Charleston 101
The Old Pharmacy on
North Main Street
Exhibition of
Artists Design
Proposals
Open for viewing and voting
April 16, 10am-4pm
April 17, 10am-4pm
April 18, 10am-4pm
April 19, 10am-4pm
Then open for viewing until
May 17 on these days:
Wed, Thu, Fri 5-7pm
Sat, Sun 1-4pm
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mary Manley?
Mary was born in Charleston and her
grandfather was Joseph Moore who helped to
establish the town in 1837. Mary is now living
in England, where she runs one of the most
extraordinary book shops ‘Barter Books’ in a
former railway station with her husband Stuart.
Mary is the daughter of the late Paul Handy
Moore and his wife Margaret. Her father was a
farmer and served as Charleston’s mayor in the
1940s. Her direct ancestor, Joseph Moore, drew
up the town’s original plan in 1837 and named it
after an absent brother, Charles.
Who is funding the project?
Mary has offered $500,000 to finance what
she calls “The Charleston Landmark Project”
and develop it with the help of local people in
Charleston. The City Council will create the
landscaping and will own and maintain the
artwork once complete. The site has been kindly
donated to the project by Dr. Ron and Diane
Petersen, a fantastic gesture which has greatly
helped the project.
What is the Landmark project trying to achieve?
Public Artworks have been proved to attract
visitors, create focal points and are often the
centerpiece of vibrant towns and cities. Our
ambition is that the Landmark will bring people
into Charleston and be a cherished civic feature
which residents are proud of. Mary’s vision for
the project is that the landmark will be a large,
stand-alone “kinetic” object that either moves
or transforms in a way that would be fascinating
to watch. This movement would be repeated
many times throughout the day so that people
will be drawn to Charleston to see the artwork
and that people may also use the local shops for
refreshments while they are in town.
Where will it be located?
The landmark will be located in the center of
Charleston next to the Post Office on Main
Street and East Pecan Street. It’s the primary
commercial route both North/South from the
I-57 junction, as well as the intersection with
East Marshall Street which is the East/West
route from I-57. So the landmark would be
directly on the route visitors will pass by. Our
ambition is that the landmark will be set in a
nicely designed public space with seating and
botanical planting. The City of Charleston is in
Mississippi County, near the Mississippi River in
the bootheel of Missouri.
When will it happen?
Following the exhibition of proposals in
April/May 2026 a winning proposal will be
announced in the summer. We anticipate that it
will then take upto 2 years to design and deliver
the project.
International Callout for artists
An international call for artists in autumn 2025
attracted over 140 applications and Mary has
funded 6 artists to make proposals for the
project, 4 of the artists are based in the USA
and 2 are based in the UK.
Exhibition of Proposals
An exhibition of the artists proposals including
models, video and design boards will open on
16th April with the Dogwood Azalea Festival.
Mike Meuller has kindly offered the Old
Pharmacy building for the exhibition which
will be on display for 1 month. Visitors to the
exhibition will have the opportunity to vote for
their favorite proposals and leave their thoughts
in a comments book.
Who is on the Steering Group in Charleston?
The Steering Group includes representatives
from the City Council, Chamber of Commerce,
CHARM and the Historical Society. The
Steering Group is Chaired by local farmer
and businessman Hudson Byrd.