Missouri to dedicate bicentennial mural painted by 16,116 citizens

The Missouri Bicentennial Mural, painted by 16,116 citizens across the state, including some from the Texas County area, will be dedicated at 2:30 p.m. June 23, 2022, at the Harry S. Truman State Office Building, 301 High St., Jefferson City. The large-scale mural was recently installed inside Harry’s Place Cafeteria, fourth floor of the Truman State Office Building, for the public to enjoy. The mural features 19 state symbols to commemorate Missouri’s 200 years of statehood.

Cape Girardeau artists Aaron Horrell and Barb Bailey traveled across parts of the state for several years with canvas and supplies to create a 15-panel mural measuring 12 feet tall and 30 feet wide. Horrell and Bailey invited the public to paint within a small triangle of the mural. The oldest painter was 102 years old and the youngest painter, with help from a family member, was 12 days old. Mural painters came from 358 Missouri towns, 30 states and Washington, D.C., as well as 17 countries since the painting began in 2019. Completed in 2021, the artists donated the mural as a gift to the people of Missouri.

The public can see the Missouri Bicentennial Mural during regular visitor hours when the Truman State Office Building is open, 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Bicentennial Mural is an endorsed project of Missouri 2021, a statewide initiative of the State Historical Society of Missouri to promote a better understanding of Missouri and its regions, communities and people to commemorate Missouri’s bicentennial.