an apartment building in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. Up close you can see the traditional Seminole Tribe colors starting to take form on the shirt. (Photo Damon Scott)

His portraits are often of the faces of his friends, Mexican workers or anonymous people.

MacGregor’s work can be found not only throughout the U.S., but also in Mexico, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France, Singapore, Germany, Vietnam and Cuba.

MacGregor said that while there have been some weather delays with the Wynwood mural of Grant, the project is progressing well. He generally paints in the evening hours and has other crew members filling in details throughout the day.

To see the mural in progress, go to the south end of the popular Wynwood Walls outdoor museum – near NW 25th Street and NW 2nd Avenue – or walk to the east end of the Wynwood 25 development, located at 240 NW 25th St.

Damon Scott
Damon is a multimedia journalist for the Seminole Tribune. He has previously been an editor and reporter for digital and print media in Florida and his home state of New Mexico. Send him an email at damonscott@semtribe.com.
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