Introduction to the Exhibition
Art Along the Rivers: A Bicentennial Celebration Exhibition Overview
The 200th anniversary of Missouri’s statehood provides an opportunity to explore the vibrant creative heritage of the area surrounding St. Louis. The exhibition Art Along the Rivers: A Bicentennial Celebration brings together more than 150 extraordinary works of art produced or collected within the confluence region, an elongated area that crosses through present-day Missouri and Illinois. Though small, this region has played an outsize role in the history of North America due to the meeting of powerful rivers, trails, and routes within its borders.
The exhibition acknowledges the inequities and conflicts in the confluence region that empower some artistic voices and silence others. Missouri’s statehood was granted with the deep scars of legalized slavery. This situation imposed inhumane conditions on the life experience and creative expression of African Americans. Indigenous peoples, including the Osage, Illini, Missouria, and ancient Mississippians, served as the land’s caretakers for centuries. In 1803 the United States claimed political control of the region, leading white Americans and an aggressively expansionist US government to seek land title through treaty negotiations. In 1808, for instance, the sovereign Osage nation negotiated their first treaty with the US government that transferred title to their lands in the confluence region. Works by Osage artists in the exhibition convey powerful themes of cultural survival from the reservation era to the present day.
Art Along the Rivers amplifies the many complex stories offered by the remarkable works of art it presents. The exhibition comprises an incredible variety of objects produced over 1,000 years. Arranged into five thematic sections, these artworks engage each other and the viewer in vibrant and often surprising dialogues that reveal their individual and collective visual power.
Art Along the Rivers Thematic Sections
The exhibition Art Along the Rivers: A Bicentennial Celebration and corresponding Educator Resource are organized into five thematic sections. Each of these five thematic sections weaves together artworks from diverse makers, and time periods, who have influenced the history, culture, and artistic heritage of the confluence region. Select the icons below to access each section.
Within Each Thematic Section, You Will Find:
- A section overview describing the theme for that section.
- An introductory video from the curators explaining the theme and highlighting works of art.
- Key terms.
- Thematic questions for discussion.
- Images of selected works of art that illustrate the theme and the breadth of artwork in the exhibition.
- Looking prompts for each work of art.
- Connection activities related to the artworks and theme of the section.
- A Looking Guide of images that may be downloaded and used in classes.
- A PowerPoint presentation for each section. Information about each artwork is included in the notes feature of the PowerPoints.
Missouri and Illinois Standards Connections
The Educator Resource for Art Along the Rivers: A Bicentennial Celebration is designed primarily for Missouri third grade, Illinois fourth grade, and middle school and high school social studies and visual arts students, but the content and activities in this resource may be adapted for a variety of grade levels and subject areas. For a comprehensive PowerPoint and PDF of images, please navigate to the bottom of this introductory page. These resources connect with Missouri and Illinois learning standards for a variety of subject areas and grade levels. Please visit the Standards Connections tab at the bottom of each page for links to standards for related content areas.
Acknowledgments
The Saint Louis Art Museum would like to thank the following teachers from the confluence region who provided valuable feedback on the project:
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Amanda Boxx, Kirkwood School District, Kirkwood, Missouri
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Amber Graham-Phillips, Cahokia Unit School District #187, Cahokia, Illinois
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Chris Robison, Giant City CCSD 130, Carbondale, Illinois
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Joshua Torres Wedding, St. Louis Public Schools, St. Louis, Missouri
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Leigh Palmer, Clayton School District, Missouri
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Marnie Claunch, EdD, University City School District, University City, Missouri
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Spenser Gaines, Ferguson-Florrisant School District, Ferguson, Missouri
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Stephanie Albert, School District of Washington, Washington, Missouri
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Stephen Schisler, Hannibal School District #60, Hannibal, Missouri
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Thomas Buffington, Mary Institute and St. Louis County Day School, St. Louis, Missouri
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Trenton Fulton, St. Louis Public Schools, St. Louis, Missouri
I would also like to extend special thanks to the following Saint Louis Art Museum staff for their input and support:
Latausha Cox, assistant educator, Teacher and Student Learning; M. Melissa Wolfe, curator of American art; Amy Torbert, assistant curator of American art; Amanda Thompson Rundahl, director of Learning and Engagement; Lesley Wellman, head of Multigenerational Learning; Ann Burroughs, head of Engagement and Interpretation; Kaitlyn Garbarino, Learning and Engagement assistant; Carol Spalding, senior administrative assistant to the director of Learning and Engagement; Sean O’Neal, director of Digital Experience and Media; Chad Curtis, head of Digital Platforms; Bryan Wiebeck, web developer; Cathryn Gowan, head of Digital Assets; Jason Gray, image rights manager; Jon Cournoyer, head of Design; Josef Krajnovich, graphic designer; and Katie Joyce, design project coordinator; Pat Crowe, director of Marketing and Communications; Emily Scott, Digital Marketing manager.
Thank you,
Kira Hegeman, associate educator, Teacher and Student Learning