April 23, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

The Ioway in Missouri

Ioway leader MaxúThka (White Cloud), c. 1784 – 1834. State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia

Though not as well known in the annals of Missouri history as their long-time enemies the Osage, the Ioway Indians have resided within the state’s borders since at least the mid-eighteenth century and, by the opening decade of the nineteenth century, claimed all of the state north of the Missouri River.  However, Ioway control over the land was short-lived, and, by 1837, the tribe was confined to a two hundred square-mile reservation in northeast Kansas.  The westward expansion of the United States and the economic and social changes that came with it altered the lives of the Ioway forever.  Join Greg Olson, Curator of Exhibits and Special Projects at the Missouri State Archives, for an engaging look at the people, culture, and history of one of Missouri’s most historically significant Indian tribes.

May 16, 2009, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m

Folk Arts Festival
Memorial Park, Jefferson City

Bobbie Ferrier demonstrates weaving a shawl on a triangle loom.

For the third year, Memorial Park will be the setting for a unique gathering of talented folk artists, musicians, and craftsmen. The festival will highlight Missouri's folk art traditions with music, storytelling, and decorative arts. The outdoor celebration will provide people of all ages with an opportunity to view live demonstrations of traditional basket weaving, chair caning, loom weaving, quilting, and wood lathing. Good food, an assortment of craft vendors, a variety of musical performances, and a beautiful park setting are sure to make this a family tradition.

This event is free to the public.

June 4, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

Painting Missouri: The Counties en Plein Air

Jesse James' boyhood home near Kearney, Missouri in Clay County

In Painting Missouri, award-winning artist Billyo O'Donnell captures the state of Missouri by creating an outdoor painting on location-en plein air-for each of Missouri's 114 counties, plus the city of St. Louis. Accompanying the paintings are essays by Karen Glines, who provides essential historical information about the counties, from interesting facts about their names to the stories behind their courthouses. Drawing on her extensive research in local historical societies, Glines shares the early histories of the state's diverse regions, including local anecdotes, Civil War stories, and insights into the roles of Native Americans in regional history. Through a unique combination of words and art, the paintings and essays combine to create a rich portrait of the Show-Me state.

July 16, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

The Indomitable Mary Easton Sibley: Pioneer of Women’s Education in Missouri

Acknowledged as a significant figure in the history of women on the early western frontier, Mary Easton Sibley may be little known to modern readers.  Although Sibley’s life has been told in older accounts, Kristie Wolferman’s book is the first to fully draw on Mary and George Sibley’s journals and letters, which shed light on Sibley’s views regarding women’s social and political roles, slavery, temperance, and religion. Wolferman depicts not merely a frontier heroine and educational pioneer, but an assertive woman who did not hesitate to express unconventional views.