Missouri 2021 is excited to announce that the Missouri State Fair has joined the Bicentennial Alliance!

“The Missouri State Fair is the perfect venue to partner with the Bicentennial Alliance as the showcase for the best of the best from our great state,” said Mark Wolfe, Missouri State Fair Director. “We are proud to work with the Alliance to bring many of the Bicentennial activities and exhibits to the 2021 Fair in Sedalia, August 12-22.”

The Bicentennial Alliance is a coalition of statewide non-profit organizations and government agencies working together to develop and promote projects commemorating the Missouri Bicentennial throughout the Show-Me State. Visit missouri2021.org to see a wide variety of projects that are already underway by Alliance members. 

Missouri 2021 is excited to announce two new members of the Bicentennial Alliance: Missouri State Library and University of Missouri Office of Extension and Engagement. Both bring unique and exciting perspectives to the bicentennial commemoration.

“Part of Missouri’s great heritage is our proliferation of great authors and works about our state,” said Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, whose office includes the State Library. “Our State Library will be coordinating literature-based events to highlight books written by Missourians or based in Missouri, helping to bring a deeper context to the commemoration of our bicentennial.”

“As the state’s oldest public university, the University of Missouri is proud of the role MU alumni played in shaping our state’s rich history,” said Marshall Stewart, MU vice chancellor for extension and engagement. “We are excited to participate in the Bicentennial Alliance and look forward to the 2021 celebrations and the next chapter in Missouri’s history.”

The Bicentennial Alliance is a coalition of statewide non-profit organizations and government agencies working together to develop and promote statewide projects commemorating the Missouri Bicentennial. Learn more here. 

As you explore the Show-Me State this fall take your camera! Missouri 2021 is looking for photos of the state’s tremendous geographic and cultural diversity for the My Missouri 2021 Photograph Project.

Professional and amateur photographers are invited to capture and share the unique and meaningful aspects of place in Missouri. From these submissions, two hundred photographs will be selected to be part of a traveling exhibition in 2021 and a digital showcase on this website. The images will also be added to the permanent Missouri Bicentennial collection at the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Together these pictures will create a snapshot of the state’s physical and cultural landscape during its bicentennial that will be available to researchers, teachers and students, and the public for generations to come.

Learn more

Nearly a century ago, the Missouri State Fair Board published a “handbook of suggestions” for celebrating the Missouri Centennial. Dr. E. M. Violette provided a number of suggestions for local communities:

• unveil historical tablets marking events of “local importance”
• produce a dramatic presentation of Missouri history
• create an exhibit of “historical relics”
• arrange speeches on Missouri history
• enliven the occasion with bands and musical performances

A century later – in our fast paced digital age – what suggestions would you give to commemorate the Missouri Bicentennial in your local community? Please share feedback on Missouri 2021’s Facebook page. You can also read the entire handbook of suggestions online.

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Missouri 2021 is excited to announce two new members of the Bicentennial Alliance: Missouri Arts Council and Missouri Folk Arts Program. Both bring unique and exciting perspectives to the bicentennial commemoration.

“The Missouri Arts Council has been part of Missouri’s history for over 50 years,” said Michael Donovan, executive director of the 

Missouri Arts Council. “There is no better way to illustrate and celebrate the state’s bicentennial heritage than with the arts. In 2021, Missouri’s Bicentennial will come alive in our visual, literary, and performing arts.”  

The Bicentennial Alliance is a coalition of statewide non-profit organizations and government agencies working together to develop and promote statewide projects commemorating the Missouri Bicentennial.

Learn more

Happy birthday, Missouri!

Today, August 10, 2018, marks Missouri’s 197th anniversary of statehood and places us one year closer to the Missouri Bicentennial in 2021.

Under the Missouri 2021 banner, the State Historical Society of Missouri is coordinating a statewide ccommemoration that incorporates both rural and urban communities in projects, programs, and events.

This year has been a busy year for Missouri 2021. As of today, Missouri 2021 has met with people and grou

ps in 80 counties and the City of St. Louis to talk about planned and proposed Bicentennial-related activities.

Two new partners have joined the Bicentennial Alliance: the Missouri Folk Arts Program and the Missouri Arts Council.

Missouri 2021 has also launched two new programs exploring Missouri’s history and culture at the occasion of its bicentennial in 2021—the My Missouri 2021 Photograph Project and the Missouri 2021 Endorsement Program.

And today, on the state’s 197th anniversary of statehood, Missouri 2021 is unveiling a completely redesigned and updated website.

The new site includes information about all of the ways you can get involved with planning and commemorating Missouri’s 200th year as a state.

Missouri 2021 continues to be active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If you are not already following us, we invite you to start now. We are using these platforms to share information about Missouri Bicentennial planning and activities. Missouri 2021 also welcomes queries or comments at contact@missouri2021.org.

Thank you for your interest in the Missouri Bicentennial!

“We want to ensure that Missourians—both at home and abroad—will walk away from the bicentennial experience with a greater appreciation of the state’s history and its diverse communities and cultures. Missourians are a dynamic, innovative, and persistent group of people. The bicentennial is an excellent reason for all Missourians to evaluate who we are and consider who we will be.” – Michael Sweeney, Bicentennial Coordinator

SHSMO’s bicentennial coordinator Michael Sweeney presents at the Friends of Arrow Rock Annual Meeting.

Join the State Historical Society of Missouri at two upcoming bicentennial programs! On June 6 SHSMO’s bicentennial coordinator Michael Sweeney will share what plans are in place for Missouri’s 200th birthday on August 10, 2021, and how you can join in the commemoration. This program will be held at 7 p.m. in the Missouri State Museum’s History Hall, located in the east wing of the Missouri State Capitol, 201 West Capitol Avenue. To access the Capitol after 5:30 p.m., enter through the garage on the east side of the building.

You can also learn more about Missouri’s Bicentennial at 2 p.m. on June 12 in Washington, Missouri. “Your Missouri Story: Finding Your History and Helping Write It through the Bicentennial” will be hosted by the Washington Historical Society at 113 East 4th Street. The session will cover Missouri 2021’s new projects and programs, and attendees will learn tips to help them discover their history within the State Historical Society of Missouri’s vast collection. Since 1898 SHSMO has been entrusted to collect, preserve, and share the state’s history, giving a voice to the people who helped build this country.

The State Historical Society of Missouri is developing a new online Missouri Encyclopedia for the Missouri Bicentennial. To be comprehensive, the editorial team needs your help. Who are the people and what are the places and events that shaped your community, your county, and your region? Contribute topic suggestions online.

The Missouri Encyclopedia seeks to provide concise, informative articles on subjects significant to the history of Missouri and its region. This online resource for general audiences will launch in 2021. Visit the website or download the flyer for more information, including writer’s guidelines and sample articles.

The intersection of Missouri Highway 11 and Route Y in northeast Missouri, facing northwest.

The State Historical Society of Missouri has launched two new programs exploring Missouri’s history and culture at the occasion of its bicentennial in 2021—the My Missouri 2021 Photograph Project and the Missouri 2021 Endorsement Program.

The My Missouri 2021 Photograph Project invites professional and amateur photographers to submit their work for an exhibition that will run during the bicentennial. Two hundred images will be selected and exhibited at the Society’s future headquarters building in Columbia and other sites around the state in 2021. The photos will also be featured in a digital collection on the Missouri 2021 website.

The project will create a lasting visual retrospective of the state’s physical and cultural landscape at the time of its bicentennial. The 200 selected photos will become part of SHSMO’s permanent bicentennial collection, where they will remain available to researchers, teachers, students, and the general public.

Learn More about My Missouri 2021

The Missouri 2021 Endorsement Program creates a media partnership with local organizations seeking to develop and host their own bicentennial activities or to brand existing community offerings for the bicentennial year. Endorsed programs and events receive acknowledgment from the State Historical Society and are granted permission to use Missouri 2021 logos according to established guidelines. Endorsed programs or events will also be publicized on the Missouri 2021 website. See the current list of projects.

Learn More about Endorsements