If you’ve biked the Katy Trail past the Rocheport Historical Museum lately, you’ve probably noticed color blooming across brick — that’s the new bicentennial mural by Columbia, Missouri artist Joe Schlottach. The piece celebrates two centuries of Rocheport stories in a spot thousands of trail users pass every year. Visit Missouri The project was commissioned by the Friends of Historic Rocheport as the Museum Mural Project and is part of the city’s 200-year anniversary festivities. It’s being created with support from the Missouri Arts Council, making this a true community-powered work of public art. HomeFacebook You can watch the mural take shape on the side of the museum that faces the Katy Trail, a perfect “open-air gallery” for walkers, runners, and cyclists. The museum sits at First & Moniteau; event posts list the mural location as 101 Moniteau Street. HomeSedalia Convention & Visitors BureauFacebook So who’s the painter behind the lift and the lines? Joe Schlottach has been at this since graduating from Rock Bridge High School, and his murals and illustration work appear throughout homes and businesses around Columbia. When he’s not making walls talk, local features have spotlighted his creative life — a testament to how deeply he’s woven into the mid-Missouri arts scene. jabberwockystudios.orgYouTube Joe’s style is approachable and story-forward — bold outlines, clear figures, and scenes that invite you to linger and spot details you missed the first time. It’s exactly the right fit for a town whose history is best told in snapshots: riverboats and railbeds, Main Street Saturdays and trail-tunnel sunsets. This is also a bit of local history in the making: community announcements billed it as the first mural in historic Rocheport, and neighbors have been stopping by to meet Joe, ask questions, and watch the progress. Public art doesn’t get more “public” than this. Facebook Whether you’re a trail regular or a weekend visitor, swing by the museum wall, say hello if the artist’s on the lift, and snap a photo. It’s a living timeline — painted for the bicentennial, built to welcome the next 200 years. Facebook Commissioned by Friends of Historic Rocheport for the City of Rocheport’s 200th anniversary.