Michelle Marcum

TAROT DECK ART SHOW

ON DISPLAY IN THE SOUTH GALLERY

AT COLUMBIA ART LEAGUE

11.2.2026 - 11.28.2026
Reception: 11.11.2026 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Artist Statement

My decision to begin this deck started about a decade ago when my whole life began to fall apart... At the time, I was living with my parents. I had just gone through a terrible breakup, which forced me to go back home. I found myself, a thirty-year-old single mom with two kids, sleeping in my childhood bedroom. Not only was I forced to abandon life as I knew it, but I was also undergoing a spiritual transformation that tore me apart at the seams.

One night, I was jolted awake from a dream; I sat in front of a large tarot spread, complete with crystals and candles. An angel sat in front of me, their fingers spread wide across the cards. It spoke, “You should make these.” Then I woke up immediately, staring at the popcorn ceiling. I barely had time to fully process what the cards or the angel looked like. Still, I ruminated over what had been shown to me and what the angel said. It was cramped on the twin-size mattress, even more so with my tween daughter asleep beside me. I had no longer than an instant to run through what had just happened, thinking, “You should make these.” 

In that second, my sleeping daughter shot up in bed and clearly muttered, “We really should make these.” I was so shocked that I asked, “What did you say?” She didn’t respond; she just lay back down on the mattress and fell back asleep. In stunned silence, I thought, I guess I really should make these. The next day, as expected, my daughter did not remember the experience. For me, the memory remains. Since then, I have been working on this deck. It’s taken ten years to get here. I can’t believe all the experiences I’ve had since then, or how they’ve helped me navigate my life to where it is now. The stories and experiences I gained from working with each card, and the symbols that appeared just when the time was right. The experience I gained as I began to draw more and more, honing my skills. I’m proud of what I have accomplished on this journey. Follow along and see all the personal lessons I’ve gained thus far.

67th Annual Boone County Art Show

BOONE COUNTY ART SHOW

EXTENDED EXHIBIT

On display at the central bank of Boone County

10.18.26 - 11.21.26

People’s Choice Award Winner
Colleen Smith, Tiny Hunter

This past weekend, Oct. 17-18, 2026, we held our 67th annual Boone County Art Show in partnership with Central Bank of Boone County. Over 240 artists shared their work with the community. At the end of each show, the bank selects a portion of the artworks for an extended display. You can stop in to see them during regular business hours at Central Bank of Boone County on Broadway until Nov. 21, 2026. They are also available to view and purchase on our website at the link below.

Congratulations to this year’s ribbon winners!

People’s Choice Award: Colleen Smith, Tiny Hunter
Bank Purchase: Joy Amused, Mom, We Missed the Bus

Professional Painting
1st: Dan Hood, Clouds
2nd: Kate Gray, Untethered Dreams
3rd: Adrian Paladi, Awareness
Honorable Mentions:
Matthew Ballou, A Memory of the Jones Road Bridge, August 13th, 2015
John Fennell, Airborne River Meditation
David Gold, Square Chair 26/2
Michael Green, Blank Boy
Kathryn Mitter, Edge of the Lake
John Schneider, Jesse Hall & Columns August 2026
Kellie Seiler, Fluid Form

Professional Drawing

1st: Mike Sleadd, Barco del Tiempo
2nd: Truck Schachtman, Slump
3rd: Felicia Leach, Reflection, Looking Back at You

Professional Other

1st: Farah Nieuwenhuizen, Blue, Green Sky
2nd: Kathy Unrath, Structures of Memory
3rd: Lucy Bromer, The Lone Perennial
Honorable Mentions:
Janet Elmore, City Rain
Scherrie Goettsch, Seeing Sun Spots
Bo Bedilion, Untitled
Lily Williams, Woman on the Shelf

Non Professional Painting

1st: Olivia Martinez, Lucius
2nd: Derek Fox, Winter Sun
3rd: Sandy Hockenbury, Aging in Place
Honorable Mentions:
Linda Hoffman, Bales
Richard Ludwig, Storm on the Horizon
Gary Roberson, Home Sweet Home
Jeff Rogers, Doublemint Donna
Ray Thames, Different

Non Professional Drawing

1st: Nicole Niehues, Epiphany
2nd: Cheryl Hard, serve.server_forever ( ).
3rd: Bill Carney, Stone to Wood to Stone/ Locust Grove Cemetery
Honorable Mention: Chelsea Mosteller, Barred Owl

Non Professional Other

1st: Ben Dupre, Out of Context (Stereo)
2nd: Jacob Lopez, Limerence
3rd: Mark Baltzer, Gate
Honorable Mentions:
Jasper Coalier, Church Window
Paden Anderson, Star Bird

Mixed Sculpture

1st: Eonju Jeon, Heart Song
2nd: Tom Stauder, Standing Wave
3rd: T’Keyah Thomas, To Feed Another
Honorable Mentions:
Leemer Cernohlavek, Ikebana Vase
Ernest Hilderbrand, Burl Family
Alycia McGee, Tidal Wave

Mixed Ceramics

1st: Jay Graham, Oilspot Bowls
2nd: Amanda Szydlowski, Round Patterned Vessel
3rd: Pamela Sisson, Earth’s Levels Pot
Honorable Mention: Kaci Smart, Golden Bloom Vase

Mixed Fibers

1st: Dave Walker, Good Morning America
2nd: Jadi Davis, Overcoming Trauma
3rd: Sarah Coakley, On the Trail
Honorable Mentions: 
Jill Heir, The Corset
Jacob Richey, It’s Getting Clearer
Mary Sandbothe, Window Collision at Flat Branch

Patrons' Party 2026

Join us for the 7th Annual Patrons’ Party, where you can purchase a ticket, enjoy live music, food, and drinks, and select an artwork to take home —all while helping your local arts organization!

Our talented community of artists will donate original artworks worth $175 or more.

Each ticket for our Patrons' Party includes an invitation to the party & one artwork from the Gallery Exhibition of donated artworks.

All ticket holders will choose a selection number from the big bowl and will select their artwork in numerical order throughout the night. Ticket holders will select artworks the night of the party!

Plus-one tickets for the Party can be purchased for an additional $25.

The artwork will be on exhibit for about two weeks before your selection time, so make a list of your top 10 favorite artworks during this window!

So! For the price of a ticket ($175 per patron), you can go home with a one-of-a-kind, original artwork, AND you get to go to the super fun party with live music, food, and drinks.

Dress for fun!

Ticket pricing break down:

$200: Artwork + Party ticket with Guest (admits 2 people to the party + 1 artwork)

$175: Artwork + Party ticket (admits 1 person to the party + 1 artwork)

$25: Party ticket (admits 1 person to the party for all the good vibes and snacks!)

Sharyn Hyatt

Arrow and Time

On display in the South Gallery at Columbia Art League

10.6.26 - 10.31.26

ARROW & TIME

When I look at my most serious work from the past forty five years, it is without exception, a celebration of the power of women. Those honored in my work are both ancient and contemporaries…gentle and resilient…loving and fierce…nurturing yet suffer no fools. They are women warriors.

The Cherokee WARWOMAN was the inspiration for my MFA work. Warwomen emerged regularly in this matriarchal society, and their stories are woven into the history of my beloved Appalachia. Cherokee women participated in battles, traditionally earning the revered title Beloved Woman (Ghigau) or Warwoman. The bravest and wisest held seat on the General Council. In this body of work, my metaphor for the power of women is the arrow pointing skyward. The arrow pointing toward the earth is my metaphor for the loving, nurturing, birthing aspects of women…the vessel.

An unexpected surprise in the early 2000s occurred when a DNA test linked my lineage to that of a Viking Warrior, made famous when her grave was discovered in the 1880s. Archeologists mistakenly thought her to be a male warrior because she was buried with her weapons and horses. Research in 2017 revealed the warrior was indeed a woman and this ancient connection renewed my interest in the power of women. This “Birka” grave in Sweden helps reveal a social structure where Viking women held roles of military leaders and strategists.

While viewing this work, one might enjoy looking for the aggressive triangles pointed skyward and the nurturing vessel triangle pointing toward the earth. The numerous spheres are moons symbolizing a woman’s cycle, nature’s tides, the juxtaposition of light and dark, and the divine feminine. In addition, aspects of my personal aesthetic include an obsession with movement, color gradation, an elongated format, figure/ground ambiguity, and a geometric visual language. These themes and motifs have beenpresent in my work for over 40 years and are part of the visual language that defines a Hyatt piece.

Finders Keepers

On display in the Betty and Art Robins Group Gallery at the Columbia Art League

9.15.26 - 10.15.26

Reception: Friday, September 18, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Here is the prompt our artists responded to in creating this show:

Objects carry their own quiet history. Look closely at the world around you and notice the stories hiding in the things we overlook. For this show, we encourage you to transform the ordinary into something extraordinary, drawing inspiration from objects discovered, collected, or rescued from everyday life. How do these items connect us to memory, place, and imagination? 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR RIBBON WINNERS!

1st: Jill Heir, The Dhow Lantern

2nd: Pamela Gainor, Cats! Cats! Cats!

3rd: Raqib Bashorun, 'ÌWO GÀGÀRÀ' [Wild Horn]

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Jenn Book Haselswerdt, This Is Me (a bit of whimsy)

Molly Horak, Baila

Catherine Mahoney

The River Runs Through It

On Display in the South Gallery at the Columbia Art League

9.8.26 - 10.3.26

Artist Statement:

Walt Whitman wrote, “The passionate play goes on and you may contribute a verse.” Painting is my way of contributing a verse. I take what I see in the landscape and infuse it with my own thoughts, feelings and stories. My work is not just a representation of what I see, but how I feel in the moment I paint. My plein air palette knife paintings are done alla prima, also known as direct painting. They are each done in a single session while the paint is still wet. This style of painting helps my intentions stay succinct, emphasizing textures within each painting.

I have been painting the Missouri River for the last sixty years. Not only does this river run through my community, it has been a constant presence in my life as an artist. Thanks to my Aunt Ruth, I now know the Missouri River has also run through generations of my family history. My great great great great grandfather Josiah Dickson settled in Missouri back in 1819. The Missouri River has not only been a touchpoint for connecting to the land and to my inner self as I work, it helps me reach back in time to the family that came before.

About the Artist:

Catherine Mahoney is an award-winning plein air artist who works in both oil and watercolor. She holds a BS in Art Education from Truman University and has decades of teaching experience in both private and public settings.

Kelly Durante

Sacred Geometry

on display in the hallway gallery at

the central bank of boone county

8/25/26 - 10/15/2026

Artist Statement

In her current show, Kelly Durante explores the patterns, ratios, and shapes of sacred geometry, forms which emerge repeatedly in studies of the physical and metaphysical world, and which express our understanding of the universe. Radial and axial symmetries are the foundation of familiar sacred geometry symbols like the Celtic Trinity Knot, Seed of Life, Vesica Piscis (Mandorla), and Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Repeated circles, honeycomb patterns, and the Fibonacci sequence (golden ratio) are incorporated into intersecting arcs, spirals and expanded versions of these structures. Borrowing from mathematics, physics, biology, aesthetics, architecture, and mystical practices, her works appear simultaneously as tributes to the beauty of nature and mandalas to connect with the divine. 

Artist Bio

Kelly Durante is both an experimental biologist and a lifelong artist. With degrees in biology, psychology, and anthropology and over three decades working with cells in medical research, scientific themes permeate her work. But for Kelly, art is also an escape from science and a chance to depict fantastical landscapes or supernatural dramas, and give form to ideas, emotions, and dreams.

Kelly’s approach to acrylic pour painting incorporates experimental methods and techniques that she has developed to gain greater control over her final compositions. In her distinctive “precision pours” she harnesses the dynamic fluidity of pour acrylics to produce design and structure, paradoxically bringing order to an inherently unpredictable medium. The balance of order and chaos is at play in every piece.

Kay Foley

The Art of Joy

On display in the south gallery

of the Columbia Art League

8/10/26 - 9/5/26

reception 8/20/26 5:30 pm - 7 pm
brief artist talk 6 pm

Oh Happy Day!

Artist Statement for The Art of Joy

For the length of my art-making years, I have wanted my art to uplift, enliven, and bring joy. My art changes and evolves but one thing stays the same. I aim to add to the store of goodness available in the world and counteract all of the terrible things that bombard us and make happiness, contentment, and joy so hard to keep in our hearts. Thus, “The Art of Joy.”

I once wrote, “When I was a child, I dreamed that my head was a railway station filled with conductors, ticketsellers, and people coming and going to faraway places, with trains rolling in and chugging out. My head is even more full now, much like an old woman’s closet, cluttered with boxes, pots, and jars holding all the colors, shapes, and words that make up my work.”

Now I am that old-ish woman with not just a closet but an entire studio spilling over with every kind of thing an artist could want. It’s a mess but a jolly one. My head too is “even more full now,” with all of the life I’ve lived, the pictures I’ve seen or made, the places I’ve been, the people I’ve met and loved, the experiences I’ve treasured. Children, now grown to be men but still “my boys,” take up a giant space; siblings, all of us now turning grey; beloved dogs come and gone; the many little and big triumphs and heartbreaks of a normal life; dreams and aspirations softened, changed, some realized, others set aside, one or two still alive. I do have longings for places like Italy, the south of France, Cornwall, Greece, imagining myself painting in some seaside village for weeks at a time. Words, for now, are separate from my art, but never very far away, and who knows, things change. I change. My art continues to evolve. I may be older but I am a young painter and an ever eager artist and writer, always on the lookout for new knowledge, fresh ideas, another thread to follow, one more beautiful adventure.

About The Artworks

So here you go. I’ve set out to make joy visible. I celebrate the small things that vibrate and hum in nature, in life, in me, in my dreams, those simple bits of grace that delight and strengthen. These collages are made from gel prints that I’ve cut up and pieced together, without a substrate, to suggest humble, quietly merry stories. They embody many of the things I love--color, shapes, trees, animals, birds, home. They are floating in their frames; they just did not want to be glued down. They want to make you smile and forget about the woes of the world. Houses float in the air, as if Dorothy has brought her whole family with her to Oz. Henri Matisse, who took up residence in my brain so many years ago, is here, too, cutting up painted paper with his large scissors. And last but not least, loads of color! All this fabulous color! How would life be if we only saw in black and white? I hate to think.

If these pieces do not sing with joy, I don’t know what does. Enjoy them. Love your life! Revel in who you are. Love the moments of your days.

Pattern Play

On display in the Betty and Art Robins Group Gallery at the Columbia Art League

8.4.26 - 9.10.26

Reception: Friday, August 14, 6-8 PM

Here is the prompt our artists responded to in creating this show:

Patterns shape how we see the world, from nature’s hidden geometries to the textiles and structures that surround us. From stripes and spirals to grids and unexpected repeats, Pattern Play celebrates rhythm & movement in all its forms. Experiment and let pattern take the lead, whether bold and graphic or subtle and organic.

This is a juried show open to all artists 16+ years old, all media welcome.

Congratulations to our Ribbon winners!⁠

1st: Raqib Bashorun, Architectonic #2⁠

2nd: Anthea Rackley, Tabletop Garden⁠

3rd: Larry Kantner, The Divinity of Common Things⁠

⁠

Honorable Mentions

Joel Chrisman, Hay Bales ⁠

Jill Heir, Far Eastern Diamonds⁠

Mike Sleadd, His Name Was Pluto ⁠

Dave Walker, Block Bouquet⁠

Jadi Davis

Bricks

ON DISPLAY IN THE SOUTH GALLERY

OF THE COLUMBIA ART LEAGUE

7.11.26 - 8.8.26

Artist Statement

I’m a fiber artist. I love crocheting, weaving, spinning, felting, dyeing, and processing raw wool. I’m developing my own signature style that combines these techniques. My work is inspired by nature, history, and the lived experiences of African American communities. My art is deeply rooted in tradition but strongly guided by my intuition. I primarily needle felt on denim. Denim was once considered “negro cloth” and was one of the only pieces of clothing enslaved Africans were allowed to wear and was meant to be a degrading, cheap, but durable piece of fabric. The indigo used to dye the fabric blue became the second cash crop in South Carolina, grown and cultivated from the knowledge of people stolen from West Africa. My maternal grandmother and grandfather’s origins trace back to Gullah communities in both North and South Carolina. My paternal side is also from both Carolinas but more inland. I have a deep personal, cultural, and ancestral connection with denim, fiber works, and textiles. I allow the material to speak to me as I speak life into it. Although I'm the artist, it's still a collaborative approach to the work. While I'm manipulating these materials with my hands, they still speak and tell me what they want to be. 

About two years ago as I walked around Joann's shopping for nothing in particular, my intuition guided me down the fabric section and right in front of the denim fabrics. I was immediately drawn to one, picked it up, and named it Bricks. I carried that bolt of fabric on my shoulder and nuzzled against my neck like a baby. Little did I know that fabric would become what you see today. 

Baby Bricks sat in a corner of my art studio not yet speaking of what it wanted to be. Then the election happened. The subtle shift in atmosphere in Columbia when the performative support that was so trendy during a change for social justice, transformed into a cry “To Make America Great Again”. But when was it actually great for people that look like me? That's when Bricks started talking. This 8 piece series titled BRICKS is my visual interpretation of how institutionalized racism and colonization has affected many black communities and how despite all of the challenges we have faced, we remain resilient, resourceful, and revolutionary. They can try to split up communities. They can try to erase our history and overlook our trauma. They can try to silence us, criminalize our blackness. But through it all we rebuild, heal, and press forward. We are powerful. We are, after all, roses grown from concrete.

Artist Bio

Jadi Davis, is the owner of Jadielle Arts. She's originally from Gastonia, NC and currently resides in Columbia, MO with her four children. She's a self taught fiber artist and Navy veteran specializing in crochet dolls and needle felt portraits. Jadi also processes locally sourced raw wool and spins yarn that she hand dyes with natural dyes. She has experience with continuous strand weaving, felting of all kinds (wet, nuno, needle), and likes to knit, embroider, and sew. 

Since 2024, Jadi has developed her own art style that incorporates many of these techniques, an idea that came to her in a dream from her brother that passed away.  She uses her strong intuition and spirituality to guide her in creating art work that honors her ancestry and heritage. She is also inspired by nature, history, and the lived experiences and cultural narratives of African American communities. These themes converge into artworks that are both intimate and political celebrations of heritage, resilience, and individuality. 

Jadi has shown work in galleries locally and regionally and currently has a studio space at Orr Street Studios, where you can see more of her work.

Lindsay Lennon Picht

Tenderly

On display in the hallway gallery of the Central Bank of Boone County

July 7 - August 24, 2026

Artist Statement

In Tenderly, I capture my experience of space, particularly the quiet, isolated, domestic interiors we might apply the word “home” to. I work primarily with watercolor in order to access the immediacy and transience I feel in my own life. 

So many of the places I have inhabited have been provisional spaces: temporary apartments, hotel rooms, stays with family, and childhood houses that I moved away from. Every place becomes fleeting, as I know I will not be there for long. In all my work, I translate my own photographs of these interiors, usually bedrooms, into paintings. These images shift and meld together in my memory, so I respond by overlapping representational drawings, abstract marks and fields of color, using the translucency of watercolor to allow each layer and gesture to remain partially visible. I do this in hopes of interrupting the space, and altering expectations of stability and permanence. Through this process, contradictory emotions emerge: confusion alongside comfort, loneliness alongside tenderness, fatigue and pain alongside softness and rest. These opposing forces, clashing within safe and intimate spaces like bedrooms, allow me to ponder themes of insecurity, belonging, and the feeling of being both at home and not at home in any given place.

Artist Bio

Lindsay Lennon Picht is an artist, art educator, and the current Education and Outreach Director at Columbia Art League. Throughout her life, drawing and painting have stayed constant means of expression, communication, and exploration for her, and she loves sharing this passion with others.

Lindsay received her BFA from Truman State University in 2020. She worked as an artist, barista, and art educator for three years before attending Alfred University in Alfred, New York, and Düsseldorf, Germany, where she received her MFA in Painting through the Alfred-Düsseldorf Painting program. Since acquiring her degree, she taught as a Lecturer in Art at her alma mater and continues to teach watercolor classes at Columbia Art League.

Members' Summer Exhibition 2026

On display in the Betty and Art Robbins Group Gallery at the Columbia Art League

June 16 - July 30, 2026

Reception: Friday, June 19, 6-8 PM. Entry is free and open to all.

Ribbons will be given out ~6:45 pm

Congratulations to all of the ribbon winners

1st: Cheryl Hardy, Serve. Server_Forever().

2nd: Jacob Lopez, Cardinal Symptom

3rd: Jill Heir, Autumn's Tulips

Honorable Mentions:

Derek Fox, Missouri Vineyard

Jessica Lane, The Love Nest

Kathy Unrath, Stitched Together

Dennis O'Brien, Jupiter in Gemini, Runge Prairie, MO

Raqib Bashourn, Àgbájo Owó [Collaboration]

Michelle Mozingo, Dahlia Summer

Truck Schachtman, By the Lake

Larry Kantner, The Boy and His Dog

CAL is proud to be a local non-profit that’s been a part of the mid-Missouri art scene since 1959. Our Members’ Shows are exciting opportunities for CAL Members to display their art, and for our community to get to know our vibrant artist members. There is no theme; instead, this is an opportunity to show our community what you’ve been working on recently. Members’ shows are not juried, and space is limited, so enter your work online before drop-off to ensure its inclusion. Work must be wired, gallery wrapped, or framed, and smaller than 48”x48”.

The Members’ Show is open to all CAL members; all media welcome.

Ira Papick, Mid-Century Modern Vibe

On display in the South Gallery of the Columbia Art League

6.10.26 - 7.11.26

Artist Statement

Statement concerning my work in this show: Mid-century modern is an American design movement in interior, product, graphic design, and architecture that was popular from roughly 1945 to 1969. It is characterized by clean lines, organic and geometric forms, and a strong focus on functionality, often aiming to bring modernism into everyday life. (modified AI Google search) Frank Lloyd Wright’s furniture is considered a major precursor and influence on Mid-century modern design. While his heyday (Prairie style) predates the Mid-century modern peak, his later work utilized the natural materials, built-ins, and geometric, functional forms common to Mid-century modern design. (modified AI Google search) For this special South Gallery show, I have chosen to craft several wood pieces reflecting Mid-century modern general characteristics. My work is only inspired by Mid-century modern designs and is not a reproduction of specific Mid-century modern pieces. I focus on using incredible hardwoods from all over the United States, but I also accent my pieces with (ethically sourced) exotic woods found throughout the world. My primary goal for this show, and in general, is to highlight beautiful, unique wood in interesting ways, and (hopefully) to create objects that are joyful and reveal the diversity and beauty of hardwoods found throughout the world.

Artist Bio

Ira J. Papick is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2008-2011) and an Emeritus Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia (1978-2008). He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Rutgers University in 1975. His research areas are in Commutative Algebra and Mathematics Education. He has published numerous research papers and co-authored the research-level book, Prufer Domains, Marcel Dekker Pure and Applied Mathematics Series, 1996, and authored the undergraduate textbook for middle-grade mathematics teachers, Algebra Connections, Prentice Hall, 2005. Professor Papick has extensive involvement in K-12 mathematics reform, with particular emphasis on teacher preparation, and was the PI or co-PI on several National Science Foundation grants focusing on K-12 mathematics curricular materials and teaching practices. Professor Papick is the recipient of five University of Missouri teaching awards (Purple Chalk Award, Amoco Award, Mystical 7 Award, Kemper Award, President’s Award), the most prominent of which is the Intercampus Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching, 2001.

Martha Daniels

A Ballad of the Prairies, Fields, and Hills

On display in the hallway gallery of the Central Bank of Boone County

May 19 - July 6, 2026

Artist Statement

Capturing the amazing skies and habitats of Missouri is an obsession, from season to season. The prairies, fields, and rolling hills fill my senses. Scenes from a Boone County porch and out an Adair County barn door tempt me with vibrant skies and subtle colors. Missouri’s natural beauty reveals a new narrative each day. Painting surprising or refreshing colors on a canvas and shaping them into elegant and abrupt forms, the sheer beauty of nature is a drama. Those contrasting feelings are my goal as an artist. I strive to help viewers open their senses and interest to the natural scenes at play.

Artist Bio

A plein air artist from rural Boone County, Martha shares her love for nature through painting and art. Her background in wildlife conservation and nature education peeks through the canvas. Born and raised in rural Adair County, she has been a lifelong explorer of Missouri’s diverse habitats. A degree in Mass Communications from Truman University allowed her to mix art into her career, while retirement has opened time for coursework at William Woods University and the rich group of local artists who have helped mentor her along the way.

Prairies and woodlands are complex and fascinating habitats – the subject for many of her works. Martha sees art as a way to capture moments of beauty in the fields, woods, and rivers, then share those vibrant colors and forms as a connection to the outdoors. To her, the natural world soothes the soul and focuses the eye. Hours at an easel are precious days in the outdoors.

Mentorship Program 2026

On display in the South Gallery of the Columbia Art League

May 12 - June 4, 2026

Reception: Thursday, May 14, 5:30-7 pm

In January of each year at CAL, high school art students are paired with a local artist to work together throughout the semester. Pairs meet in person at least twice monthly to problem solve & make time to create.

With the guidance and support of their mentor, each student develops a small portfolio of work that reflects their exploration of a concept or theme.

Throughout the program, selected students also attend professional development workshops to learn how to maintain a good art practice.

This exhibition is the culmination of their explorations.

2026 Mentees & Mentors

Abrielle Lynn Torufa (Battle High School) with Bethanie Irons

Hailey Morris (Hickman High School) with Jennifer Wiggs

Khalan Lee (Battle High School) with Hope Martin

Click the View Show button to view each artwork and read the artist statements & bios from each artist!

Step Back in Time: Dinosaurs

On display in the Betty and Art Robins Art Gallery at the Columbia Art League

4.28.26 - 6.11.26

Reception: Friday, May 1, 6-8 PM.

Step back in time and let your imagination roam through Earth’s deep past—from microscopic life to dinosaurs, and from ancient seas to vanished forests. We invite artists to explore the full fossil record and dig into the layers of prehistory, bringing long-extinct organisms and their worlds to life once more.

This show is a collaboration between CAL and Mizzou Paleobiology. Artists will have the opportunity to partner with a paleontologist to learn more about current research on prehistoric life, including plants, invertebrates, and local Missouri fossils. Creativity can flourish where the arts meet science.

This is a juried show open to all artists 16+ years old, all media welcome.

Congratulations to the ribbon winners from Step Back into Time: Dinosaurs!

First place: Mike Sleadd, iwi
Second Place: Sarah Jacquet, Urchin Orbs
Third Place: Linda Vandepopuliere, Crinoid: Missouri State Fossil
Fourth Place: Jacob Lopez, God Nouveau
Fifth Place: Sam Karstens, Tully the Monster
Paleo Pick: Shelby Wedel, Velociraptor
Honorable Mention: Lorelei Dohm, Fossils and Flora
Honorable Mention: Tim Sanders, The Cambrian Era
Honorable Mention: Kelly Durante, Blue Radiolarians
Honorable Mention: Michael Moscoso, Untitled
Honorable Mention: Lindsay Picht, Cambrian
Honorable Mention: Derek Fox, Iguanodon

Artists In Their Own Words: Lina Forrester

We know that the job of an artist is, at times, a difficult one. To mediate the world through the stroke of a brush or the snap of a camera is no small feat. We believe in giving artists their flowers, which is why we love to highlight them through an Artist Q&A! We dive into their process and how they created their current piece in the gallery. Please keep reading to learn more about artist Lina Forrester and her artworks in our Tiny Things exhibition, Un Matin Tranquille (Honorable Mention ribbon winner), and A Story of Trees!

Lina Forrester, A Story of Trees

What is the inspiration behind this work?

Lina:

Un Matin Tranquille--” The inspiration behind a lot of my nature photography has to do with those quiet, unseen things we tend to overlook. For this piece, it was a collection of winter grasses. I felt it would be perfect for a tea-toned cyanotype to give it an aged feel, reminiscent of days when things were quieter, simpler, and closer to nature.”

A Story of Trees--” I tell many stories of trees. Something about branching fractals that match the rooted fractals in the Earth makes me think of wisdom, resilience, and the passage of time. To me, trees are the unsung heroes of our planet. We should definitely be telling more stories about them.”

How long did it take you to make these pieces?

Lina:

Un Matin Tranquille--” This piece took a series of steps over the course of nine years. The initial picture was taken in 2017. The transparent negative was created and printed in 2021, and then I created the cyanotype in February of this year. Some of my photography is like that--given many different lives.”

A Story of Trees--” This piece took moments. It does take me a bit to frame it right, but the Instant photo comes right out, and I can then add it to a frame.”

Lina Forrester, Un Matin Tranquille

Describe your creative process.

Lina:

“I have a few different creative processes when it comes to my photography. I use both digital and film, depending on what kind of feel I'm going for. I also collect vintage cameras and several cameras have been passed down to me in my family. Two of my cameras actually have my great-granddad's initials carved into them. My favorite--right now--is medium format film shot with my 1950s Rolleiflex.

When I'm working digitally, or with my Pentax K1000 (film), I like to freelens. That is when you detach the lens from the body of the camera and move it around to focus. It creates blurry, dreamy results that you see in Un Matin Tranquille.

I'm also big on trick photography, sometimes needing multiple images to create one piece. I've been known to stand in the middle of the woods, holding a shutter release for 120 seconds while my daughter does multiple poses in the distance. That's one of my favorite things to do--tell spooky stories with my daughter through photography.”

If you could give yourself one piece of advice when starting your journey as an artist, what would that be?

Lina:

“Art should be fun! I like to tell my high school students: "If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. So get out there and make a mess. Make lots of messes. And when you fail--because you will--consider that yet another moment in which you evolved.”

The Interns' Turn: Tiny Things 2026

Hello, I am AJ Young, and I am a new intern here at the Columbia Art League! I have chosen to write about our current exhibition, Tiny Things, as I found myself drawn into the gallery, challenged to take a moment more with each piece, and appreciate the smaller scale of the artwork. 

The first piece that caught my eye was Snowy Egret by Sarah Mosteller. Upon viewing the carved creature, I was immediately struck by its intensity. The eyes feel as though they follow you throughout the space, keeping a keen eye on the surroundings. The choice to mount just this wood-carved head, instead of a whole body, which is typical in bird taxidermy, makes it feel as though the bird is poking its head through the wall to peer out at onlookers, with the rest of its body partitioned away. 

Sarah Mosteller, Snowy Egret

The second piece I am interested in is Bog by Susan Mart. I think that bogs are an often overlooked part of an ecosystem. Part of this, I think, comes from a lack of clarity. So much happens below, underwater, and in mud, where we cannot see. I think that is what I love most about this piece. It shows a cross-section of a plant in a bog. We can see the root system, but it is still muddled. The medium of watercolor lends itself nicely to this effect, as the colors blend in the roots. Choosing to make the bog the subject matter of a tiny artwork makes you, as a viewer, take more care in perceiving this piece, just as you may have to put more care into perceiving an ecosystem such as a bog.

Susan Mart, Bog

The final piece I am looking at further is A Magnificent Home by Julie Youmans. Upon my first glance, I thought this piece was gouache. The transparency of certain elements of the cocoon and the vibrancy of the spots give this piece a fantastical feeling. This made it almost shocking for me to see that this is a photograph. Sometimes I think we forget that there are such vibrant and lovely things naturally occurring in nature, and this photo is a perfect example of highlighting such a thing. 

Julie Youmans, A Magnificent Home

Scale can be everything in art; it can make or break a piece, and this exhibit shows what an impact it can have. Instinct may tell us that small things pack a smaller punch, but Tiny Things dares viewers to play with the idea of scale and work with it instead of against it. 

Check out the show, on display through April 9th!

Ja'Licia Gainer

Jazzy’s Comics

On display in the South Gallery of the Columbia Art League

March 31 - April 18, 2026

Reception: Thursday, April 2, 5:30-7 pm

Artist Statement

“Jazzy’s Comics” centers on documenting and celebrating Black material culture through a visual language inspired by comic book aesthetics. Using vibrant colors and graphic line work, I seek to transform everyday objects and spaces into vivid compositions that honor their cultural weight. These objects are archives that carry histories of care, resistance, entrepreneurship, style, and self-definition within Black communities. The comic book style I employ draws on a visual storytelling rhythm that is historically accessible and often heroic. “Jazzy’s Comics” functions as both homage and record. Through comic-inspired imagery, I aim to create a visual archive of lineage and lived experience from Black cultural touchstones that is as dynamic, layered, and resilient as the communities it reflects.

Artist Bio

Ja’ Licia Gainer was born in Tulsa (Broken Arrow), Oklahoma. Gainer and her family moved to Columbia, Missouri, in her early childhood. Gainer attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Art History. Gainer is currently in graduate school for a Master of Arts in Visual Studies and is a teaching assistant/instructor at the University of Missouri. Outside of academic studies, Gainer is an avid painter, having shown her works in local galleries and exhibitions, including the Columbia Art League, Montminy Gallery, The Shops at Sharp End, the annual Boone County Art Show, and Orr Street Studios. 

Artists In Their Own Words: Sandy Hockenbury

We know that the job of an artist is, at times, a difficult one. To mediate the world through the stroke of a brush or the snap of a camera is no small feat. We believe in giving artists their flowers, which is why we love to highlight them through an Artist Q&A! We dive into their process and how they created their current piece in the gallery. Please keep reading to learn more about artist Sandy Hockenbury and her artworks in our Tiny Things exhibition, Essence of Iridescence I and Essence of Iridescence II!

Essence of Iridescence I

What is the inspiration behind this work?

Sandy: “I find design in nature miraculous and fascinating, yet I am limited in what I see and understand. Something has to inspire my attention. An article about iridescence and viewing micro images inspired thoughts and ideas over some weeks and months.”

For Essence of Iridescence I:

“I love rocks in their raw state, and I love how the transparent watercolor and ink helped me capture that.”

For Essence of Iridescence II:

“Microscopic views of the iridescent feathers of hummingbirds kept coming to mind. I was aware of their luminous feathers but had no knowledge of the underlying miracle in these tiny birds.”

Essence of Iridescence II

How long did it take you to make these pieces?

Sandy: “Interesting question. If we are talking just execution, two days after several renditions for Essence of Iridescence I, three days for Essence of Iridescence II.”

Describe your creative process.

Sandy: “Lots of free sketching, drawing, and playing with watercolor and ink until I get a sense of direction. It is important to me to stay true to watercolor’s transparency. I plan my design and format size, and choose pigments and color schemes. Next come several renditions. Then I plan my presentation.”

If you could give yourself one piece of advice when starting your journey as an artist, what would that be?

Sandy: “Study the conventional wisdom of art and design principles, master your chosen media and tools, THEN express your true artistic self.”