A public open house and reception will be held on Thursday, March 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at the State Historical Society of Missouri, 605 Elm St., Columbia, featuring costumes worn by Hollywood actress Ginger Rogers during her lengthy career as an entertainer. The exhibition Ginger Rogers: Dressed to Impress opened in March and runs through August 2024 at the SHSMO Art Gallery. A public reception is in conjunction with the Missouri Conference on History, which will be held in Columbia March 13-15. The curators of the exhibition will be available to answer questions.

Born in Independence, Rogers broke into cinema as it evolved from silent films to talkies in the 1930s. The actress had already made 20 films by the time she met Fred Astaire, with whom she formed a legendary dance partnership during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Recently, a dazzling collection of costumes worn by Rogers was donated to the Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection (MHCTC) in the Department of Textile and Apparel Management (TAM) at the University of Missouri. TAM is collaborating with the State Historical Society to showcase the costumes at the art gallery in the Center for Missouri Studies.