Unions' Public Art Blog

"Mise-en-scène: Artistic Interpretations of Campus Scenes"  February 9, 2015 to March 10, 2015 First Floor, MU Student Center A new exhibition on display at the MU Student Center examines the ways in which three different artists interpret three different scenes of our campus in three different artistic media. Mise-en-scène , the title of the exhibition, refers to the arrangement of actors and scenery on a stage for a theatrical production. Mizzou's campus is the setting of life for our students, a life that can be banal or dramatic or comedic depending on the day. These art works draw attention to the diversity of settings in which campus life plays out.   Byron Smith (American, b. 1960), "Saturday Afternoon - Memorial Union", c. 1980-82, Lithograph, 2014.060, Unions Purchase An Artist's Vision of a Familiar Landmar k   Quick, energetic strokes form an image of a bustling campus hub, providing a glimpse of the life swirling around t

This year’s exhibition in honor of Black History Month explores several themes related to the story of African-American students, faculty and administrators at the University of Missouri. Sections focus on student activism that resulted in positive changes on our campus, administrators and athletes who broke the color barrier, and the early pioneers that challenged the university’s admission policy.  Organizations highlighted in the exhibition include the Legion of Black Collegians, a branch of student government that serves as the voice of MU’s black students, and the MU chapters of African-American fraternities and sororities.   Visit the Lower Lounge in the MU Student Center to learn more about Black History at Mizzou! Here are some highlights of the exhibition:  Gus T. Ridgel, MU's First Black Graduate Gus T. Ridgel and other students spend time in Read Hall, the former home of the Student Union in 1951. (2013.030, Donated by Dr. Gus. T. Ridgel)