Calendar
Events
As part of its mission to generate interest and appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of the state and its people, the Society hosts a wide range of engaging and educational events for scholars and community members of all ages.
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November 30, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
| Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia
For centuries, the violin has been both a “people’s instrument” as well as a “palace” instrument that spans the globe. Whether called “violin” or “fiddle” (they are the same, just with differing customs of learning and performance), it continues to be enjoyed across many different traditions and communities.
December 2, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
| Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia
Join us for the 5th Annual Holiday Open House. Shop for gifts at the Richard Bookstore and visit the booths of many local vendors and artisans while strolling through the festively decorated Center for Missouri Studies. Enjoy holiday carols from members of Choral Arts Alliance of Missouri's Columbia Chorale from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be greeting visitors from 10 a.m. to noon. Visitors of all ages are welcome to take their own pictures with Santa, too!
December 7, 4:30 pm
| St. James
Join Kathleen Seale, coordinator of the Rolla Research Center, for a presentation on World War II letters written by Missouri soldiers throughout the duration of war. Walk through major events of the war through the eyes of those Missourians who experienced them. Free and open to the public.
December 12, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
| Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia
SHSMO executive director Gary Kremer connects the past to the present in his latest book as he ponders why history played out as it did over the course of two centuries since Missouri’s admittance to the Union.
Exhibitions
Art and educational exhibitions illustrate transformative moments in Missouri and U.S. history. The State Historical Society of Missouri houses exhibition galleries at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia. SHSMO also provides materials for display in galleries and exhibition spaces across the state.
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December 1, 8:30 am – February 29, 9:00 pm
| Library Station - Springfield
Created by the State Historical Society of Missouri's Springfield Research Center, "Winter in Missouri" provides viewers with a glimpse into the snowy scenes of Missouri's past while highlighting SHSMO's digital collections. On display at the Library Station in Springfield, the exhibit will run December through February, and is provided in partnership with Springfield-Greene County Public Library.
November 1, 10:00 am – March 30, 4:30 pm
| Columbia
This video Installation by Valerie Wedel, an art professor at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri, features enlarged, hand-painted copies of letters that are held in the archives of the State Historical Society of Missouri. The images have been artistically “aged” for effect, crumpled, torn, and scattered to represent controversies surrounding access to historical information. The reversed and animated texts symbolize breathing life back into these stories. These animations are intended to revive the texts.
September 26, 12:00 am – February 10, 11:59 pm
| Columbia
Since 1949, professional photographers from around the country, including Missouri, have captured images of life in rural Missouri towns as part of the Missouri Photo Workshop, established at the Missouri School of Journalism. SHSMO is hosting an exhibition marking the 75th anniversary of the workshops. Visitors can study more than 100 images taken in 51 towns across the state over the past 75 years.
May 4, 2023 – February 1, 2024
| Center for Missouri Studies, Columbia
Since the 1930s, environmental issues have played a growing role in shaping public policy in the United States. Decades of activism have called attention to the dangers of pesticides, pollution, deforestation, extinction, and climate change. This exhibition examines original editorial cartoons by Missouri artists that explore these environmental concerns. Open now through Winter 2023 during regular visitor hours in the SHSMO Art Gallery.
May 3, 2023 – December 3, 2026
| Center for Missouri Studies Art Gallery
Our gallery space includes a permanent exhibition of ten large World War II paintings created by Thomas Hart Benton between 1941 and 1943. These images reflect the anxiety, horror, grief, and resolve that Benton and his audience experienced after the U.S. entered WW II on December 7, 1941. Benton responded to the national crisis with a series of nightmarish visions of war, eight of which were purchased by Abbott Laboratories and exhibited in New York City in 1942.
Recent On Demand Programs
SHSMO has a selection of on demand programs that are freely available to worldwide audiences.
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Bill Eddleman, coordinator of the State Historical Society of Missouri Cape Girardeau Research Center presents the 16th installment in his basic genealogy series on the topic: “Salt, Schools, Swamps, Military Bounties, and Homesteads: Researching Non-standard Federal Lands.”
David Steward was the featured speaker in the State Historical Society of Missouri’s annual My Missouri Lecture on Oct. 28, 1 p.m. at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia, Mo. Steward is the founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, the largest Black-owned company in the United States. The civic and business leader will be in conversation with Gary Kremer, executive director of the State Historical Society, about how Steward’s upbringing in Clinton, Mo. and his Missouri experiences contributed to his success in building a technology company in St. Louis.
In 1972, Norma E. Short of Stover, Missouri, gained national attention for her role in a project called “Skylook.” A journalist by trade, Short rose from a columnist at the Salem Post to compiling and editing international reports of unknown objects in the sky. In this episode of Missouri Mysteries, Sean Rost, SHSMO assistant director of research, explores the curious case of Norma E. Short. This program was recorded live on Zoom on Oct. 18, 2023.
Learn about the history of the Western Conservatory of Music, originally established in Rolla in 1882. Later, the music school would move briefly to Carthage, then Kansas City, and finally to Chicago. Dr. David Samson, Missouri S&T assistant professor of music, talks about the history of the conservatory. Dr. Sampson's presentation was held before an audience at Missouri Science and Technology Curtis Laws Wilson Library in Rolla on Oct. 17, 2023, and recorded on Zoom. The presentation was cosponsored by the State Historical Society of Missouri and Missouri S&T Archives.
Learn more about the history of the Missouri University of Science and Technology radio station in Rolla, which has trained students in broadcasting since 1963. Dr. Jeff Schramm, KMNR’s faculty advisor, explores the station's 60-year history on campus. Unlike commercial radio, KMNR's format has been a free-form radio station, offering a wide variety of music and programs for its listeners. This program aired on Zoom 10-10-23 and was cosponsored by the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Missouri S&T Archives.