Local children will have the opportunity to study the mural art work of famous Missouri painter Thomas Hart Benton at a special children’s program Saturday, Oct. 15, from 11 a.m.-noon at the National Churchill Museum.

Selected chapters from The Thomas Hart Benton Murals in the Missouri State Capitol: A Social History of the State of Missouri will be discussed.   Reading material will be furnished for children in advance.

Children will also have the opportunity to view the Benton Navy paintings, which are on display at the Museum and making their first ever appearance in Missouri, courtesy of the Navy Art Collection in Washington, D.C.

The program is free and appropriate for children ages 6-12. 

Parents should register their child by Monday, Oct. 10, since space is limited to 15 children. 

Registration may be completed by contacting Mandy Plybon, Education & Public Programs Coordinator at the Museum, at 573-592-6242 or by emailing her at mandy.plybon@churchillmemorial.org.

Born in Neosho, Missouri, in 1889, Thomas Hart Benton was known as a master visual storyteller through his work and was a pioneer in the regionalist art movement.

Some of his other work includes murals at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Missouri State Capitol Building and the Whitney Museum of American Art.