Please join us in making the new documentary,

 A Portrait of the Ozarks, a reality

A Portrait of the Ozarks is a feature-length documentary project that explores traditionalism in Ozarks life.  Using Shannon County as the focus of the project, our goal is to use the power of storytelling to explore how traditionalism is evident in the Ozarks today.  Preserved by descendants of the early settlers, but also adopted by the newer residents wishing to get back to the land, traditionalism shapes much of the culture of the rural Ozarks.

This documentary is a follow-up to the very popular two-part production released in 1981.  Led by Bob Moore (producer), Bob Flanders (MSU faculty emeritus), Lynn Morrow (Ozarks historian), this documentary, also titled A Portrait of the Ozarks, is still popular today and can be viewed online.

The funds from this campaign will join earlier donations from individuals and organizations and allow us to reach our preproduction goal of $20,000. With that support, the documentary team can move forward on this exciting new project. One of the highest priorities is to interview people involved with the original documentary.  Some voices have already been lost in the forty years since the first documentary. We cannot delay in reaching out to people who can still share their stories.

This new project is a joint venture between the Missouri State University Libraries, Missouri State University’s Department of Media, Journalism and Film, and nonprofit documentary film studio Carbon Trace Productions.

Links to video, related Facebook pages, and media coverage are available on the project website.  We hope you will visit the page on a regular basis. More content will be added as we move forward.

For more information, contact Anne Baker, head of special collections, Missouri State University.

Donations can also be made by check.  Please indicate Ozark Documentary in the check’s note field and send your contribution to:

MSU Foundation

Kenneth E. Meyer Alumni Center

300 South Jefferson, Suite 100

Springfield, MO 65806

Thank you for your interest in A Portrait of the Ozarks!

Please contact Anne Baker with any questions: AnneBaker@missouristate.edu or 417-836-5428.

A transcript of this video is available for download here.

*In addition, MSU alumni who make a qualifying gift of $50 or more receive a V.I.B.card – Very Important Bear.

Visit MSU Alumni Association for additional information on how to become engaged with the association and what events are coming to your area.

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