Park Central Branch Library
The Museum Studies Exhibit space is a component of the Art and Design Department and is operated by the faculty and students of the Art History & Visual Culture and Museum Studies Programs at Missouri State University.
The mission of the Museum Studies Exhibit Space is to provide exhibitions of art and artifacts from local museums and collections with interpretative labels and didactic display texts that have been researched and written by students and faculty of the Art History & Visual Culture and Museum Studies areas. As a service to the community, Museum Studies Exhibits are a public showcase for undergraduate scholarship and provide Museum Studies students with professional experience in curation and exhibition design.
The Museum Studies Exhibit Space is made possible by a 2024 Missouri Humanities Council Major Grant project directed by Dr. Billie Follensbee, which funded the purchase of the display cases for this exhibit space. The display cases have been placed on long-term loan with the Park Central Branch Library, in collaboration with the Department of Art and Design, Missouri State University.
Helping to Bring the Humanities to the Public Square
Exhibition Program Schedule, Spring 2026
Native Masks and Headdresses of the Americas
February 27 through June 15, 2026
Opening reception on March 6, 2026, First Friday Art Walk
The Americas are home to well over a thousand different indigenous cultural groups, and as in other world civilizations, these cultures produce a wide array of imaginative and beautifully crafted masks. Masks are used in the Americas to tell stories through theatrical performances as well as to serve in a variety of ritual activities. Likewise, Native peoples have also produced a multitude of colorful and elaborate forms of headdresses, and this headgear is used for many different functions, from indicating societal roles or occupations to showing artistic skill and style. Among indigenous American cultures, such headdresses also often indicate high status, and they may show membership in a cultural or spiritual group.
This exhibition features masks and headdresses produced by different Native cultures of North America, southern Central America, and South America that were researched by Emalie Neise, Rylee Williams, and Kari Mishler, students in the course ART487 Art of the Americas, taught by Prof. Billie Follensbee at Missouri State University. The headdresses and masks were loaned for study, research, and exhibition from the MSU Department of Art & Design collections and by generous local collectors.
The exhibitions on conservation and restoration in the Museum Studies Exhibit Space at Park Central Library Branch are curated by Dr. Billie Follensbee, Museum Studies Program Coordinator, and researched by advanced students in the MSU Museum Studies program.
Contact information:
Dr. Billie Follensbee, Department of Art and Design, Missouri State University
Email: BillieFollensbee@missouristate.edu
Telephone: 417-837-2337