Unions' Public Art Blog

The square cases at the first level of the MU Student Center now feature two small but meaningful displays that continue our exploration of art, color, and community at Mizzou.  Exhibition Overview – First Level, MU Student Center Exhibition Overview – First Level, MU Student Center One case extends the spirit of Colors in CoMO , the exhibition on the ground level, by highlighting work by an MFA student from the School of Visual Studies. This display features a series of risograph prints that explore the visual possibilities of color combinations. Each print is organized around a distinct theme, showing how shifts in palette can create different moods, relationships, and visual rhythms. Together, the works invite viewers to think about color not simply as decoration, but as a language of structure, contrast, and emotion.                                    Oswaldo Garcia, Color Chart , 2025, 17...

Welcome to Colors in CoMO !  On the ground level of the MU Student Center, an exhibition that celebrates color not only as pigment on a surface, but as a reflection of the energy, character, and shared identity of the town we call home. Located in the heart of the University of Missouri, this exhibition brings together works that highlight different perspectives on Columbia, Missouri, creating a vivid and layered portrait of the community around us.   The exhibition features works by artists connected to Columbia, including Joel Chrisman, Frank Stack, Janice Atkins,  as well as student artists whose works were contributed through our collaboration with MSA. Together, these artists offer a rich and varied exploration of CoMO through painting, printmaking, mixed media, and wearable art. Exhibtion Overview, Ground Level, MU Student Center Drawn from the collections of the MU Student Unions, Joel Chrisman’s artworks transport viewers to the quiet landscapes just beyond Columb...

March is National Women's History Month and so we recognize the contributions made by women to the development of our university! The Missouri Student Unions invite you to view the annual exhibition, "Celebrating Women's History at Mizzou," in the first level Mort's cases at the MU Student Center.   Exhibition Overview – First Level, MU Student Center Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the Pres...

This exhibition is presented in two spaces within the MU Student Center: Mort’s Cases on the first floor and the Tradition Cases on the second floor. Using the “Border War” as its central thread, the exhibition traces how the nineteenth-century Missouri–Kansas border conflict and its violence were remembered, reshaped, and ultimately carried into modern campus sports culture. Rather than simply telling a story about history or athletics, the exhibition offers insight into the historical roots behind today’s competitive sports rivalries. The two spaces reflect this journey: the first floor explores historical violence and the formation of memory, while the second floor examines the continuation of rivalry through athletic tradition and emotion.  Exhibition Overview – First Level, MU Student Center Part I: Mort’s Cases The Violence of the Border War and Its Political Imagery The first-floor display begins with the nineteenth-century conflict along the Missouri–Kansas border. After ...

On the ground level and first level of the MU Student Center, visitors can now explore an exhibition featuring works by BFA and MFA students from the School of Visual Studies, presented in collaboration with the MSA (Missouri Student's Association). The exhibition is installed in the Student Center Lower Display Cases and Square cases and will remain on view through April 15, 2026 . This exhibition brings together painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, and mixed media, showcasing student artists’ diverse explorations of themes such as the self, identity, social structures, and cultural values. In conjunction with the celebration of MLK Month, the exhibition also features three student works recommended by the MSA, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s enduring commitment to equality, justice, and cultural respect.                          Exhibtion Overview, Ground Level, MU Student Center I. Self and Vi...

On the ground level of the MU Student Center, visitors can now explore an exhibition that brings renewed attention to one of the University of Missouri’s most significant yet often overlooked historical resources: The Savitar . As MU’s yearbook from 1894 to 2005, The Savitar documented generations of student life, campus culture, and institutional change. For decades, it served as the visual and textual archive upon which many of our past exhibitions, research projects, and interpretive narratives have relied. Panoramic view on the left       Panoramic view on the right The name “Savitar” derives from Hindu religious texts and serves as an epithet for the Vedic solar deity Surya. In the  Rig Veda , the earliest extant collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns, Savitar is described as a life-giving force and an all-seeing witness capable of discerning the moral actions of humankind. As a divine figure associated with vitality, observation, and judgment, Savitar provides a s...

On the first level of the MU Student Center, the Mort’s Case display is currently dedicated to the history of student activism at the University of Missouri. The exhibition highlights more than five decades of student-led movements, presenting archival photographs, and documents that trace how MU students have engaged with major national issues, campus concerns, and global political debates. Organized chronologically and thematically, the display illustrates how activism has shaped student life and contributed to broader discussions on civil rights, war, racial justice, and international solidarity.  Exhibition Overview – First Level, MU Student Center Exhibition Content The central header, “Student Activism” , introduces the overall theme. Across three glass sections, the display traces demonstrations related to: National debates— including protests against  the Vietnam War , and actions concerning capital punishment. Campus-specific concerns, such as responses to racism an...