Missouri Artists Shine During 2nd Annual Show-Me Neighborhood Art Week; New Barn Quilt Exhibit in Springfield Spotlights Power of Teamwork

 

Missouri neighborhoods will once again become vibrant outdoor galleries during the 2nd Annual Show-Me Neighborhood Art Week, running June 1–15, 2025. This statewide celebration, organized by the University of Missouri Extension, invites residents to display creative projects outside their homes, schools, businesses, and shared public spaces.

Missourians can see a map to registered art in Missouri online here.

Voting for the People’s Choice Award opens June 1 and can be done online here.

There is still time between June 1 and June 15 to register your art to be included on the statewide map. During this Art Week into a time of creativity!

“Art is a powerful way to bring people together,” said David Burton, MU Extension community development specialist. “When neighbors create side by side, they build trust, take pride in where they live, and strengthen the bonds that make a community resilient.”

Participants were able to register their displays during April and May and now will compete for recognition in categories such as “Best in Show,” “People’s Choice” along with regional honors across all seven MU Extension regions. Last year’s inaugural event featured 73 registered sites and more than 1,100 People’s Choice votes, with 75% of participants reporting stronger neighborhood connections.

Artworks can take any form—from sidewalk chalk murals to yarn-wrapped trees, painted rocks, or repurposed materials. The goal is to turn creativity into community and make belonging visible.

Barn Quilts at the Springfield Botanical Center

Among the many art installations planned across Missouri, a standout project this year is unfolding in the atrium of the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center. Inside this community hub, six organizations—including Greene County MU Extension, Master Gardeners, Friends of the Garden, Springfield Sister Cities Association, Springfield-Greene County Park Board, and Greene County 4-H—have joined forces on a shared art initiative for the 2025 event.

Together, they’ve created a series of barn quilt blocks, each hand-painted by staff from different organizations housed within the center. The painted panels resemble traditional quilt squares but on a grand, wooden scale—symbolizing how each group brings its own “pattern” to a larger, unified whole.

The display theme, “Stronger Together,” celebrates the idea that cooperation strengthens communities. “Like individual quilt pieces stitched into one beautiful fabric, these barn quilts represent the power of working side by side,” said Burton.

This display not only beautifies the Botanical Center grounds but also offers a powerful message: when people pool their talents, passions, and resources, they can make a greater impact. Whether through gardening, conservation, education, or cultural exchange, the organizations involved are demonstrating what it means to collaborate for the common good.

Get Involved

Missourians can see a map to registered art in Missouri online here.

Voting for the People’s Choice Award opens June 1 and can be done online here.

There is still time between June 1 and June 15 to register your art to be included on the statewide map. During this Art Week into a time of creativity!

Whether you're an artist, a neighbor, or simply someone who loves where you live—Show-Me Neighborhood Art Week is your invitation to brighten your block and help paint a stronger, more connected Missouri.


Written by David L. Burton

MORE INFORMATION

Take the Engaged Neighbor pledge and become part of a movement! The pledge outlines five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge at https://nomoregoodneighbors.com. Individuals who take the pledge do get special invitations to future events online and in person. Contact the blog author, David L. Burton via email at dburton541@yahoo.com or visit his website at http://engagedneighbor.com.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Five Cities Named Most Neighborly in Missouri for 2024

Image
  Photo above: From a block party in Ferguson, Missouri. New to Missouri Good Neighbor Week this year was recognition for the most neighborly cities in the state.  This honor was based on points earned by participating in the week, city campaigns and proclamations, residents making nominations for most engaged neighbor and reporting acts of neighboring, and statewide or local prizes won.  "The goal was to further engage cities with Missouri Good Neighbor Week and we had over 12 pass proclamations and at least 12 that had organized city-wide efforts for Missouri Good Neighbor Week," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "We ended the week with over 31,000 documented acts of neighboring and five cities worthy of the title 'most neighborly city' in Missouri." In 2024, five cities were named the most neighborly cities in Missouri: Houston, Excelsior Springs, Sikeston,...
Read more

Missouri's Most Engaged Neighbors Honored as Part of Missouri Good Neighbor Week

Image
 Jessica Bueler, Saint Louis City, Missouri During Missouri Good Neighbor Week 2024, over 120 individuals were nominated as Missouri's Most Engaged Neighbor, and 22 were selected for individual recognition. Our Missouri celebration also got national attention from NextDoor, the social media company, whose leadership team worked with us to create a post that went out nationwide on NextDoor on Sept. 27.  You can access it here . At that point, another 50 nominations poured in from across the state. "The nominations were of really high quality this year," said David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension and creator of Missouri Good Neighbor Week. "Every nominee should have received a letter letting them know of the nomination and a memento, a Missouri Good Neighbor Week nominee keychain." The top nominees (22 this year) will receive a check for $100 and an official award certificate. In past years, there have been 50 to 60 n...
Read more

Results of 2024 Missouri Good Neighbor Week Exceed 30,000 Acts of Neighboring!

Image
  Several hands have been busy tabulating the final results from the 4th Annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week. While those volunteers and partners are invaluable, people like you are also worthy of thanks.  Individual Missourians who reported their acts of neighboring nominated someone for an award, or organized a block party! Or you were on one of 60 committees with University of Missouri Extension to organize county-level efforts that account for over 14,000 acts of neighboring this year!  No matter your role or level of involvement, thank you. On another positive note, the efforts in Missouri have not gone unnoticed. In the last month, I have received inquiries about the creation of other statewide neighbor weeks from Massachusetts, Michigan, Connecticut, California, Florida, Oklahoma, Washington, and Colorado. How exciting! Based on this year's results, the future seems bright. ENGAGED NEIGHBORS. We have already announced the 22 individuals being recognized as Missouri...
Read more