Tom Benton’s ‘Missouri,’ from mural to movie

It was “over a few root beer floats” one night that James Bogan and Frank Fillo decided to make a documentary of Thomas Hart Benton’s “A Social History of the State of Missouri,” the mural housed in the Missouri State Capitol.

Bogan, a Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus of art at Missouri S&T, and Fillo, a video producer for the University of Missouri System at the time, created a 30-minute film that captured the story of the painting — and of Missouri, from Benton’s perspective. Created in 1991, the film won seven awards. It was re-mastered in high-definition format in 2012 and is available for download along with course curriculum for use in classrooms across Missouri and elsewhere.

Share This Story

Spark a Memory?

Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).

Leading a national lab

Leading a national lab

At Sandia National Laboratories, Joan Woodard, a mathematics graduate in 1973, was the executive vice president and deputy laboratories director…

Andrea (Clements) and Zachary Weber

Andrea (Clements) and Zachary Weber

Andrea (Clements) Weber, a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, met her husband, Zachary, when one of her sorority sisters…

Rebuilding a flooded town

Rebuilding a flooded town

At its happening, the Flood of ‘93 was one of the worst crises to have ever impacted the St. Louis…

George Mueller: ensuring the ‘moonshot’

George Mueller: ensuring the ‘moonshot’

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,” President John F. Kennedy said…

Tabitha (Fiske) and Brian Locke

Tabitha (Fiske) and Brian Locke

Tabitha (Fiske) and Brian Locke met in December 2009 when she dropped by a friend’s room to get help with…

Jack Ridley: a humanist among engineers

Jack Ridley: a humanist among engineers

Jack Ridley, who won many teaching awards during his career, describes the circumstances he faced as a new...