Check out our current exhibits!
Historic Arrow Rock
June 2, 2012
9:00 a.m.
Arrow Rock State Historic Site Visitor’s Center
39521 Visitor Center Drive
Arrow Rock, MO 65320
To celebrate the opening of the Black History Museum, Friends of Arrow Rock are offering this exhibit with special presentations by Timothy Baumann, Gary R. Kremer, and Teresa Van Buren Habernal. Exhibit opens at 9:00 am; presentations begin at 10:00 am. Go to friendsofarrowrock.org.

Rudi Keller
June 16, 2012
9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
In his popular “150 Years Ago” column for The Columbia Daily Tribune, Rudi Keller often has to compose thumbnail sketches of individuals from the Civil War period on tight deadlines. Learn about the resources he turns to time and again for accurate information in a hurry: Goodspeed’s county histories, the SHSMO surname index, Ancestry.com, and other well-developed lineage directories. SHSMO Curator Joan Stack has studied the visual culture of the period, from patriotic envelopes to printed currency and illustrated newspapers such as Harper’s Weekly and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. She will share with you how to draw important conclusions from these historical records. And Reference Specialist Amy L. Waters will show you how to use government records, including census, military service, land, and pension, to determine the part your ancestors played in this national conflict. Reserve your spot by June 12 at (573) 882-7083. $25 nonmembers • $15 members
KWOS 950 AM
June 18, 2012
8:20 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Join the conversation with hosts John Marsh and Warren Krech as they visit with SHSMO Director Gary R. Kremer from 8:20 to 9:00 am, the third Monday of each month: May 21, June 18, and July 16.
KWOS 950 AM
July 16, 2012
8:20 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Join the conversation with hosts John Marsh and Warren Krech as they visit with SHSMO Director Gary R. Kremer from 8:20 to 9:00 am, the third Monday of each month: May 21, June 18, and July 16.

Essex Garner's Colored Infantry Series
July 21, 2012
1:30 p.m.
Join Essex Garner for an exhibition of his work illustrating the plight of Colored Infantry soldiers in the Civil War. Garner brings focus to the importance of colored soldiers’ ability to read in order to support effective communication within the command structure. A retired Army and National Guard professional with more than twenty-five years’ active service, Garner served much of that time as a military illustrator,
artist, and draftsman. With art education and fine arts degrees from Lincoln University, Essex is currently pursuing a graduate degree in art education at MU. He will share his working methods, research into imagery, how he proceeds with a picture, and what he hopes his art conveys.
A reception with the artist will follow the program.

The retired artist sat on a barrel in the shade close by.
Thomas Hart Benton illustration for
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
July 29, 2012
2:00 p.m.
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, Hannibal
120 North Main Street
Hannibal, MO
SHSMO will lend an exhibition of Benton drawings illustrating Mark Twain’s classics The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal. This month-long exhibit will open with a free reception on July 29. Visitors will enjoy light refreshments and the opportunity to discuss the show with SHSMO staff. Curator of Art Collections Dr. Joan Stack will present a short lecture on the historical significance of artworks at 2:00 pm. Doors open at 1:00 pm. For information, call (573) 221-9010.

Thomas Hart Benton, The Harvest, from Year of Peril (1942-1942)
August 25, 2012
1:30 p.m.
Director of the Benton home in Kansas City Steve Sitton will present an illustrated lecture on Benton’s World War II paintings on display in the SHSMO exhibit, 1942: Thomas Hart Benton’s Year of Peril. The pictures were painted in Kansas City within a four-month period, and Sitton will consider them within the context of Benton’s life and political background in Missouri.
September 6, 2012
4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Explore the campus gallery and museum scene and treat yourself to an evening of music, snacks, prizes, and fun! Pre-crawl warm-up, 3:00 to 5:00 pm, at the Missouri Theatre. Sponsored by Art-i-Fact, a consortium of spaces where art, science, and culture are yours to explore.