The State Historical Society of Missouri opened its latest exhibition this month at the newly renamed William Guitar Little Missouri Gallery of Art in the Center for Missouri Studies. Formerly the SHSMO Art Gallery, the space is renamed to honor Columbia resident Bill Little, whose generous gifts will help fund new art acquisitions.
“The William Guitar Little gift will endow a fund for the acquisition of historically important artworks and the maintenance of our art collection, enhancing our ability to preserve Missouri’s cultural heritage for future generations,” said SHSMO Art Curator Joan Stack.
Stack, along with SHSMO Executive Director Gary Kremer, Senator Roy Blunt, University of Missouri President Mun Choi, and artist Nora Othic of Marceline, Mo., spoke at the gallery dedication attended by many friends and family of Bill Little. The painting Snowbird in Winter by Othic was unveiled and gifted to the Wiliam Guitar Little Missouri Gallery of Art in honor of Bill’s support of the arts.
“Bill has provided a legacy with his sense of curiosity, his appreciation for art, community, and Missouri history,” said Brian Treece, former mayor of Columbia. Mary Phillips, chair of the University of Missouri Truman School of Government & Public Affairs Advisory Board, also attended the ceremony and commented that she enjoys her conversations with Little, whose knowledge on topics from art to business is remarkable. “I appreciate everything he has done, not just for our community, but communities across the country,” said Phillips.
The dedication ceremony can be viewed here.
Following the ceremony renaming the gallery, attendees had a chance to see the new exhibition, Mail Carrier with a Camera, featuring the captivating photographs of Burford Royston, a mail carrier who documented mid-twentieth-century rural life in southern Howard County. The exhibition, which runs through September, coincides with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Post Office, founded in 1775.
In more than seventy-five images, the exhibition shows daily life in a rural community where small family farms had not yet given way to larger, more specialized operations. The images were selected from hundreds of slides donated to the State Historical Society from the Burford Royston family with assistance from SHSMO volunteer Susan Vale. Susan also provided funding for the exhibition as well as a generous gift to help support the production of a book featuring a selection of Royston's photographs that will be published by the State Historical Society this summer.
The Burford Leon Royston Collection includes 843 images and is available to view online at digital.shsmo.org .