The True/False Film Fest 2026 theme “You are here” was displayed all throughout Columbia and appreciated through the Art Walk, which took place March 6-8. Audience members ran their fingers over woven tapestries, stood under heavy copper figures and spun dizzying zoetropes in awe as they walked from the Missouri United Methodist Church to Stephens College’s campus.
This year, the Art Walk featured many legacy pieces, which are artworks highlighted in previous T/F events. This was an effort to adjust to federal budget cuts, but it also allowed viewers to see the history of T/F.
This event is one of the only free things people can attend at T/F, a particularly important fact to Art Coordinator Loee Kay, who led the walk. Originally drawn in by the art, she began attending T/F in 2011. For her first three years, she would only attend the free aspects of T/F and wants to offer that same opportunity to others.
“I love making something that is accessible to all,” Kay said. “I don’t ever want to see the art of True/False go away, because it feels like a gift to the community.”
The walk began with a piece by Glenn Rice called “Diamond Heart” and a larger installation by Michael Marcum called “The Forrest.” “The Forrest” showcased 15 trees created over 14 years that were all made from different materials.
Next, Kay led the group upstairs to admire the “Unfound Tapestries,” two large maps created from unwanted fabric by artist Tracy Greever-Rice and several other Columbia residents. The “Nebra Sky Disc” is based on a Bronze Age map of the stars and celestial bodies that’s been updated over time. On the other hand, the “Bünting Cloverleaf” is a replica of the woodwork piece by Heinrich Bünting. It depicts travel through a stationary, religious lens, with imagery of the Holy Trinity and the three known continents at the time.
Assistant community art coordinator Jonathan Asher believes that “Unfound Tapestries” and all the other exhibits on the Art Walk deserve thoughtful attention from viewers.
“Most art, you have to really interrogate it to get answers out of it about why it exists and what it means,” Asher said. “And on the Art Walk, you’re expected to be present in the moment. You know, it’s a participatory thing, which I think is how art is meant to be experienced.”
Later, the group went outside to look at “Mini Groves,” an inflatable piece by Pneuhaus, and “Present Tense: Showing Up,” a mirrored piece that Kay herself created with the help of the T/F Arts Team. The mirrors were glued on by Kay’s daughter and her friend. In an effort to meditate on the festival theme, the forms were designed to draw viewers to see themselves, their community and historic downtown Columbia in the reflection.
Afterwards, Kay led the group outside and into the heart of The District, passing decorated windows of local businesses and dipping into Alley A, where other pieces were displayed.
After exploring the deep historical art of past T/F events, the walk ended at Stephens College, where the only three new pieces were featured: “Portal,” a reclaimed wood archway by Gabe Meyer; “Olive and Apricot,” created with powerwashing techniques by Brian Doss; and “Shape/Play,” an immersive, spinning zoetrope by Bethanie Irons.
“‘You are here’ can mean so many different things, like you’re literally being reflected, or you are here at True/False,” Kay said. “Here’s a piece of True/False history.”
You can keep up with the rest of The Maneater’s True/False coverage here.
