Paint for a Cause project to help celebrate state's birthday

A pair of local artists have come up with an innovative way to celebrate Missouri's 200th birthday in 2021.

Aaron Horrell and Barb Baily are expanding their "paint for a cause" concept to become a statewide endeavor.

It will be a 30-feet by 10-feet mural depicting objects identified by individuals or organizations.

Horrell's Paint for a Cause efforts open up painting to the public. Horrell sketches out the mural, and participants can, for a small fee, paint part of the mural. The end product is therefore a communal project completed by many painters. The Missouri mural project, however, will not charge painters who want to participate.

Horrell and Bailey expect the project to be complete within two years, when factoring the planning and travel, according to a recent story by Marybeth Niederkorn. Volunteers across 20 cities will paint the mural.

The goal is to display the finished mural inside the Missouri State Capitol or the Truman building.

"We want it to be where the public has access to come see it," Bailey said. "This is historic and by far the biggest thing we've ever done."

This sounds like a great project to celebrate the state's big birthday. Horrell and Bailey are hoping to secure sponsors to help pay for the project. More information can be found on the Missouri Bicentennial Paint for a Cause Facebook page.

We wish Horrell and Bailey much luck on the project. It should be a colorful journey.