Listen Provided by Missouri Folk Arts The Missouri Folk Arts program is highlighting more than 150 regional artists, featuring them in stories that explain their mark on Missouri’s cultural fabric. This year marks 200 years since Missouri's statehood was established. In that time, Missourians have passed family and cultural traditions down from generation to generation. Despite some lost practices, many folk traditions have persisted in that time — and new ones continue to arise. To commemorate the state’s bicentennial, the Missouri Folk Arts program plans to publish 200 stories throughout the year. The stories will highlight more than 150 regional artists and explain their mark on Missouri’s cultural fabric. Several dozen more stories will focus on traditions and the programs that have sought to preserve them.