Author Bob Priddy to speak Dec. 9 at The Centre

Author Bob Priddy

Well known author and historian Bob Priddy will be among the notable featured speakers who will be part of the The Way We Worked, the newest Smithsonian Institution exhibit which will be on display at The Centre (1200 N. Holloway Street) from Nov. 19 through Dec. 17, 2011. The exhibit is part of the Missouri Humanities Council’s Museum on Main Street program which is sharing the stories of how work became a central element in American culture and the many changes affecting the workforce and work environments over the past 100 years.

The News Director of The Missourinet, a statewide commercial radio network, and historian who has written five books which focus on Missouri history, Priddy has written four books which focus on Missouri history – three of which are based on his popular daily radio program “Across Our Wide Missouri.” 

His fourth book is a biography of Missouri’s most prominent and controversial 20th century artist and his great painting at the Missouri Capitol: “Only The Rivers Are Peaceful: The Missouri Mural of Thomas Hart Benton.” His newest book, “The Art of the Missouri Capitol, History in Canvas, Bronze and Stone,” is written with co-author Jeffrey Ball, and was released in May, 2011. 

Priddy will provide a fascinating overview of Missouri’s history during his talk on Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at The Centre (1200 N. Holloway Street). Priddy will also be doing a book signing immediately following the event. This event is free and open to the public. On Saturday, Dec. 10, Priddy will be at Reader’s Corner, (located at 819 North Pine Street in Rolla), for a book signing from 9 a.m. to 12-noon.

For more information on additional speakers and special events planned for the month-long exhibit, please visit the City of Rolla’s Website at http://www.rollacity.org and click on “The Way We Worked” tab at the top of the page.

The Way We Worked exhibition focuses on why we work and the needs that our jobs fulfill, featuring multiple interpretive opportunities for visitors through large graphics, audio components, relevant objects and work clothing. The exhibition explores the tools and technologies that enabled and assisted workers, which led to a faster, more complex and often more stressful work environment, the diversity of the American workforce, and how individuals and communities identify themselves with work. 

Visitors are free to travel through the exhibit on their own or with a guide. Guides help visitors personally connect to the exhibit through conversations and observations on the exhibit themes. 

The Way We Worked, which began in Ste. Genevieve at The Bolduc House Museum (Oct. 8 – Nov. 5, 2011), will continue the tour in Rolla from Nov. 19 – Dec. 17. Additional stops will include the following cities throughout 2011 and 2012:

• Poplar Bluff—Jan. 3- Jan. 31, 2012, Wheatley Historic Preservation
• Fulton—Feb. 11- March 10, 2012 The National Churchill Museum
• Lawson—March 24- April 21, 2012, Watkins Wollen Mill State Park & State Historic Site
• Savannah—May 5- June 2, 2012, Andrew County Museum & Historical Society

For more details about The Way We Worked exhibit tour that will be hosted at The Centre from Nov. 19-Dec. 17, please contact Scott Caron, the City’s Recreation Director, at 573-341-2386  or Loretta Wallis, Global Relations Manager, Brewer Science, at 573-364-0444, ext. 1357. For information on volunteering, please contact Arts Rolla at 573-364-5539 or e-mail Linda Giger at lgiger@fidnet.com.