ART & DESIGN
True/False 2026 is about the power of arrival. Our theme, “You Are Here: Showing Up Is The Story,” explores the radical act of being present. In an era of digital distance, we believe that arrival is its own art form and that being truly present requires company.
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Art is the heartbeat of the True/False experience, transforming our city into a living gallery. This year’s program is a tribute to both our foundations and our evolution; we have called upon a gifted group of alum artists with deep roots in the festival to help us build this world. Inside the T/F Lab, our team of makers has been busy resurrecting iconic pieces from the archives and reimagining legacy installations for a new era. By blending these historical echoes with fresh, site-specific visions, we invite you to explore a landscape where our storied past and vibrant present are in constant conversation.
ART INSTALLATIONS
MAPACUS
Artist: The APW Collective
Location: The Globe
This playful and creative collaboration by Ashley Nagel, Tracy Greever-Rice, Glenn Rice, Jamie Kroll, Doug Sonnenberg, and Camellia Bird is timeless in the joy it gives.
BARB THE BUFFALO
Artist: Sabrina Braden, Camellia Bird, & Jamie Kroll
Location: The Globe
Lovingly and painstakingly handcrafted with thousands of keyboard keys, everyone’s favorite buffalo, Barb, has embodied the creative spirit of the Fest for the past 11 years.
THE MAP
Artist: Camellia Bird
Location: The Globe
As permanent as tissue-paper would ever possibly dream of being, this constant and beautiful work comforts as it puts our world in perspective.
GREETINGS from t/f
Artist: Gabe Meyer
Location: Alley A
A jovial invitation to community members, patrons, guests, artists, and volunteers alike to uncover the backdrop of celebration and nostalgia returning artists bring to True/False and Columbia.
UNFOUND TAPESTRIES
Artist: Tracy Greever-Rice
Location: Picturehouse (upstairs)
Explore detailed, fantastical maps depicted in fiber artist Tracy Greever-Rice’s tapestries, woven by a team of Columbians out of unwanted clothing and fabric.
STAIN GLASS
Artist: DSOMB Collective, Shea Boresi, and Jamie Kroll
Location: The Globe
A narration of Fests past, our Stain Glass panels play with the theater’s lights and colors and acclaim the return to the Globe as a screening venue.
COMMUNITY THREAD
Artist: Carrie Elliott & Esther Stroh
Location: The Blue Note
Created in partnership with the Columbia Art League (CAL) for the 2023 theme, THIS IS A TEST, this quilted tapestry is a tactile record of the festival’s journey. Community members utilized embroidery, applique, and batik to craft a collective work inspired by twenty years of T/F experiences.
portal
Artist: Gabe Meyer
Location: Stephens Campus
Gabe Meyer’s Portal bridges the gap between the organic and the ethereal. This monumental archway uses the rugged texture of reclaimed wood to ground the viewer, while the light radiating from its core suggests a world of hidden possibility, casting a warm, inner glow on all who pass through.
olive & apricot
Artist: Brian Doss
Location: Stephens Campus
Using simple cleaning techniques, found plastic, wood and acrylic, Doss reveals intricate abstract designs hidden within a forgotten campus structure. This work is a reminder that beauty is often right where you are, just waiting to be revealed.
Shape/
play
Artist: Bethanie Irons
Location: Windsor Theater
Large-scale zoetropes created by artist Bethanie Irons. The work responds to True/False’s 2026 theme, You Are Here: Showing Up Is the Story, by framing arrival as an embodied act. Each piece features a color wheel at its core, a symbol of seeing, attention, and perception, surrounded by looping optical illusions inspired by 1960s Op Art. The animations do not exist on their own; they only come to life when a participant sets them in motion. The viewer becomes the missing frame, completing the work through their presence.
cool white
Artist: Glenn Rice
Location: Alley A
A giant chandelier that brightens the darkness with a thousand watts of color and warmth.
Mini groves
Artist: Pneuhaus
Location: The Sculpture Yard
This inflatable sculpture uses natural forms to create temporary, soaring gathering spaces. Whether you are seeking a moment of quiet reflection or a vibrant meeting spot, these LED-infused arches celebrate the beauty of our shared environment. Generously sponsored by The District.
present tense: showing up
Artist: Loee Kay with the T/F Arts Team
Location: The Sculpture Yard
This immersive field of mirrored forms invites viewers to encounter themselves in real time. Artist Loee Kay, in collaboration with the T/F Arts Team, explores the kaleidoscopic nature of presence. With no fixed vantage point, reflections shift and disappear—a meditation on movement and the act of truly showing up.
copper star
Artist: Glenn Rice
Location: The Sculpture Yard
Rising above the festival bustle, Copper Star is a monumental sculpture of interlocking copper pipes. Artist Glenn Rice reimages industrial hardware as a luminous celestial body, creating a glowing beacon that reminds us of the beauty of being exactly where you are.
the artchives
Artist: Various
Location: Missouri Theatre
In partnership with Ragtag, Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary students create original artwork reflecting the theme You Are Here. This year, students also revisit select themes from the festival’s past, creating new works that bridge the history of True/False with the present moment.
You are a queen
Artist: T/F Queens
Location: Missouri Theatre
Our T/F Queens invite you to become part of the spectacle with this interactive installation. Step behind life-sized mannequins draped in elaborate gowns made of colorful “Q” papers. Known as the festival’s walking iconic, flamboyant, information stations, the Queens invite you to literally step into their shoes (and crowns) for a royal photo op.
river atlas
Artist: APW
Location: Missouri Theatre
This piece explores the mysterious twists and turns of highways and byways unearthed using a once-forgotten technique involving high-voltage electrical current. Glimpse familiar-looking paths that mirror the waterways of our state, truly guiding us all off the trail.
the forrest
Artist: Michael Marcum
Location: Picturehouse (downstairs)
A piece of T/F history returns. This installation features Michael Marcum’s hand-fabricated metal trees and pieces of Glenn Rice’s iconic “Forrest” sign, creating a space for reflection on the venues and stories that have shaped us.
animal rescue!
Artist: Laura Haynes
Location: 573 Tees
This quarter-fueled dispenser features colored pencil portraits of local rescue animals, created with love by Hawthorne Elementary students. All proceeds will benefit Columbia Second Chance, Unchained Melodies, and the Mizzou Raptor Rehabilitation Project. Bring quarters!
diamond heart
Artist: Glenn Rice
Location: Picturehouse Atrium
Glenn Rice’s light sculpture, Diamond Heart, captures the essence of a mineral’s crystalline structure and our ability to perceive these structures in nature via LED lights.
EXHIBITIONS
como craftcycle collective popup
Artist: Various
Location: Columbia Art League
In CAL’s south gallery, Craftcycle presents hands-on activities and an art show featuring works crafted from recycled materials. Join us to enhance your apparel at the alteration station or add your thoughts on your festival experience to the reflection station.
Exhibition runs March 3 – 8
being here
Artist: Various
Location: Orr Street Studios
This exhibition features photography by David Lancaster, Notley Hawkins, and Stephen Bybee, capturing the essence of presence and narrative within our community.
Exhibition runs March 4 – 27
the march exhibit
Artist: Various
Location: Box Office (Sager Reeves Gallery)
Features Stephen Gammell’s and Joel Sager’s expressive contemporary abstraction in the March Exhibit. Gammell’s inky, gestural works draw on a lifetime of storytelling, hinting at narrative through intuition and movement. Sager’s abstract paintings emphasize color, form, and gesture to evoke mood and emotional resonance.
The exhibit opens with a First Friday reception on March 6, from 6 – 8 PM, and will be on view through March 28.
nightjar arts collective
Nightjar Arts Collective is a communal third place that supports and cultivates local artists, writers, and activists. At Nightjar, we believe art can empower, transform, agitate, speak truth, and fight for peace, justice, and love. We host open mic nights and readings, teach creative writing classes, serve as an alternative gallery space for local visual artists, help social justice organizations fundraise for various causes, and give organizations a space to meet and deliberate.
storefront art walk
Local businesses across The District have transformed their storefronts to reflect the theme “You Are Here.” We invite you to look closer at these creative windows; each a unique interpretation of being present in our community.
- Featured Partners:Â
- Artlandish Gallery, Â 111 S. 9th St.
- Nightjar Arts Collective, 810 E. Walnut St.
- Hot Box Cookies, 1013 E. Broadway
- Serendipity Salon and Gallery, 1020 E. Walnut St.
- Edgy Cowgirl, 111 S. 9th St. Ste 170
- Alpine Shop, 1102 E. Broadway
- Poppy, 920 E. Broadway
- Makes Scents, 25 S. 9th St.
- The District, 11 S. 10th St.
- Yellow Dog Book Shop, 8 S. 9th St.
- Range Free Bakery, 110 Orr St. Ste. 101
- And more!
