Centennial celebration exhibits

By MADOLINE MARKHAM

1908-2008: 100 Years of Election Cartoons
9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays through Jan. 4
State Historical Society of Missouri

This exhibit will feature editorial cartoon drawings that have critiqued and commented on presidential elections in the past 100 years.

"These cartoons demonstrate that many recent issues in presidential elections have been issues for the past century," said Joan Stack, art curator at the State Historical Society of Missouri. "At the same time, one may note how the political parties have changed and evolved over time. Some of the cartoons are funny, but some are more poignant than comical."

The exhibit will include the work of artists such as Daniel Fitzpatrick, Bill Mauldin, S. J. Ray and Tom Engelhardt.

Alley Oop By V.T. Hamlin

Hamlin attended the MU School of Journalism for one semester in 1920.

"Alley Oop was a success due to its appeal to children and adults alike," said Katie Carr of Ellis Library’s special collections.

"Hamlin’s fantastic artwork as well as the popularity of time travel and dinosaurs enhanced the strip’s sensation," Carr said.

Jack and Carole Bender, the current artists of the comic strip, will attend the opening reception Sept. 10.

Early Issues of Historical Newspapers
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sept. 10 through Sept. 12
Marvin D. McQueen Rotunda, Lee Hills Hall

Three historically significant Missouri papers from the archives of the MU School of Journalism will be on display.

The first is an original copy of Vol. 1, No. 3, of the Missouri Gazette from 1808. The paper was the first published in Missouri, 13 years before Missouri was admitted to the Union.

In addition, the first issue of the University Missourian (now the Columbia Missourian), dated Sept. 14, 1908, will be showcased.

The Sept. 14, 2008, edition of the Columbia Missourian, when it is published, will accompany the other two papers. It will be the first issue of the paper’s second century.

Thomas Engelhardt served as an artist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1962 to 1997, crafting more than 8,000 cartoons. The exhibit contains cartoons dealing with Missouri politics as well as national issues such as civil rights, health care and special interest groups.

“Many of the issues Engelhardt raised in his cartoons are just as poignant and controversial today. He had a penchant to expose the potential failings of systems and elected officials,” said Joan Stack, art curator at the State Historical Society of Missouri.

This showcases several of the more than 100 Missouri newspapers that have been in existence for more than 100 years.

For each paper, a front page from a September 1908 issue will be displayed next to an issue from September 2008.

The exhibit will demonstrate how the medium has changed during the past century, including a reduction of headlines, stories and advertisements on the front page and the addition of photographs and graphics on the front page.

Papers in the exhibit include the Bolivar Free Press, Bowling Green Times, Centralia Fireside Guard, Columbia Daily Tribune, Eminence Wave-Current, Shelbina Democrat, St. Louis Daily Record, and University Missourian (now the Columbia Missourian).

Barber, Missouri Photo Workshop, 1957, Hannibal

The combination of art and documentary photographs aims to explore the different visions of the landscape and people of Missouri and its ever-changing heartland.

Newsy.com is a new online multi-perspective journalism Web site company led by Jim Spencer, a 1991 graduate of the MU Journalism School’s masters of arts program.

Each day, the site will publish online video segments that synthesize and present reporting of news outlets from around the world. The company chose to locate in Columbia to partner with the journalism school and to embrace the business-friendly environment it found here.

The reception, sponsored by Apple, will offer refreshments and tours.

Pictures of the Year International Showcase
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sept. 10 through Sept. 12
Reception area, Reynolds Journalism Institute

A selection of the world’s best photographs from the 38,000-image archive of Pictures of the Year International will be on display.

Fifty of the most memorable photographs from the past 65 years will be grouped thematically and displayed throughout the journalism school. Another photo montage from these years will be on display on panels outside Fisher Auditorium in Gannett Hall.

In addition, winners of the 65th annual competition can be seen in the foyer of the Reynolds Journalism Institute and in the rotunda in Lee Hills Hall.

This video features Missouri journalists reflecting on the role of Walter Williams and his Journalist’s Creed.

Williams was founding dean of the MU Journalism School and held the position from 1909 to 1939. He wrote the creed as a personal affirmation of journalism ethics.

All students were required to memorize the creed after it was incorporated into the 1914 Deskbook of the School of Journalism. The creed has now been published in more than 100 languages. This 12-minute presentation will be shown on an ongoing basis throughout the celebration.

Items given to the School of Journalism and to former dean Walter Williams have been gathered for this exhibit.

Part of the exhibit features gifts from the school’s long-established relationship with Chinese media and government. The other part contains gifts from the school’s various study abroad program associations.

Included in the collection is the first press pass given by the Chinese Republic in 1912 to former MU journalism student Carl Crow. The collection also contains scrolls given as a gesture of friendship to MU students from journalism students at St. John’s University in Shanghai in 1921.