The Pawnee Murals
The City Hall mural gallery spans nearly a century of civic art. Several original panels have been removed or reinterpreted; those that remain are presented with context, because they are a challenging part of our history, and we believe challenges should be well lit.
Harvest Morning1937 · restored 2019
Commissioned under the federal arts program, this panel celebrates the harvest that still defines Pawnee's civic calendar. It is the least complicated mural the city owns, and it is displayed first for that reason.
The River Bends1936 · restored 2015
The Pawnee River as imagined by muralist E. H. Colton, who never visited Pawnee and painted the river flowing in the wrong direction. Retained as a reminder that history is written, and occasionally painted, by people who did not check.
Industry and Promise1938 · reinterpreted 2021
Originally titled differently, this panel depicting the candy works and the rail line was renamed and re-signed in 2021 following the recommendations of the Murals With Context commission. The original title card is preserved in the city archive, where it can do less harm.
The Commons2015
The gallery's newest panel, commissioned to mark the opening of Pawnee Commons, depicts the great lawn, the band shell, and a kite. It is the only mural in the collection to have been approved unanimously and without a public apology.
Docent tours run weekdays at noon, departing from the rotunda. Tours last 25 minutes, or 55 with questions, and there are always questions. The murals shown on this demonstration site are original illustrations created for the demo.