CARROLLTON (KMZU) – A large-scale Missouri Bicentennial Mural is scheduled to be dedicated at the state capitol today.

Cape Girardeau artists Aaron Horrell and Barb Bailey are the masterminds behind the 4-year endeavor, traveling across the state with canvas and paint supplies, inviting the public to paint within a small triangle of the mural.

“This is had never been done before,” Horrell says of the endeavor. “This was a big project for the state, but we knew it could be accomplished.”

The 15-panel mural measuring 12ft x 30ft is the result of hard work, determination, and meticulous planning by the artists. A mind boggling 16,116 mural painters, from 358 Missouri towns, 30 states and Washington D.C., and 17 countries completed the mural in time to commemorate Missouri’s 200 years of statehood.

“We made arrangements to travel to different parts of the state, or people could stop by the studio and paint here,” explained Bailey. “But when Covid hit and everything shut down, we had to cancel all our events.”

After restrictions were lifted and everyday life returned to a bit of normalcy, the artists were back travelling the state to complete the project on time, meeting new people along the way.

“We have a lot of great, wonderful people living in the state. Every day working people – from truck drivers, to farmers, preachers, bankers, lawyers, and young people and old people helped paint this mural,” Horrell and Bailey stated. “We didn’t turn anyone away.”

The oldest painter was 102-year-old Cape Girardeau woman, and the youngest painter, with help from her father, was 12 days old.

But the person who made the most impact on the artists was a 10-year-old girl with muscular disabilities.

“This girl was in a wheelchair and had a difficult time holding her brush to paint. I had to bend down so I could talk to her because she couldn't lift her head up to look at me. When she finished, she signed “thank you.” Horrell adds, “if you want to knock out an old man, that’s how to do it. I’ll never forget that moment.”

The girl’s triangle on the crayfish was the only spot on the mural not completely painted, and Bailey says it will stay that way.

“Her mother and grandmother wanted to finish it, but we said no. That was the way she painted it, so that’s the way it stayed.”

Images on the mural include various historical state symbols, ranging from the state dessert (ice cream cone) to the state dinosaur (Hadrosaur), and everything in between. As a result of this project, the St. Louis Arch officially became the newest state symbol.

“We chose the state symbols after Barb suggested it,” says Horrell. “We spent several days trying to decide what we would have on this mural to represent Missouri. The symbols made sense, so we ended up including 19 symbols that were photogenic.”

The mural even caught the attention of many state and local lawmakers, including lieutenant governor Mike Kehoe, who the duo credit as instrumental to its completion. The artists enjoyed two invites to the capitol, and another to the governor’s mansion because of the project.

The mural is an endorsed project of Missouri 2021, a statewide initiative of the State Historical Society of Missouri to promote a better understanding of the region, its communities, and people to commemorate Missouri’s bicentennial.

The two artists indicate they wish to expand the “Paint for a Cause” concept in a future project but have no solid plans currently.

To view the Missouri Bicentennial Mural, the public is invited to visit during regular hours at the Truman State Office building, Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

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