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).

Anika (Stuckenschneider) and Jacob (Wang) Careaga

Anika (Stuckenschneider) and Jacob (Wang) Careaga

Anika (Stuckenschneider) met Jacob (Wang) Careaga during the spring of 1996 when he came over to her Kappa Delta sorority…

Jordan (Lynn) and Derek Voges

Jordan (Lynn) and Derek Voges

Jordan Lynn and Derek Voges met at a Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity party at the end of August in 2015….

Year after year, the ‘Best Ever’

Year after year, the ‘Best Ever’

Since George Menefee first donned a bishop’s hat and robe and rode a rail handcar into Rolla on March 17,…

Using glass to treat cancer

Using glass to treat cancer

An expert in developing specialty glasses for use in health care, transportation infrastructure and other applications, Delbert Day is known…

One man’s WWII timeline

One man’s WWII timeline

Jesse Bowen, EE’49, joined the Army during peacetime and was a radio operator for B-10 bombers. Immediately after Pearl Harbor…

Pitching in a World Series

Pitching in a World Series

The only Miner to ever pitch in a World Series game, Marvin H. “Baby Face” Breuer pitched for the New…