Bicentennial

CENTER FOR MISSOURI STUDIES

TO SERVE AS VENUE FOR BICENTENNIAL EXHIBITS, SPEAKER

As the Center for Missouri Studies at 605 Elm St. is prepared for its grand opening on Aug. 10, there already are bicentennial exhibits and events that will use it as a venue, including a planned "signature event."

The 76,700-square-foot building will house the State Historical Society of Missouri and its collections, which includes 58,000 reels of microfilm, 30,000 pieces of art, 12,000 Civil War manuscripts, maps dating to the early 1700s and more than 6 million photographs.

The five-story center will have an auditorium, art gallery, gift shop, classrooms, administrative offices and several other rooms.

Michael Sweeney, Missouri Bicentennial coordinator, said a Missouri Bicentennial quilt will be on display in the center by the end of 2021. The State Historical Society and Missouri Star Quilt Co. in Hamilton

BY ROGER MCKINNEY | Columbia Daily Tribune

have teamed up for the project, which is underway now. The historical society is seeking a quilt block from each Missouri county and the city of St. Louis, with blocks representing an aspect of geography or culture or a landmark of the respective counties. When more than one block for a county is submitted, a committee of judges will make the official selection. Missouri Star Quilt Co. will assemble the quilt after all selections are made.

Mary Bonnette is spokeswoman for the quilt company. The company ships 50,000 orders each month from its 150,000-square-foot distribution center. "We're absolutely thrilled to be a small part of the state's bicentennial celebration," Bonnette said. "People will view the quilt for generations to come. Quilts have told stories for centuries."

She said some other states have done quilts for their bicentennials.

For the "My Missouri 2021" photography project, 200 photographs will be selected to be part of the permanent Missouri Bicentennial collection, submitted by Missourians. Photographs must be received by Nov. 1, 2019. Notification of selections will be made by Jan. 31, 2020. The photos will be part of a digital exhibition on the Missouri 2021 website and physically exhibited at the Center of Missouri Studies and other locations throughout the state.

Information about submitting quilt blocks and photos are on the Missouri 2021 website. There also is a Missouri 2021 Facebook page.

Sweeney said there would be other bicentennial events and speakers in 2021, but many are still in the planning stages. "We're planning a signature event at the center that year," Sweeney said,adding that he couldn't say any more about it. "Some things are still tentative."

Construction continues on the Center for Missouri Studies at Sixth and Elm Streets. A grand opening of the new building which will preserve Missouri’s history is scheduled for Aug. 10. [DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]