Stephen Mopope

Stephen Mopope (1898–1974) was a Kiowa painter, dancer, and Native American flute player from Oklahoma. He was the most prolific member of the group of artists known as the Kiowa Six.

Early life Stephen Mopope was born on 27 August 1898 near the Redstone Baptist Mission on the Kiowa Reservation in Indian Territory. Qued Koi was his Kiowa name, which translates as "Painted Robe," and is sometimes spelled, "Wood Coy." His maternal grandfather was Appiatan, a famed Kiowa warrior, and his great-uncles were Silver Horn and Oheltoint (Ohettoint), both of whom were accomplished artists. Oheltoint was one of the Fort Marion ledger artists. in which they were coached and encouraged by Edith Mahier.

Kiowa Six The Kiowa Six included Mopope as well as fellow artists Spencer Asah, James Auchiah, Jack Hokeah, Lois Smoky and Monroe Tsatoke. Auchiah was the last to join the group at OU in 1926. Besides being a visual artist, he was a highly accomplished dancer and flute-player.

Mopope's work was part of Stretching the Canvas: Eight Decades of Native Painting (2019–21), a survey at the National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center in New York.

Mopope's granddaughter Vanessa Jennings is a Kiowa/Apache/Pima beadwork artist and regalia maker.

Public collections Mopope's work can be found in the following public art collections:

Anadarko City Museum Anadarko Community Library Bank of America Collection, Phoenix, Arizona Brigham City Museum of Art & History, Brigham City, Utah City of Anadarko Cleveland Museum of Art Dartmouth College Collection Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The George Gustav Heye Center Gilcrease Museum Heard Museum Indian Arts and Crafts Board, US Department of the Interior Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art McNay Art Museum Museum of Northern Arizona, Katherine Harvey Collection Museum of New Mexico Millicent Rogers Museum National Gallery of Art Oklahoma Art Center Oklahoma Historical Society Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Oklahoma State Art Collection Oklahoma Science and Art Foundation, Gerrer Collection Peabody Essex Museum Philbrook Museum of Art Southwest Museum Seminole Public Library Smithsonian American Art Museum Southern Plains Indian Museum University of Oklahoma, Library Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian Woolaroc Museum

Death On 2 February 1974, Mopope died at Fort Cobb, Oklahoma.