COMO | February 2022

FEBRUA RY 2022 | T HE A RT & CULTU R E ISSU E | A PU B L ICATION OF TH E B U SIN E SS TIM E S COM PAN Y

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ROBIN MORRISON QUEEN OF TRUE/FALSE QUEENS

MEET YOUR MAYORAL CANDIDATES OF COLUMBIA

&

THE ART

CULTURE ISSUE

IT’S NOT ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT, IT’S ABOUT GAINING

– Sheryl, two years post-surgery

Road trips, hiking state parks, training to be a dance fitness instructor — This is what life looks like for Sheryl two years after bariatric surgery. With multiple weight loss options, our team works with you to find the long-term solution that best meets your goals and offers support before, during and long after your care.

Request an appointment today at muhealth.org/gaininglife.

Fall in Love with Lincoln.

Experi enc e th e Ultimate in Lu x u ry

EVERY CHILD DESERVES A VOICE.

LEND YOURS. DID YOU KNOW?

Last year there were 722 children in the Boone and Callaway county foster care system. When the state removes a child from their home because of abuse or neglect a CASA volunteer is there to make sure their best interest remains the top priority.

Right now there is a child in foster care who needs YOU to show up and provide this powerful advocacy.

Apply to volunteer today!

Our next training class begins April 19, 2022.

HEART OF MISSOURI CASA

Donate today and help us give every child the powerful voice of a CASA.

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MOVING FORWARD THE KIA WAY. Why? Because we believe that is the right way.

A

t Kia of Columbia our message to our clients and our community is: We remain committed to bringing you a reimagined customer journey, holding ourselves accountable for creating an individualized positive experience, and leading the way forward with cutting edge technology. What matters to you matters to us.

We push ourselves to ask the hard questions with the customer at the forefront of our decision making. What’s right for our customers, what’s right for our community, what’s right for our product.

Our continued mission is that Kia of Columbia creates a meaningful partnership with both our clients and our community.

During 2021 we saw monumental changes not only the way we do business in the automotive business but in the brand itself. From the launch of a new line up of vehicles that met the needs of the consumer with cutting edge technology and safety features to a new brand logo.

Kia as a brand defined in its mission to lead the way forward and at a store level we are embracing that philosophy.

No more the traditional linear car buying process that outdates the time we live in. Now experience the adaptability, ease and transparency that allows customers a uniquely tailored shopping experience.

If you have specific needs we have the resources to make it happen. We always want to do what is right by you, the guest.

Kia as a brand defined its mission to lead the way forward and at a store level we are embracing that philosophy.

This aggressive approach to create new and innovative products has seen some of the hottest vehicles speed off the lot; the ALL new 2022 Telluride, Sorento, K5, Carnival and Seltos gave something for everyone to want. Be on the lookout for more this year including the next generation of EV technology. ALL new EV’s coming this year - we will keep you posted!

We are here to be more than a car dealership, we are here to be part of a thriving community. Our team calls Columbia home and that runs deep in our pledge to be part of the community that serves us.

In our first year we were proud to support a variety of organizations; Tigers on The Prowl, COMO 200 celebrations, Great Circle, and Heart of Missouri CASA to name but a few. We are looking forward to continuing forging relationships over the next 12 months that serve our community.

At Kia of Columbia we want to create an environment that you feel comfortable visiting and re visiting. Come and experience our technology that makes Kia part of the cutting edge of the automotive industry.

Visit with our team to get to know how the car buying experience has been revolutionized to one of ease and convenience.

Visit our website kiaofcolumbia.com to learn more about us, our product and our community. We are looking forward to partnering with you.

COMOMAG.COM

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THE EVOLUTION OF THE VOLKSWAGEN

TIGUAN 2022

2009

2016

2020

1200 Vandiver Dr, Columbia, MO • (573) 234-4087 • joemachensvw.net

Letter from the Publisher

I

The COMO Scene

f you have known me for any length of time, you likely know that I am a super geek about Columbia. Both of my businesses are named after it. When I moved here in 2005, I fell in love with the public art, the music scene, the collegiate sports, the festivals — it all fed my soul. When people ask me what I love about my city, these are the things I lead with. The Blue Note and Rose Music Hall are at the top of my personal list of favorites. Not much beats live music of any kind in my world for any mood I’m in. We are blessed to have so much at our fingertips accessible to all, including a symphony, the ballet, and many museums. If you’re bored in Columbia, you might just be a boring person.

Another important part of the culture of Columbia is the people that lead it. We have a very exciting election coming up in April that will install many new leaders, including potentially three (but at least two) seats on our city council and a new mayor. These positions are intended to be visionaries and protectors for our future. It is important that everyone register to vote and vote with what is most important in your mind. In January, as part of our 20 Under 40 alumni issue, we featured mayoral candidate Barbara Buffaloe (20U40 alum). We are featuring the remaining four candidates in this issue in a special “Candidates You Should Know” section. Our intent is to give you a chance to get to know them and what is important to them. One of them will be your new mayor. Who will you choose?

I’m not sure about you, but January has started off pretty rough over here. It almost seems like 2022 looked at both 2020 and 2021 and is trying to one up them already. If you can resonate with that, I encourage you to take a break. Take a walking tour (or driving, since it’s cold) of our public art. Check out one of the upcoming live music performances at MOSY or The Blue Note. Stroll through one of our many local historical museums and just breathe. We will all get there together.

As always, I’d love to hear from you about what stories you think still need told. Have a great February!

AN ANECDOTE

If you’re bored in Columbia, you might just be a boring person.

from our

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

On a cold, snowy, Saturday morning, our art director, Cassidy, and I bundled up and walked down the street to Cafe Poland.

The plan: a quick portrait of Cafe Poland owner Iwona Galijska, then bring prepared food back to the studio to style and photograph.

Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed inside by an adorable, friendly woman and her son, Robert, with whom she runs the restaurant.

After a brief chat about the plan, Iwona sighed and said, “OK, but an important question.” Cassidy and I exchanged a glance. She then asked very seriously, “Have you had breakfast?”

Oh, my heart!

Iwona ushered us to a table. Out came black currant drink, a plate full of pierogi with smothered onions and sour cream, and another plate with three large crepes — two savory and one sweet. Our bellies were full. We were in heaven.

It’s rare we have to work on a Saturday, but this lovely experience was the chocolate syrup on top of a fun photo shoot.

ON THE COVER True/False Film Fest Queen of Queens Robin Morrison.

Photo by Jonathan Asher Photography

F E B R UA RY 202 2 | TH E A RT & CU LTU R E I S S U E | A PU B L I CAT I O N O F T H E B U S I N E S S T I M E S CO M PA N Y

+

ROBIN MORRISON QUEEN OF TRUE/FALSE QUEENS

MEET YOUR MAYORAL CANDIDATES OF COLUMBIA

&CULTURE ISSUE

THE ART ERICA PEFFERMAN PUBLISHER

COMOMAG.COM

11

President Erica Pefferman

Erica@comomag.com

Senior Vice President Fran Patrick Fran@comomag.com

EDITORIAL Publisher | Erica Pefferman

Director of Operations Amy Ferrari

MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Account Executive | Charles Bruce

Erica@comomag.com

Charles@comomag.com

Editor | Kim Ambra

OUR MISSION

Kim@comomag.com

Copy Editor | Matt Patston

DESIGN Art Director | Cassidy Shearrer Cassidy@comomag.com

Senior Graphic Designer | Jordan Watts Jordan@comomag.com

Director of Photography | Sadie Thibodeaux Sadie@comomag.com

Graphic Designer | Kate Morrow Kate@comomag.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jonathan Asher, Keith Borgmeyer, Anthony Jinson, Sadie Thibodeaux

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Taylor Ambra, Corin Cesaric, Lauren Sable Freiman, Gracie Fitzgerald, Alex George, Jules Graebner, Jessica Jainchill, Amanda Long, Mary Caitlyn Polovich, Hannah Robertson, La Toya Stevens, Michelle Terhune, Jennifer Truesdale

Amy@comomag.com

To inspire, educate, and entertain the citizens of Columbia with quality, relevant content that reflects Columbia’s business environment, lifestyle, and community spirit.

CONTACT

Business Times Holdings, LLC 18 S. Ninth St. Ste 201, Columbia, MO, 65201 (573) 499-1830 • comomag.com /wearecomomag @wearecomomag

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COMO is published every month by Business Times Holdings, LLC. Copyright Business Times Holdings, LLC 2022. All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

CORRECTION FROM JANUARY 2022 ISSUE

Photos from the Roll Out for Justice Local Motion event by Avery Abbott.

ON T HEM E

Who or what inspires your photography?

Anthony Jinson Photographer for COMO

Sadie Thibodeaux Photographer for COMO

Keith Borgmeyer Photographer for COMO

Charles Bruce III Photographer for COMO

Since there are too many contemporary and historical photographers and artists to name, I would have to say my biggest inspirations today come from cinema and also meeting people in their natural environment and hearing their stories.

My parents ran a portrait and wedding photography studio for 25 years. Dad was the photographer and Mom was operations. Dad had an uncanny ability to help people push past their nervousness and just have fun. I gleaned this from him, adding my personal spin — leaning into my own awkwardness to help others relax. It works!

I’m inspired by both the technical and artistic challenges that photography requires.

Creating lasting images exercises both sides of the brain, and you’ll spend a lifetime working on the craft.

It’s a labor of passion.

My biggest inspirations in photography would have to be my good friends Chadwick Christopher (@chadwiiiiick) and Mike Lam (@snappy.chan).

Both were instrumental in helping me along the way. Having other amazing photographers to bounce questions and ideas off of really helped me define my style and creative process.

ADJUSTING

Your Health

IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Dr. Ashley Emel

DC, CACCP, Webster Certified

Dr. Jennifer Sutherland DC, FASA

2516 Forum Blvd. #102 (573) 445-4444 compass-chiropractic.com COMOMAG.COM

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Are you ready to step up?

If you are interested in participating in the 2022 Walk to End Alzheimer’s as a committee member, please contact Chris Cottle at ccottle@alz.org

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FEBRUARY 2022

FEATURES

58 IT STARTED WITH A SPARK Emmett Russell leaves his mark on a city dear to his heart.

FEBRUARY 202 2 | The Art & Culture Issue

52

11

41

72

Publisher’s Letter

GOURMET Á La Polonaise

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

47

75

LIVING 19

ART & CULTURE Professor by Day,

STYLE True (or False) COMO Royalty

Artist by Night

Stepping into Action

BUSINESS UPDATE Social Art

21

WORKING

79

PET FRIENDLY Just a Little Closer

65

SHOULD KNOW

23 WELLNESS Ringing in a New Narrative

Robert Greene

66

83

BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

CANDIDATES YOU

69

GUEST VOICES Alex George — Skylarking

MOVERS & SHAKERS

27 HOMES Painting Houses

PERSON YOU

CLOSER LOOK

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70 CELEBRATIONS Community Focused, Music Driven

CURATORS OF THE LOST ART AND ARTIFACTS Columbia’s museums hold a treasure trove of art, artifacts, and history unparalleled by other communities of its size. Even better, they’re absolutely free to explore.

SHOULD KNOW Meet your Mayoral Candidates of Columbia

106 THIS OR THAT Paul Pepper

93 ENCOURAGING, EXPERIMENTING, EMPOWERING An initiative focused on cultivating the musicians of today.

99 ART & SOUL A colorful cluster of creativity in Columbia.

FEB. 3 LUNAR RAVE: YEAR OF THE TIGER FEB. 4 THE BURNEY SISTERS + LILY B MOONFLOWER FEB. 5 DR. ZHIVEGAS FEB. 6 MARCUS KING BAND FEB. 9 TODD SNIDER FEB. 10 TODD BARRY FEB. 11 AARON WATSON FEB. 12 MUSE POLE FITNESS 10TH ANNIVERSARY FEB. 17 ETTA MAY FEB. 18 RANDY HOUSER FEB. 19 KOLBY COOPER FEB. 24 MATT BRAUNGER FEB. FE 26 ROSEBUD BAKER

FEB. 4 FIRST FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR FT. THE FIRED CRAWDADDIES FEB. 5 AUGUSTANA FEB. 10 TROPIDELIC FEB. 11 BRITTNEY SPENCER FEB. 19 MOBILE FUNK UNIT FEB. 22 CODY LEE MEECE & THE POOR EXCUSES FEB. 23 THE ARCADIAN WILD FEB. 25 JIMI HENDRIX SALUTE FT. MERCURY TRIO FEB. 26 SUMMER CAMP: ON THE ROAD FEB. 27 GANGSTAGRASS

Living

27

PAINTING HOUSES Matt Bear transforms homes into beautiful artistic representations.

52 CURATORS OF THE LOST ART AND ARTIFACTS Columbia’s museums hold a treasure trove of art, artifacts, and history.

41

Á LA POLONAISE Café Poland dishes up traditional Polish cuisine in downtown Columbia.

A four-day celebration of cutting-edge nonfiction film, music, & art transforming downtown columbia into a one-of-a-kind creative wonderland.

PASSES ON SALE! TRUEFALSE.ORG

Living

ART & CULTURE

Professor by Day, Artist by Night Derek B. Fox swaps lectures for landscapes.

BY JULES GRAEBNER

I

t can be easy to think that art and science are binary opposites, one ruled by creativity and the other by logic. This may be true for some — say, a great writer who can’t do math without a calculator — but for Derek B. Fox, who is both an artist and professor of veterinary orthopedic surgery at MU’s Veterinary Health Center, art and science coexist.

Even at a young age, Derek found himself enthralled by viewing and creating art.

His father, who worked as a commercial artist, encouraged his son’s creativity and gave him direction. “It was something we really bonded over,” Derek says. “As a little kid, [my dad] would take me to art museums. I just loved it, and I loved spending that time with him."

As he got older, Derek had to decide where art would fit into his adult life.

“Growing up, I was thinking about a career in art, but both my parents gently steered me away from art as a profession, because there’s a reason why the term ‘starving artist’ exists,” he laughs.

Derek pivoted and began to focus on his passion for science, which ultimately led him to study veterinary medicine at Michigan State University. Though the curriculum was rigorous, he realized that he had a much bigger problem on his hands: money. Fortunately, Derek had a skill that could help pay the bills.

“Veterinary school is very expensive, and I needed to find jobs to help offset the cost,” Derek says. “So, I started working as an unlicensed medical illustrator. Once the rumors got out that I could do that, surgeons at the veterinary school reached out and said, ‘Hey, can you illustrate this chapter of this textbook for me?’ or, ‘Can you do some surgical illustrations for this paper that I’m writing?’ It really ignited my interest in surgery.”

One thing led to another, and Derek's career as a veterinary surgeon became all-consuming. "I had to push my art to the back burner just because it’s such a demanding field,” he says. He continued dabbling with art here and there until three years ago, when Derek became determined to find his way back to the canvas. “Art has always been such a passion for me, and to not make time for it just seemed kind of sad,” he says.

Since then, Derek has dedicated most of his spare time to painting or drawing.

He focuses on representational art. “In other words, if I’m doing a portrait or landscape, I want it to actually look like the subject,” he says. “I’m not looking for abstract interpretation.”

He perfectly captures visions of Mid-Missouri with dreamlike strokes of color, while his portraiture encapsulates even the smallest glint in his subject’s eye. His talent was even recognized by legendary art curator Kathleen Soriano when he won top spot during an episode of Portrait Artist of the Week, a global online art competition hosted by Sky TV during lockdown.

“My wife and I were painting every week during lockdown, posting them to Instagram with the [contest’s] hashtag. And sure enough, one week I won! It was pretty amazing,” Derek says gleefully. “It was completely surreal, but it was so affirming.

Like, OK, I can do this!”

Since then, Derek has been finding more and more success with his art. His pieces are regularly featured at the Columbia Art League, which will be hosting his first solo show in the South Gallery during March.

Even with all the recognition, Derek is just happy to be back doing what he loves, saying: “I’m still teaching myself in kind of a clumsy way of learning, but there is so much freedom. It’s been a reawakening.”

Top to bottom: Derek painting "Ninth and Cherry"; "Ninth and Cherry," acrylic and oil on board, 8x10; "December Sycamores," acrylic and oil on masonite, 7x13.

COMOMAG.COM

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Living

PET FRIENDLY

Just a Little Closer Local artist uses photography to document dying insect populations.

BY JESSICA JAINCHILL

M

ost people agree that nature is beautiful, but Columbia resident Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi thinks it’s even more beautiful close up. As a skilled macro photographer, he uses his art to show the tiny details in insects and bring nature a little closer to the human eye.

Abdul has spent his entire life in Missouri, and as most Missourians know, Missouri is full of bugs. It wasn’t hard for young Abdul to become fascinated with insects.

“Growing up, I’ve always sort of liked being outside picking up roly-polies,” he says.

However, Abdul wouldn’t connect his insect interest with macro photography until he went to college to complete a pre-medicine biochemistry degree. While working in a research lab that focused on insects, Abdul was given the opportunity to see the finer details of insects with macro photography.

“Part of the lab was raising bugs,” he says.

“We had many different species of bugs in our lab, and part of the lab was also recording them. We would record audio of the bugs eating and different behaviors they have, and the lab director also owned a macro camera.”

With the macro camera, Abdul was given a glimpse into a tiny world that people don’t often see. Spiders became large furry hunters, and the fine mechanical details on dragonflies became clear. In short, Abdul was brought down to insects’ tiny viewpoints.

“It just sort of opens up a whole new world,” he says.

He became so fascinated with insects closeup that he purchased a camera to take his own pictures. After getting some camera tips from his lab director, he says, “I then spent time on my own finding my own bugs out in nature.”

Abdul views his photography as documentation, since he has noted that some insect populations are decreasing and may not exist

for future generations. But Abdul also gets a certain personal satisfaction from his hobby.

“It’s a great break from studying,” he says.

“If I get that one shot of a bug that’s just perfect, it’s exciting to me. That excitement just never goes away. I just like looking at those pictures. Looking at all the small details of this bug that’s just two inches big and being able to say I took this picture is fulfilling.”

However, capturing these pictures is no easy feat. Lighting, a steady hand, and patience are all necessary elements for great photos.

“If the insect is out of one millimeter of range of where I want to focus, it’s going to be out of focus. So that involves a lot of patience,” Abdul says. “I do all my shots hand held, so that does mean a lot of unusable shots. The

light may not be focused, or it’s not right on the insects. I’ve taken about 60,000 shots of insects, and I’m still improving.”

Though Abdul’s main focus right now is getting through medical school, he intends to develop his hobby into something more.

“The goal is that in the future I’ll open some sort of monetary path on my website,” he says.

For now, Abdul wants his art to spread his appreciation for insects to others.

“I’ve been around so many insects, been in their faces and in their personal space,” he says. “They are part of nature and just something we should appreciate.”

Visit Abdul’s Instagram, @camerotmacro, to see more of his photos.

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Living

WELLNESS

Ringing in a New Narrative A creative approach to increase brain health awareness and access to resources.

BY GRACIE FITZGERALD

B

urrell Behavioral Health is a community mental health center with a mission of forming meaningful connections and inspiring hope. Burrell’s outreach efforts fall under three main pillars: accessible care for the public through free, online experiences; a wellness program for Burrell staff and outside organizations; and collaborative community partnerships through the Be Well initiative.

The Be Well Community Movement Burrell has provided traditional therapies for nearly 50 years, and the Be Well Initiative is an extension of these offerings as a support network for local communities and individuals nationwide via online platforms. This brain health wellness program is led by licensed mental health providers who bring brain science to life through evidence-based practices.

The Be Well Initiative gave Burrell the “green light” to extend its continuum of care into preventative spaces.

In March of 2020, Shelly Farnen, a doctor of psychology at Burrell, worked with a team of other licensed professionals to create a plan that would help Burrell staff cope with the unknowns of COVID-19. The team quickly realized their plan would be beneficial to communities at large, so Burrell simultaneously launched the program to the public. Farnen says, “We were offering private wellness experiences for our Burrell colleagues, and we were also doing that for an online community that ended up spanning the east and west coast because anyone could join on Facebook.”

The Be Well movement has quickly made Burrell a leader in the field of brain health.

Main photo above: Meg Wagler's bell being unveiled. Inset image: Shelly Farnen, Psy.D., and Meg Wagler standing next to her bell.

The Be Well Bells Burrell is ringing in a new narrative for brain health by providing resources that foster community connection, spread mental health awareness, and reduce stigma. To achieve this, Burrell has enlisted the help of local artists to create the Be Well Bells. These bells represent communities’, businesses’, and other organizations’ commitment to brain health and wellness.

But why bells? In the 1950s, people with mental health illnesses were often placed in institutions with inhumane restraints like metal shackles and chains. Mental Health America, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting mental health, requested these institutions send in their shackles and chains to be melted into the very first Mental Health America bell. Farnen explained, “They wanted to signal hope for new treatments . . . so that bell really inspired us because it felt so connected with what we were trying to do with community mental health.”

The Artists Burrell received a flood of applications from artists wanting to use their gift to promote the mission. However, artists were chosen carefully — Burrell wanted contributors who were personally invested in the mission.

Meg Wagler, an artist from Springfield, was chosen to design one of the first Be Well Bells. She recognizes her connection to the mission, saying “As somebody who has struggled with mental health alongside people who I’ve known and loved in the community . . . to see these rally cries of people supporting each other is super special.”

Wagler’s art style balances bright colors with black to represent lightness and darkness, and she felt this approach seemed to naturally align with the campaign. “Creating something for this initiative felt really personal,” she says.

“I think my style of art is very bright and lighthearted, so I loved lending that optimism to something that’s typically a heavy subject.”

The Be Well Future The first set of Be Well Bells reside in southwest Missouri. Burrell just selected the first artist from Columbia as part of their expansion into central Missouri and northwest Arkansas. The Burrell community is thrilled with how quickly the program is expanding and hopes that, eventually, the Be Well Bells will be a nationwide movement to offer a creative, accessible approach to brain health.

Stay up to date with the Be Well Movement on Burrell's website and Facebook page.

COMOMAG.COM

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FEBRUARY 2022

Living

GUEST VOICE

BOOKS, ETC.

Skylarking

BY ALEX GEORGE, SKYLARK BOOKSHOP OWNER

T

here are many perks to this job.

First of all, we get to spend our days in this beautiful space, surrounded by books.

We get to watch our customers’ faces as they step through the front door; it often feels like they’re coming home. We have two excellent coffee shops literally within a stone’s throw of our front door. Goldie’s Bagels and Top Ten Wines are close by. (Which one we choose depends on the time of day.) We don’t need a gym membership. (Books are heavy, y’all.)

We get to meet cool authors, and, of course, we get to talk about books all day with our lovely customers.

We also get sent a lot of free books. I know.

Life is hard.

The books we receive are usually advanced reading copies, or ARCs, which are circulated by publishers months before a title is actually due to arrive on our shelves. (That way we know what books to order and recommend to you.) The Olympics of ARC reading is a marathon event to determine each year’s “Indies Introduce” list. A panel of independent booksellers from around the country read advanced copies of approximately a gajillion books by debut authors and (somehow) whittle these down to a list of the ten best.

Last year, Carrie Koepke, Skylark’s manager, was on that panel. She lost count of how many books she read, but it was a lot. Of all of those debut titles, the one that has stayed with her most powerfully is a stunning debut novel called “Cairo Circles” by Doma Mahmoud.

Here’s what Carrie had to say about the book: “Every so often, an author is just as good at plotting as they are at developing characters. Mahmoud has crafted a beast of a novel with woven points of view, topics that matter, and enough heart to bring on the feels. I can only hope that this debut is just the beginning.”

But it’s not just Carrie. We are all big fans of “Cairo Circles” here at Skylark, and we were thrilled to host Doma’s only online event in the

Mahmoud has crafted a beast of a novel with woven points of view, topics that matter, and enough heart to bring on the feels.

US when the book was launched last October.

That’s why we’ve chosen “Cairo Circles” to be our Skylarking book club pick for February. It’s a stunning novel that is going to provoke a lot of conversation.

Sherif “Sheero” Abdallah is reveling in his newfound independence as a student in New York, free at last from the judgmental gaze of his conservative family in Egypt. When the FBI knocks on his door, he’s convinced it’s a case of mistaken identity — until they show him a picture of his cousin Amir. Amir has perpetrated a horrific attack, and Sheero is forced to return to Cairo and confront the events that have led to the wildly different paths that the cousins’ lives have taken. In contrast to Sheero’s life of privilege and luxury, Amir was forced to wear hand-me-down clothes and suffered at the hands of his neglectful and abusive parents.

Over the years, the two cousins have grown further and further apart. The lives of these and other young Egyptians intertwine dramatically over the course of more than a decade, revealing complex relationships dominated by faith, tradition, social class, and the boundaries of personal freedom.

I love coming-of-age stories. A good one will have certain elements that every reader will recognize — we all grow up eventually — but it’s in the differences where the real treasure of such stories often lies. Those new perspectives can shed fresh light on what we think we know about growing up. We may be unfamiliar with the world that Doma Mahmoud draws so beautifully in “Cairo Circles,” but his skill in

rendering the complex forces that buffet the novel’s characters help us to see a little more and to understand a little more. This book will challenge how you think about family and culture and the sometimes fragile threads that keep us connected. It also raises some deeply probing questions about privilege: Who has it and why, and what difference it can and should make. Mahmoud writes with such empathy that through his story, he gently encourages the reader to consider their own privilege and how it impacts our interactions with others.

We all walk through this world — how heavy will your footprint be?

“Cairo Circles” is an epic, multi-perspective page-turner with multiple shifts in both time and space as the story unfolds. Cairo’s streets burst to life on the page. Doma Mahmoud is a bold and inventive new voice in fiction, and we can’t wait to discuss this extraordinary book with you.

As usual, we’ll be meeting at 6:30 p.m., in the shop, on the last Thursday of the month, which is February 24 — assuming, of course, that such a gathering is safe at the time. (If not, then we’ll meet on Zoom.) Attendance is free, as always — we just ask that you purchase a copy of the book from us. We hope to see you there!

Alex George is the founder and director of the Unbound Book Festival and the owner of Skylark Bookshop in downtown Columbia.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

THE FOUR PHRASES OUR CHILDREN NEED TO HEAR EVERY DAY Being a parent can be busy. Many of us are juggling carpools, school, work, activities, chores, and the ongoing list of our daily responsibilities – all while trying to raise children who will turn into healthy, happy adults. We do our best to support and encourage our kids every day, but in the chaos that is life, we may miss opportunities to care for their emotional needs.

Here are a few phrases we can focus on within our families: I love you.

A parent’s love for a child may feel like a given, but it’s important to not forget to say the words, “I love you.”

Kids can also feel the love you have for them with your actions as well.

You matter.

Our kids need to be reminded that what they think, feel and do matter to us. Asking questions and showing interest can send the message that their experiences, preferences, opinions, and thoughts are important.

You are human.

Sometimes, we need to let our kids know it's okay to be and feel many things at once. We model this as adults when we acknowledge our own mistakes, work to make things right, and talk about the tough situations we experience.

I’m proud of you.

It’s not always what we say directly to our kids that carries the most weight. They could hear us talking about them to other parents, our families or our friends.

Hearing their parents talk about them positively can help our children know we’re proud of them, even without using those words.

Just as our child needs to feel connected to us, as adults, we need to feel invested in our relationship with them. Being mindful of the way we are thinking and talking about our kids has an impact on our own wellbeing and the well-being of our families.

To learn more about the variety of behavioral health services Burrell offers children and teens, visit www.BurrellCenter.com.

Want to learn more about family mental health?

Find more information and resources at www.burrellcenter.com

Living

HOMES

Matt Bear transforms homes into beautiful artistic representations.

BY JENNIFER TRUESDALE

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Living

HOMES

M

att Bear is one of those exceptional people who really burnt out [on making art], and I didn’t have a portfoseemingly does it all: He’s a father; a husband; a lio because I’m a really slow artist," he says. "I thought I was business owner with professional experience in going to go to Missouri State for art, but I went to Mizzou for marketing, advertising, fundraising, and insurance; and business instead.” a talented watercolor artist. The 38-year-old Chesterfield And instead of business, Matt ended up going with a denative, who’s lived in Columbia since 2003, calls himself an gree in interdisciplinary studies with emphases in business, observational or representational artist who paints things economics, and communications. as he sees them. Painting is something of a side hustle for An internship his senior year at True Media helped him get Matt. His current watercolor passion lies in painting porhis first job out of college, as an account executive at KOMU. traits of homes, which he started Interestingly, for as much as Matt doing in 2019. took after his mom and her love of “It was a business decision, plain art, Matt’s father also sold advertisand simple. What is there a demand ing for four decades in St. Louis, infor?” Matt says with a laugh about cluding for the NBC affiliate. deciding to paint homes over any Matt went to Shelter Insurance number of other subjects. “As an in 2008, where he moved into meobservational artist who likes ardia buying at the corporate levchitecture in general, it was a good el for five years, but after a while, fit for me.” After he came up for the Matt knew he had to make a deidea to paint house portraits, Matt cision: either grow his marketing did a test to see how long it would career, which would mean leaving take him to sketch, paint, and ink Shelter, or make a career out of his neighbor’s house in the Southstaying at Shelter. ridge subdivision. To promote his “I decided to stay at Shelter, and unique service, he launched an Insin doing so, I learned insurance on tagram account. Real estate agents the side. I got licensed and worked commission his work as gifts for for a local Shelter agent part-time their clients, and family or friends for a few years and that snowballed of the homebuyer will commission into my full-time position at the a piece as a one-of-a-kind househome office. [But] after eight years, I warming present that’s worthy of a was just ready to try something new. reveal on HGTV. So I got into fundraising [at ColumOpening page: Jefferson City, Private If you’d had known Matt as a bia College] and loved it.”

Property, July 2020: “It was fun to receive youth, you’d have bet money that While Matt didn’t take any art this house portrait commission for a fairly if he went to college, he’d study art, classes at MU, working at Columbia newly constructed beautiful house in not business. Matt loved to draw as College allowed him to take a couple Jefferson City. It has a pleasant feel to it with its big blue sky and green lawn bordering a child, an activity that his mother, of courses. Matt did little drawing or the clean house with cute details.” who earned her degree in art edpainting in his 20s as his high school ucation from MU, encouraged. In burnout persisted. Becoming a faClient commissioned piece to celebrate first middle school, Matt was inspired by ther changed that. About five years year in new home for her sibling’s family.

The Disney Renaissance, the period ago, his kids, who were 7 and 5 at Reference photo is from real estate listing. from 1989 to 1999 when Disney was the time, were making artwork while making critically and commercially on vacation in Estes Park, Colorado. acclaimed animated films. It’s also when Disney started its Matt ended up taking a picture of the Rockies and then came move toward computer animation. home and did a watercolor of the photo. This inspired him to get back into watercolor with purpose and intention. And “‘Beauty and the Beast’ really did it for me, and it was my then he came up with his idea to do house portraits. Now he dream to be a Disney animator. And so in middle school relies on word-of-mouth and takes painting commissions as I stepped away from cartoon drawing and really pursued they find him. figure drawing and how to draw human beings,” Matt reIn August 2020, Matt became his own boss when he opened calls. “By high school, though, I knew I wasn’t interested his own COUNTRY Financial branch, where he specializes in in pursuing digital art or digital animation and got really auto, home, life, and small business insurance. For the time interested in oil painting and watercolor.” being, Matt’s focus will be making sure his insurance agency That’s where Matt’s relationship with art went on hiatus is successful while keeping the art on the side. for several years. “By the end of high school, though, I was

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FEBRUARY 2022

Living

HOMES

Neighbor’s House • May 2019 •

“This was as special a piece as I’ve ever done. I had just come up with the idea to pursue house portraits for profit, and I decided to test out the idea by making this house portrait of my neighbor’s home.

And my family is very close with those neighbors, so it was special to make for them as a gift. During the process, I paid attention to how long it would take me to create [the painting] in order to help me determine what rates I would charge starting out.”

Special gift for the artist's neighbor. Reference photo is artist's own.

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Living

HOMES

Kansas City Home • July 2020 •

“This was meaningful because the clients and the recipients of the portrait are distant relatives of mine. It was special to make this piece of a gorgeous Kansas City home built in 1919! I like everything about it . . . from the windows and front porch to the American flag and even the bits of neighboring homes you can see.”

Housewarming gift commission. Reference photo is from real estate listing.

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FEBRUARY 2022

Living

HOMES

Mid-Missouri Farm House • July 2020 •

“I love this piece for its beautiful architecture and fun angle that it has. The process of making this was exciting as well. I was on vacation with my family on July Fourth weekend visiting relatives in Wichita when I received the commission request. And it needed to be a quick turnaround. Luckily I had brought my travel set of art supplies and was able to create most, if not all, of the house portrait that weekend.”

Commissioned by local real estate agent Megan Walters for a special housewarming gift. Reference photo is from real estate listing.

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Living

HOMES

Benton-Stephens • September 2021 •

“Before Becky & Stacey Woelfel — Stacey is a retired journalism school professor — relocated last fall, they commissioned this as a special gift for their neighbor of many years. With all that the Woelfels have done for the Mizzou and Columbia community through the years, it was a treat to be working with the couple. I love history, and the Benton-Stephens neighborhood is such a charming area in Columbia, so the subject matter was fun.”

Client commissioned piece as a special gift for neighbor. Reference photo is from Google Maps Street View.

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WHAT THE

HOME

PROS KNOW

ANNE TUCKLEY

ANNE TUCKLEY HOME

SHAUN HENRY ATKINS

KELLY MCBRIDE

ROST LANDSCAPING

AMBER WOOTEN

TIGER HOME TEAM

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WHAT THE

A FRESH COAT OF CHANGE

By Anne Tuckley

Find more at AnneTuckleyhome.com

I

adore paint. Paint is one of the many tools in the interior designer’s line of cosmetics. Like makeup, paint can take an object or room from classic to mysterious, playful to serious, serene to intense.

Jackson Pollock once said: “It doesn’t make much difference how the paint is put on as long as something has been said. Technique is just a means of arriving at a statement.”

When clients come to me wanting to revive a room, I always start by looking at what they already have on hand, because unless they are recent college graduates, where hand-me-downs reign, usually the furniture and possessions someone has reflect their personal taste. But like anything in life, sometimes one is ready for a change.

We’ve all stared aimlessly in our closet at hanger upon hanger filled with clean, pressed clothes and utter, “I have nothing to wear.” Yes, you do. You have lots to wear. You’re currently staring at mounds of clothes. What you really mean is, “I have nothing I want to wear.” Household decor can fall into a similar rut, and usually all you need are some accessories or a fresh coat of paint to give your room a dramatically different result. Next time you are in front of a piece you own that you aren’t satisfied with, ask yourself, “how can I change this to make me happy?” Typically the answer is a lot more affordable than you think.

ANNE TUCKLEY

HOME

PROS KNOW

ANNE TUCKLEY HOME Anne has been in the interior design industry for more than 20 years and has resided in metropolitan cities ranging from NYC to Houston while honing her skills. Her specialties are interior design and home staging with a focus on unique perception. Anne graduated with a BFA in fine art with a concentration in design and illustration. She has extensive experience in designing new construction as well as remodeling and conceptualizing out-of-the-box ideas. She ensures cutting-edge design and superb customer service.

108 CORPORATE LAKE PL. COLUMBIA, MO, 65203 (573) 639-1989 ANNETUCKLEYHOME.COM

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WHAT THE

TURN YOUR LAWN INTO A WORK OF ART

SHAUN HENRY

A Columbia native, Shaun Henry found a home at Atkins in 2000 when he started his career as a turf technician.

Shaun holds a commercial applicator’s license through the Missouri Department of Agriculture and is a member of the National Association of Landscape Professionals, the Mid-America Green Industry Council, and the Missouri Green Industry Alliance. Shaun strongly believes in the importance of a great customer experience where the Atkins staff knows their clients and anticipates their needs accordingly.

Shaun is an MU alumnus and has a degree in plant science.

Find more at AtkinsInc.com

W

PROPER NUTRITION TO IMPROVE UPON COLOR. Sunlight, air, water, and fertility can improve the color of your turf and the overall health and vigor of your landscape plants. An unhealthy, dull, and less maintained lawn may detract from the art you’re trying to create.

CREATE A LIVING SCULPTURE WITH CREATIVE PRUNING OF YOUR LANDSCAPE PLANTS. You can, over time, train your plants to grow into desired shapes and forms. Just remember the 1/3 pruning rule: Don’t prune away more than one third of your plant to avoid damage. If you happen to have a dead tree or an old tree stump, you could carve it into some tree stump art. I’ve seen some pretty cool totem poles, bears, fish and eagles all carved out of an old tree and left in the lawn as a sculpture.

PROS KNOW

ATKINS

By Shaun Henry

hen I was a kid, I doodled everything from cartoon characters to monster trucks. I used to love drawing mazes, too.

Something about all of the twisting, turning paths you could create with a few dead ends along the way always intrigued me.

Having a nice lawn and landscape to admire and appreciate can be similar to having a beautiful painting hanging in your home. Our customers love their lawns and they have a sense of pride when they see that their hard work maintaining the grass, trees, shrubs, and flowers has paid off and resulted in their own living work of art.

Although turf and tree care is often more scientific than artistic, here are some things you can do to help create your own work of art around your home:

HOME

573-874-5100 ATKINSINC.COM

PLANT A NATIVE BACKDROP TO HELP FRAME YOUR LAWN. Native trees and shrubs are typically more resistant and tolerant to our Mid-Missouri environment. Install mass plantings with five to six different species create volume, texture, and color variation. You can create pathways and “earth art” (stones stacked in patterns) or add furniture, tables, accent pieces, statues, or large boulders. Color plantings to accent landscape beds. You will admire their blooms and greenery, plus attract beneficial pollinators.

USE LANDSCAPE LIGHTING TO ACCENT YOUR PLANTS. Uplights can highlight architectural and landscape features while downlights can create a moonlight effect on the ground. Two or more lights on one plant or area can eliminate shadows entirely. Don’t forget to add a timer so you don’t have to remember to flip the switch.

MOWING PATTERNS OR LAWN STRIPING CAN ALSO BE PLEASING TO THE EYE. A blade of grass has two sides, and if you bend it one way, it’s darker in color than when you bend it the other. When the sunlight reflects off the blades that are bent in different directions, striping appears. Keep

your mower blades sharp and mow when it’s dry. Wet grass tends to clump, and your attempt at striping may just mat down. Double cut for an even more defined stripe effect. I also like to have three to four directional patterns that I mow my lawn and save one of those patterns for times when its wet and the lawn just has to be cut. This can help spread out the compaction that your mower creates by driving over the same lines over and over again. Plus, with this you can create a checkerboard, diamond, herringbone, or other creative pattern. The more dense and thick the lawn is, the better it will stripe as well. Remember to seed as needed in the fall (mid-August through late October).

You’ve got some time before you need to worry about spring, but we want you to feel proud when people pull up to your property to visit. Start thinking about a fertilization and weed control service for your lawn this spring. Our team will apply the right blend of nutrients at the right time to keep your lawn and landscape looking its best year-round.

Contact us to learn how we can help you turn your lawn into a work of art.

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EXCITING NEW PLANTS

By Kelly McBride

WHAT THE

KELLY MCBRIDE

Kelly McBride grew up in Columbia just down the road from Rost Inc., and she's happy to still call Columbia home.

She has a degree in plant science and landscape design from MU and was hired as Rost’s landscape maintenance manager after graduation. Her love for plants makes this job very enjoyable when assisting clients with their outdoor tasks. Outside of work, you can find her cooking, gardening, sewing, or doing other outdoor activities.

T

here are a whole host of new or recently new trees and shrubs showing up in the market. Breeders have done a superb job! However, knowing whether they will be available is pretty tough. Nursery inventory is the lowest we’ve ever seen it. A triple hit of the 2021 Texas freeze, COVID pushing demand over the top, and a strong housing economy have pretty much wiped-out nursery supplies across the country. So, if you find, don’t hesitate to buy. Here are a few great plants to look for in 2022.

Seven Son Flower — this China native is an underused late summer bloomer with two new varieties on the market.

• Temple of Bloom: The name alone is worth it! Tidy, heavy blooming small tree growing up to 18 feet with beautiful bark and clean foliage. And it attracts butterflies • Tianshan: Bred in France. It is a dwarf variety only reaching 10 feet. Compact and heavy blooming. Again, butterflies and hummingbirds love them. Blooms in September in Missouri.

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ROST LANDSCAPING

Find more at rostlandscaping.com

TREES Redbuds — with new propagation techniques making it possible to efficiently produce new cultivars, a great number have come into the market recently.

• Flame Thrower: Awesome foliage display of new growth in burgundy, golds, and oranges. Stunning all summer long. Cross between Rising Sun and Ruby Falls brings the best of both parents. These sold out as fast as we could receive them last year.

• Golden Falls: New compact weeping form with bright gold summer foliage. Can be staked to be a narrow tree to fit in tighter spaces.

• Black Pearl: The darkest red summer foliage yet on a semi-dwarf tree. Nice tight, dense form.

• Pink Heartbreaker: Best green-leafed weeper yet. Greatly improved over Lavender Twist.

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(573) 445-4465 ROSTLANDSCAPING.COM

SHRUBS Hydrangeas — along with roses, these continue to drive the market in new and exciting cultivars. Their blooming power and hardiness make them an essential in every landscape.

There are probably 15 new ones on the market but here are just a few to get you started.

• Limelight Prime: Huge improvement on the very popular Limelight. Somewhat more compact, and best of all, the huge flowers are on sturdy stems that resist flopping like the original was prone to doing.

• Little Lime Punch: The compact neverfail, heavy bloomer, Little Lime now has a partner — Little Lime Punch. Sturdier stems, but most of all the lime green flowers age to an array of white, pink, and Hawaiian Punch red blooms. They bloom all summer, so you can expect the complete color mix for a showstopper.

• Little Hottie: Even smaller than Little Lime, this tight, upright variety will fit in the smallest of places. I think it may become the “go to” dwarf.

Roses — Petite Knockout. I thought knockout roses had run their course and were on the

way out, replaced by even better varieties.

But Petite Knockout is looking pretty good.

Only 18 inches with fire engine red, 1 1/2-inch non-fading blooms, it is the first miniature knockout rose. Plant in mass, in a tight space, or in containers. Grab them when you see them; they don’t stay in the nursery more than a day or two.

A couple other roses proving to be rock stars: Grand Champion Red, Top Gun and At Last.

Spirea — Candy Corn. We never thought would see a showstopper in the spirea family. Leaves emerge bright candy apple red, maturing to a pineapple yellow, and the new growth continues to emerge bright orange all season. And yes, it flowers purple. When we can get this plant in, it stands out so much in the nursery that people are just drawn to it. That being said, we aren’t sure what the 2022 supply will be.

We are super excited about all these new varieties. It’s so remarkable what breeders are doing these days. We suggest doing a little research, shop quality nurseries, be leery of marketing gimmicks, and do some experimenting — you don’t need to be a plant expert to have some great plants in your landscape.

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WHAT THE

IF WALLS COULD TALK

HOME AMBER WOOTEN

PROS KNOW

TIGER HOME TEAM

Amber joined Tiger Home Team in 2020 with 10 years of experience helping Columbia area buyers and sellers with their real estate needs. Amber and her husband, Will, moved to Columbia in 2004 with their two sons, Whitten and Jett. Their family was completed with the addition of their daughter, Ovella, in 2011.

She always strives to make your priorities her own because when you’re buying or selling your home, the experience matters.

By Amber Wooten Find more at tigerhometeam.com

573-289-4440 TIGERHOMETEAM.COM

O

ur homes see us through a lot during the years we spend living in them. Life happens inside those walls! We have memories - both happy & sad - that are connected to the homes that we love. One of the most-loved things about our homes are the personal touches that make them uniquely ours.

Artwork that is special to us, mementos collected from trips near and far, and accent pieces that remind us of cultures that are dear to our hearts. These are the things that tell our story. They add personality to our living spaces, let us relax at the end of a long day, and even provide us comfort in uncertain or sad times.

I hope you can take a little time this month to appreciate the things you love most about where you live. Focus on your favorite things about each room,

and identify changes you would like to make. Set goals and create a plan to get started on those changes - however big or small!

If a little time focused on your home sparks the realization that a bigger change may be in order, let’s chat! Selling your home is a big deal, and the process of preparing for that should be focused on you - how you want and need the process to look, and what your realtor can do to help make sure that is how it goes.

Any of us can walk in and tell you our plan for marketing your home - but you need to make sure you are working with someone that becomes your partner, and listens to your specific goals and priorities. We would love to have a conversation with you about what you love most about your current home - and what you need most in order to love your next one!

Living

GOURMET

Á La Polonaise

Café Poland dishes up traditional Polish cuisine in downtown Columbia.

BY A M A N DA LO N G | PH OTO S BY S A D I E T H IB O D E AU X

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Iwona Galijska

N

estled in a small, unassuming yet cozy building lit by a neon sign, Café Poland adds traditional Polish cuisine to Columbia’s diverse food scene. Co-owned by mother, Iwona Galijska, and her son, Robert Burlinkski, the restaurant opened at 807 Locust St. in January 2013, a few years after the family moved to Columbia from Alaska in 2010.

“We are farmers. Well, ex-farmers,” laughs Iwona. They’re originally from Swinoujscie, a small Polish city on the Baltic Sea where Iwona and Robert owned a farm and raised cows, pigs, and grain.

“We never had time to focus on the stomach. We focused on people and production,” says Iwona. She says the workers on the farm taught her and Robert to cook traditional Polish cuisine. During this time, they also owned a small restaurant where they utilized the produce from the farm to serve a traditional Polish menu, much like Café Poland’s menu today.

When the family arrived in Columbia, they had no intention of opening a restaurant, but they had difficulty finding jobs. When Robert discovered a little clapboard building for sale on Locust, they decided to give the restaurant business another try.

The only Polish restaurant in the area, Café Poland offers a menu that’s well-loved by locals and visitors alike, as can be seen by hundreds of five-star Google reviews. “The people are lovely, and it’s a pleasure to cook when people are happy,” says Iwona.

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FEBRUARY 2022

Robert adds: “Many people have Polish roots and want to eat traditional authentic food. We have a lot of regulars, but we also get a lot of travelers — they look online and see the reviews and decide to come.” Á la polonaise means “in Polish style” when the cuisine is referred to in other cultures. Polish fare has evolved over the centuries to become very eclectic due to Poland’s ethnic and political history; it shares many similarities with its neighbors Germany, Russia, and the Ukraine, as well as Jewish culinary traditions.

Café Poland’s unassuming menu features traditional Polish dishes, each made from scratch daily by Iwona and Robert. “We don’t change anything or adjust to the American taste,” Robert says. “You can eat exactly the same pierogis or golabki in any town in Poland.”

Pierogi

Gyoza, samosas, ravioli, wonton — nearly every culture has its own version of a dumpling involving veggies, meat, or seafood wrapped in dough and baked, boiled, or fried. Perhaps the most well-known Polish food, pierogi, is just that: a crimped, dough-wrapped package filled with a choice of potato and farmer’s cheese (Café Poland’s most popular), potato and bacon, mushroom and kraut, or beef. The pierogi is then boiled and served with caramelized onions and a dollop of sour cream. Robert says they spend approximately four hours daily handmaking more than 300 beautifully shaped pierogi.

Golabki

Translated directly, it means “little pigeons,” referring to its size and shape. Golabki is cooked beef and rice wrapped up in a cabbage leaf and stewed in a hearty tomato sauce. Café Poland’s golabki are served with mashed potatoes.

Bigos

A stew of sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, beef, pork, and sausage, bigos is often translated into English as “hunter’s stew” and is sometimes described as “Polish chili.” This robust dish is served with potatoes.

Naleśniki

Café Poland offers these Polish crepes (like a thin pancake) filled with sweet or savory ingredients. Choose from grilled chicken, spinach and feta, bacon and egg, hazelnut spread, fresh berries, or peanut butter and jam. These crepes are perfect for breakfast or a sweet finish to a meal.

Gulasz

Gulasz is the Polish version of the wellknown goulash dish, for which many Central European countries have their own recipes. It is a slow-cooked, hearty tomato-based stew showcasing tender pork, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, and paprika, served with noodles.

Living

GOURMET

Clockwise from top left: pierogi and drinkable borscht; a photo of Robert and Iwona; spinach and feta crepe; beef pierogi

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Living

GOURMET L e f t : N u te l a c re p B ot o m: b lu e b r y a n d r a s p b e r y c re p s

Lecho

This vegetable stew, heavily inspired by the Hungarian lecsó, features juicy bell peppers, sharp onions, and rounds of smoky Polish sausage coated in rich, thick tomato sauce.

Borscht

This beet soup can be served hot or cold and is usually garnished with a dollop of sour cream. Although borscht is important in both Polish and Russian cuisines, Ukraine is frequently cited as its place of origin. Its name is thought to be derived from the Slavic word for the cow parsnip, or common hogweed, or from a fermented beverage derived from that plant.

For first-timers, Robert recommends ordering the Polish Plate, which offers a sample of popular menu items including four pierogi, golabki, bigos, and grilled Polish sausage.

Café Poland serves not only espresso drinks, including both hot and iced lattes and cappuccinos, but also an eclectic mix

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FEBRUARY 2022

of beverages. The sweet black currant drink is deliciously tangy, and the traditional Polish shake can be made with strawberries or blueberries. A variety of Czech and

German beers and a few local wines are also available.

With little to no online presence, Robert and Iwona rely heavily on word of mouth and their growing collection of highly rated reviews. Iwona says the restaurant business has been difficult for them and it has been tough to find help to hire. She and Robert are both working the restaurant every day that it is open. “If not for the lovely customers, I would have quit a long time ago. We have to keep going,” she says.

Due to COVID and the small interior of their building, Iwona and Robert limit indoor seating and require masks for customers.

Customers can take advantage of the to-go window and service bell, staffed by a cheerful and friendly Iwona, to order menu items to take away.

Robert and Iwona take great pride in the food they serve. They love listening to customers’ stories and sharing their culture and heritage with others through conversation — or simply through their food.

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Living

ST YLE

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COMO Royalty Meet the Queue Queens behind True/False Film Fest.

BY HANNAH ROBERTSON PHOTOS BY JONATHAN ASHER PHOTOGRAPHY

I

t is easy to spot the glamorous Queue Queens while waiting in line at the True/False Film Fest. Their intricate outfits, which they often spend months curating, make it obvious to even newcomers who they can go to for assistance. What you don’t see behind the outfits and their helpful, cheerful disposition is the amount of time, energy, and money it takes to be a Queen.

Though they’re offered opportunities to see films for free after the festival at Ragtag, the queens work 8 to 10 hour shifts and miss the majority of the showings while they assist attendees. They act as “mobile information stations” and peacekeepers as they hand out “Q cards” and hold down the queue for those who have not yet purchased their tickets. They do it all for the love of True/False and what it does for Columbia’s community. This is why every Queen, without exception, mentioned how excited they were to be back downtown to show non-natives what COMO is all about.

Without further ado, meet (some of) your 2022 True/False Queue Queens!

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Rochara Knight Rochara Knight is one busy woman. By day, she works as the program director at the nonprofit St. Raymond’s Society in Jefferson City, which serves pregnant women and new mothers in need. The rest of her time is spent working as the executive director at her “second home," Talking Horse Productions, and as an entertainer. This includes acting, serving in production, and singing and songwriting for her band, Rochara Knight and the Honey Doves. At the time of this interview, she was recording their first album.

She has been a Queue Queen for seven years and fell into Queening after her first year of volunteering for True/False. She worked events such as “Reality Bites” as she learned more about the different areas of involvement, looking for the best fit. As someone who loves costumes and getting dressed up, she was drawn to the Queens as soon as she saw them. As she inquired about the role, the King of Queens himself, Ron Ribiat, told her to put him down as a reference. She was immediately hooked after the first year and can’t imagine doing any other position again.

Her favorite part of the fest, aside from the people she meets in the queue, is the Mobile Funk Unit. You can always find her — and many others — singing and dancing along as they come down the street.

She is pictured here in one of her favorite costumes. It was inspired by nature because the film fest that year was entirely outdoors.

When she chose the dress, she saw similarities in Greek goddesses, and Artemis was the perfect fit. From there she had only one question:

“Where do I get a bow and arrow?!”

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Carolyn Magnuson Carolyn Magnuson is considered by fellow Queens and many others to be an icon of True/False. In 2018, they created and unveiled a papier-mâché puppet of Carolyn during the March March Parade, joining the puppets of the co-founders of the festival, David Wilson and Paul Sturtz. She fits in among these ranks because Carolyn has been Queening for so long she’s lost count, but it’s been at least the past 16 years.

The 82-year-old is a retired educator who has found that being involved with True/False and Ragtag Cinema has brought some of her biggest moments of joy since retiring in 2006. She remembers when she first read the application: It said they were looking for someone who is bodacious and out there, and she immediately thought,

“I can do that!”

She is so pleased with how the Queens have evolved and adapted to their role throughout the years, and she always enjoys the surprise of others’ costumes. Hers is classic and a constant. When creating her costume, she wanted to dress as true royalty. That’s why you’ll find her every year in a red cloak with the True/False logo stitched to the back. It comes complete with a crown, of course.

Her favorite memories are about the people she helps, especially those that come back remembering her. She remembers one time specifically when a woman was having a difficult time communicating as a non-English speaker. They worked through the language barrier together, and the next day she came through the queue just to find Carolyn and gift her with a doll as thanks. It’s moments like that that always keep Carolyn coming back.

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Melissa MacGowan Melissa MacGowan was recruited for queening by King of Queens, Ron, in 2013. He reached out about the opportunity saying it would suit her personality, and for her, it was an immediate yes.

She describes herself as “gleefully unemployed,” and currently she enjoys creating and selling jewelry at Artlandish Gallery. Like all queens, Melissa takes pride in her costume and the work that goes into it.

She never buys a complete costume, always building the components piece by piece and sometimes sewing the outfit entirely herself.

Her favorite costume has been an apron she created out of fabric that had the periodic table on it. She leaned wholeheartedly into the science theme that year, completing the outfit with goggles.

One of her favorite memories is helping to create and unveil the puppets at the March March Parade. She vividly remembers the surprise on everyone’s face the first time, which made the hours that went into the papier-mâché projects worth it.

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Robin Morrison Last but certainly not least, we have Robin Morrison — Queen of Queens. The COMO native has spent 10 years as a queen and eight of those years in charge of the team. Her 20 years of management in restaurant and retail, as well as the team she currently manages at Central Bank, gives her the perfect background for this role. Her commitment to the role is strong; she takes a week off work each year to focus on the festival.

As Queen of Queens, she does a little bit of everything: recruiting, scheduling, training, coaching, comforting. Throughout the festival, she gets roughly 80,000 steps because she makes rounds to each queue repeatedly, checking on the queens and assisting them in any way she can. For her, it’s a joy because True/False is her favorite weekend of the year and she loves

patch of their choosing. She chose the Cherry patch because it reminds her of Wisconsin, where her family has vacationed for generations.

That patch represents two of her greatest loves: her family and Queening at True/False.

She always warns newcomers that the world comes crashing back down after the magical week of the festival, but she hopes that they’ll be back for more, just like her.

“the way people come together to build something bigger than the individual.”

For the past seven years, she has been in pink from head to toe, motivated by the idea that she’d be impossible to miss. New accessories and additions to the costume come all the time, as “a queen’s best friend is Amazon.”

One of her favorite features of her costume and memories from the festival is a small, square cherry fabric patch in her pink fuzzy cloak. The patch came from a vendor at the festival, who would take patches out of attendees’ clothing and replace it with a

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Curators of the Lost Art and Artifacts Columbia’s museums hold a treasure trove of art, artifacts, and history unparalleled by other communities of its size. Even better, they’re absolutely f ree to explore.

BY M I C H EL L E T ER H U N E PH OTO S BY K EI T H B O R G M E Y ER

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T

o say that museums preserve history is accurate, although the statement often invokes a smell of musty attics and molding books.

Preservation is undoubtedly a key function shared by Columbia museums, but their collective mission is to entertain, educate, and inspire.

Every year, thousands of people visit the Boone County History & Culture Center, Masonic Home of Missouri, MU Museum of Anthropology, MU Museum of Art & Archaeology, and State Historical Society of Missouri.

Although the pandemic has reduced crowds, it also prompted the museums to digitize an increasing number of their collections so people can view them online. Even better, this makes available a significant number of archived items the museums don’t have space to exhibit at all times.

Whether you explore in person or virtually, explore away. You might be surprised at the treasures you find.

Boone County History & Culture Center “The Smithsonian’s American History Museum believes we might have the largest aggregate photography collection of any one community in the nation,” says Chris Campbell, executive director of the Boone County Historical Society, founded in 1924.

That collection comprises half a million photo negatives from nine Columbia photography studios between 1886 and 1970. A team of mostly volunteers is digitizing the photo collection and early 19th century Boone County Court records so anyone can view them on the society’s website.

John W. “Blind” Boone’s custom 1893 grand piano is housed at the museum, and a 1927 Model-T Ford is arriving soon. Although preserving the past of Columbia and Boone County is important, so is collecting history in the making. The center exhibits the work of contemporary regional artists and journaling of residents about life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Boone County Historical Society hosts events featuring local authors, the Blind Boone Piano Concert Series, and special exhibits. It rents some of its venues out, including the Maplewood House, Montminy Gallery, the Nifong Park veranda, and the center’s gazebo.

“We preserve the triumphs, fears, successes, and challenges that Boone Countians have faced for generations, from settling in an unknown territory to the impact of COVID-19,” Chris says.

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cal surnames throughout the exhibit, including Garth, Lenoir, Todd, Lang, Rollins, and Gentry, connect Freemasonry with Columbia.

“The Masonic Museum often takes new visitors by surprise,” says Barbara Ramsey, executive director. “The museum is designed to tell stories in small-bite pieces and go through it quickly, but it can also take an hour or more for those wanting to read all the details along the way. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘best-kept secret,’ but we hope to change that.”

WWW. MUSEUM.MOHOME.ORG 6033 MASONIC DR., STE. A (573) 814-4663

All photos are of the State Historical Society of Missouri's Center for Missouri Studies

Chris says they’re always looking for more volunteers. As one of the current volunteers says: “We think it is important to figure out what would matter most if we lost it. History and the arts are among the things that matter.”

WWW.BOONEHISTORY.ORG 3801 PONDEROSA ST. (573) 443-8936

Masonic Home of Missouri You may not crack The Da Vinci Code by visiting the Masonic Home of Missouri, but you will learn a lot about the history of Freemasons in Missouri. There have been a few Missouri Masons of note, such as President Harry Truman, Merriweather Lewis and William Clark of expedition fame, politician Thomas Hart Benton, and Samuel L. Clemens, also known as Mark Twain. Author Laura Ingalls Wilder was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, another group associated with the Masons.

The Masonic Home’s collections include everything from late 19th century art glass windows to a poster from the Hollywood production of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Man Who Would Be King” featuring an illustration of Sean Connery wearing a necklace bearing a Masonic symbol. There’s also a gavel Clemens made from a cedar tree outside the walls of Jerusalem and donated to his St. Louis lodge.

Most recently, the Masonic Home opened a temporary exhibit featuring the stories of Masons who built Columbia and MU. Familiar lo-

MU Museum of Anthropology You might think the MU Museum of Anthropology is an odd place to house Ghost Dancing, the van that William Least Heat-Moon drove around the country in 1978. He logged 13,000 miles and talked to hundreds of people about their lives before writing his famous memoir, “Blue Highways.” If you ever wondered what happened to the van, you now know it came back to roost in Columbia.

If you’re too young to remember “Blue Highways” but loved “The Hunger Games,” the museum is also home to the Grayson Archery Collection. It’s the largest archery collection in the world, featuring artifacts from six continents spanning more than 800 years. And if you’re just interested in the weird and wonderful, there’s the world’s oldest open-toed sandal, made from the native prairie plant rattlesnake master more than 8,100 years ago.

“We are the only anthropology museum in Missouri and one of only a few in the Midwest,” says Candace Sall, director. “Our collections are used in research to learn more about the past and also to make improvements for the future.”

That doesn’t mean the museum is only used by academics. Although it is closed for now while it constructs space in Ellis Library on the MU campus, which will be its new home, many of the museum’s artifacts are available for online viewing to anyone. The museum began collecting artifacts in 1885. Collections from North America date from 9,000 BC to the present; other artifacts are more than two million years old.

WWW. ANTHROMUSEUM.MISSOURI.EDU MOVING TO ELLIS LIBRARY, MU CAMPUS (573) 882-3573

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Pottery, or “Black Women in Art and the Stories They Tell.” There truly is something for everyone.

“Spend time with the art and let it speak to you,” Bruce says. “Art settles the spirit and inspires the mind.”

That's something we could all use a little of right now.

WWW. MA A .MISSOURI.EDU MOVING TO ELLIS LIBRARY, MU CAMPUS (573) 882-3591

All photos are of the State Historical Society of Missouri's Center for Missouri Studies

MU Museum of Art & Archaeology Imagine a single museum that combines antiquities sought by Indiana Jones with original works by Andy Warhol and you can imagine the MU Museum of Art & Archaeology.

Although it’s currently moving from Mizzou North to Ellis Library, many of its artifacts are accessible for online viewing.

“We are an encyclopedic collection from ancient to modern and contemporary art,” says Bruce Cox, interim director. “We show the progression of art historically from the ancient world to the present day.”

Collections hail from the ancient Mediterranean world and ancient Americas, the Byzantine Empire, Africa, and Asia. You can lose more time scrolling through the online photos of paintings from the 1400s through the 20th century than you do scrolling through your Facebook feed.

The quirky 1996 multi-media “Anten-nalope,” like many of the museum’s artifacts, is probably worth a visit all on its own.

But don’t miss some of the more unique pieces, including “Nkisi’ Nkondi – Power Figure,” an early 20th century sculpture from the Kongo people. It’s a frightening wooden figurine of a man covered with nails, believed to summon the supernatural into the world.

Exhibitions, once in the museum, are available online with a click, including “Fifteen Minutes of Warhol,” Pre-Columbian

State Historical Society of Missouri Joan Stack, art curator for the State Historical Society of Missouri, characterizes the interrelationship between art and history as “complex.” The society aims to engage people through its exhibitions and programs to help them understand that complex relationship using the thousands of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and fine art prints that comprise its collection.

Original paintings like George Caleb Bingham’s “General Order No. 11,” depicting a Civil War scene, and Thomas Hart Benton’s “Year of Peril,” a graphic series of paintings created during World War II, draw visitors from around the country. According to Joan, visitors are also delighted by the portrait of the Truman family painted by Greta Kempton.

Although most people associate Benton with art, the society also has sheet music written in his hand for the harmonica. There’s a brooch containing a tiny daguerreotype of Bingham. Those aren’t historical artifacts you can see just anywhere. The society’s collections even include a pipe owned by Samuel Clemens, who was known for his voracious appetite for smoking pipes and cigars.

Currently on display is a bronze bust of Mizzou coaching legend Norm Stewart on top of a bronze basketball. Joan notes that Sabra Tull Meyer’s use of a basketball as a base for the sculpture “has a wonderfully whimsical quality.” This isn’t just another art gallery.

“We have a much stronger historical focus than many art galleries,” Joan says. “We also specialize in Missouri artists and artwork related to Missouri and American history.”

WWW. SHSMO.ORG 605 ELM ST. (800) 747-6366

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S

Spark It Star ted with a

Emmett Russell leaves his mark on a city dear to his heart.

BY LAUREN SABLE FREIMAN | PHOTOS BY KEITH BORGMEYER

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might say he was lucky. Or S ome that he was at the right place at the

right time, he connected with the right people, he had some good cards.

But Emmett Russell would say he worked for everything he has earned in his career as a functional artist, and he did it all for his family — son Ethan, 19, daughter Emma, 21, stepson Sam, 31, and wife Nancy, whom he calls his rock.

“I think it goes right along with putting your head down and doing good work and being a good person,” Emmett says. “I think you have to do all of those things for that success to come.”

Emmett, the owner of Russellbilt, masterfully transforms metal and wood into custom furniture, clocks, signage, staircases, railings, kitchen hoods, and awnings.

Th rough collaborations with Aarow Building, Anderson Homes, and other top home builders around Columbia, his custom work can be found in over 100 homes around the region, while his furniture and signage enhance businesses and restaurants like Fretboard Coffee, Barred Owl Butcher & Table, and Silverball.

“I can walk into a home where a builder wants a staircase and I can see it,” Emmett says. “When I’m done with a piece, it looks how I visualized it. For signage, I take into consideration where it is going, the feel of their space and what kind of business they have. It’s the same for furniture. I consider what type of space they’re building — contemporary, modern, rustic — and I can envision what works in that space.”

Though Emmett says he was always artistic, and he frequently spent time drawing and painting as a kid, his full-time work had mostly been in fabrication and assembly, welding trailers and custom machinery and building motor homes. He fi rst learned to weld on the job when a co-worker was fi red and he volunteered to learn the trade. With his background in fabrication, Emmett has built many large projects, learning as much as he could from draftsmen and other welders and fabricators.

“I didn’t know it then, but I told my wife when I was 24 that I just wanted to build cool stuff and sell it,” Emmett says.

While he has found success as a working artist, he says it comes only as a result of his dedication and his hustle mentality. After working tirelessly to refine his skills, the day

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that Emmett’s art installation went into the Gateway Plaza at the corner of Providence and Broadway was a high point in his career as a professional artist. Personally, the opportunity to create a piece for such a prominent location in the city was especially symbolic for him.

“To build something and put it into the middle of Columbia, and to leave my mark, that’s a pretty neat opportunity,” Emmett says. “It’s almost like my time in Columbia came full circle, and that means a lot to me.

More than what most people know.”

Emmett’s son Ethan, who was born with autism, is the reason he heads to his 4,000-square-foot shop, located just steps from his front door, each day. When Ethan was born, Emmett and Nancy were living in Iowa, but the couple soon found that locating services for Ethan was a challenge. Emmett says he began an online search for cities with more robust services, and they quickly identified Columbia as the frontrunner. The Russell family relocated in 2009.

“With family in St. Louis, we felt comfortable moving to Columbia,” he says. “In the midst of planning the move, we also found out Ethan needed a kidney transplant, so when we moved to Columbia, he got his transplant, we were getting great help for his autism, and there was a great job for my wife at the university.”

With the move to Columbia, Emmett fi rst launched Russellbilt. At the time, Russellbilt was a home improvement business. At night, Emmett says, he spent hours in a small onecar garage, where he fi rst began to create custom furniture. Though his skills weren’t yet up to par, he continued to practice and refine them with each project.

In the years after their move to Columbia, Emma also had a kidney transplant, and Ethan had a second kidney transplant, both at MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital. As Ethan got older, it became more evident that Ethan would need lifelong care, and the Russell family was committed to providing that care at home.

“The goal has always been for me to work in my own shop and be on our property so if I need to shut the doors to the shop and be with [Ethan], I could do so,” Emmett says. “I knew I was going to make this transition, it had always been a goal. I just didn’t know when.”

That opportunity to transition to a more flexible schedule came in 2017 with his fi rst

big staircase project, and Russellbilt transitioned from home improvement to custom projects.

“I started working for Stephen Rust, and he and I worked on the fi rst staircase project,” Emmett says. “I always say I was a packed snowball on the wrong hill, and he put me on the right hill and rolled me down it. He believed in me, and that was all the fuel I needed. Stephen put me in the places I needed to be and believed I could do it, and then I took the steps to do it, no pun intended.”

As his opportunities began to expand locally, Emmett began showcasing his work on social media. After comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan began following him on Instagram, Emmett reached out and asked if he could build him a custom piece. The grandfather clock that Emmett shipped to Joe was visible in every podcast that played on YouTube. A year ago, Joe contacted Emmett and asked for a clock for his new studio.

“He shouted me out several times on the podcast for that,” Emmett says. “That word of mouth has paid off so well. He asked to pay for the clock and I told him no. I’ve been paid back in full from the shoutouts. He mentioned my name on the podcast, and when I had things for sale on my website, everything would sell out. There was no need for him to send me money.”

His posts and videos on Instagram have also connected Emmett to sponsorship opportunities. After contacting a company to inquire about some of their equipment, Emmett says that the owner began following him on Instagram, and he has since been sponsored by the company.

“I’m an ambassador for FastCut CNC, which makes CNC plasma machines,” Emmett says. “They sent me a CNC plasma machine that I use to cut out my artwork and base plates, and it allows me to do things a lot quicker and more accurately. Before the CNC, I did all the work by hand. I’m a little dude in Missouri and I get to be part of this family. It’s a really cool opportunity from social media.”

In addition to the financial benefits, social media has also connected Emmett to top talent, and inspiration, in the maker space.

“Jimmy DiResta started following me on Instagram,” Emmett says. “He is famous in the maker world, everyone knows who he is. He reached out to tell me that if I kept doing what I was doing, I was going to stand out. To hear that from someone I look up to was very motivating, and that is exactly what I did.”

While he has achieved the ultimate success — the ability to be present for Ethan — Emmett is humbled by the people he’s met along the way who have supported him, encouraged him, inspired him, and cared for his family.

“I came here with hardly anything, I didn't know anyone, and my children have benefitted so much from MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital,” Emmett says. “I’ve been so fortunate in Columbia, and that’s what is so cool about the Gateway project.”

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72 STEPPING INTO ACTION Through determination and discipline, the Missouri High Steppers are shaping future leaders.

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ENCOURAGING, EXPERIMENTING, EMPOWERING An initiative focused on cultivating the musicians of today.

83 CANDIDATES YOU SHOULD KNOW Meet your Mayoral Candidates of Columbia.

BRRRRRRRR! It’s igloo season!

Make it a night to remember in one of our heated igloos. The igloos keep you and up to 8 of your guests warm while providing an unobstructed view of our beautiful Columbia skyline.

Check out TheBroadwayColumbia.com for more details including how to book your igloo.

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Nathan Jones and Ernie Ueligger, your trusted attorneys.

Let Nathan assist you with your will or trust and powers of attorney.

By getting these documents in place, you will: • Ensure your assets pass to the people of your choosing • If you have minor children, exercise your right to name their guardian if something happens to you • Avoid probate and its expensive and unnecessary costs • Have peace of mind knowing your family and assets are protected

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Ernie handles a wide range of family law related matters, both simple and complex, to help his clients move on and have a happy and successful future. He can help with: • Divorce • Legal Separation • Child Custody and Support • Grandparent’s Rights • Domestic Violence • Modifications of Child Custody and Support • Modifications of Maintenance/Alimony Awards

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The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.

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CLOSER LOOK

FEBRUARY 2022

Yummy's Donut

Yummy’s Donut has been a well-known business among Boonville residents for about four years, and they’re bringing their delicious treats to Columbia! They are currently planning a grand opening for sometime in February. Yummy’s focuses on handmade donuts made fresh daily, breakfast sandwiches, kolaches, and a gourmet espresso coffee menu. According to Kim Hour, owner of Yummy’s, the shop is best known for their melt-in-your-mouth donuts.

Yummy’s has always had plans to expand to Columbia ever since opening in Boonville, and 2022 gave them the opportunity to do just that. From your traditional glazed donut to a bacon maple long john donut and everything in between, Yummy’s Donut has a little something for everyone.

200 N. PROVIDENCE RD. WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ YUMMYS-DONUT-COLUMBIA-MO

Crunch Fitness Photo by Julie Allen Photography

Roaring Angel Reagan Allen, a born-and-raised Columbian and co-owner of Roaring Angel, says, “Like most businesses, Roaring Angel started out as a faraway fantasy that turned into a thoughtout idea that turned into a business plan that eventually turned into a real business.”

Roaring Angel is an e-commerce business providing loungewear and streetwear meant to be worn inside and outside of the house, dressed up or dressed down. The quality items they provide are thoughtfully crafted with intention, meaning, and care in mind. Each piece strives to tell a story —

every item has a quote that is subtly placed on the garment. On November 9, 2021, Roaring Angel officially launched on social media, and on December 23, 2021, the website went live. Roaring Angel is a family affair: Mother-and-daughter duo Julie and Reagan Allen are the primary owners.

Roaring Angel’s mission? To empower inspired minds, reassure the insecure, and comfort the strong bodies we live in through meaningful apparel and the brand they’ve created. Stay tuned for local pop-up shops.

Owner Brian Hibbard has been in the fitness industry for over a decade. Having a true personal passion for fitness is what led him to invest his own time and money into Crunch Fitness.

With the belief of the power of fitness to improve lives, they fused fitness and entertainment to make exercise fun and inexpensive. Crunch Fitness offers a variety of classes as well as child care, a full-service tanning salon, personal trainers, HydroMassage beds, and more.

Despite having no exact opening date just yet, the journey to open Crunch Fitness is well underway in Columbia. You’ll be able to find Crunch Fitness located at what used to be Office Depot. Currently, Crunch Fitness has an incentive for the first 500 people to enroll, check out their social media accounts for more details.

101 S. PROVIDENCE RD.

WWW.ROARINGANGEL.COM

(573) 355.5899

WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/SHOPROARINGANGEL

WWW.CRUNCH.COM

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Briefly in the News

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GIVING BAC K

UScellular Delivers Gifts to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Missouri for Holiday Party To celebrate the holiday season and the meaningful value of community, UScellular donated an assortment of holiday gifts to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Missouri. In order to bring locally grown joy to Columbia, UScellular worked with their local team to learn about the needs of the community and then reached out to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Missouri to get their ideal wish list. Traveling in a holiday-themed truck, the company delivered the items to support the organization’s effort to provide each “Little” with a gift. At the onset of the party, “Bigs” had an opportunity to select a gift, wrap it, and then give it to their Little during a fun-filled evening featuring food, games, music, and bounce houses.

Working EDU CAT IO N

Columbia College and Columbia Safety & Supply Announce New Partnership Leaders from Columbia College and Columbia Safety & Supply announced a new partnership designed to continue strengthening Mid-Missouri’s workforce.

The college will offer the company’s more than 130 employees a 15% discount on tuition for classes taken through its online and evening programs. “The opportunity to partner with a successful, local company like Columbia Safety & Supply is something we take great pride in,” says Dixie Williams, vice president for enrollment and marketing at Columbia College. “Helping adult learners reach their educational goals is at the core of everything we do, and we look forward to serving Columbia Safety and Supply’s employees.” Columbia Safety & Supply is part of the GME Supply family of companies, which was started in 2005 and maintains its headquarters in Columbia. Its team is recognized internationally as a leading industrial distributor of fall protection, safety equipment, and gear for at-height industries.

"Helping adult learners reach their goals is at the core of everything we do.”

— DIXIE WILLIAMS, VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT AND MARKETING AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE COM M UNITY

United Way Invests Record $750,000 Annually to Advance Equity in Education Heart of Missouri United Way announced its new Education Impact Awards in the amount of $750,000 invested annually over the next three years beginning in January 2022. The

Heart of Missouri United Way Community Investment process is led by community volunteers. United Way funds services that ensure young people have equitable access to gain knowledge, skills, and credentials so they are prepared for the workforce and able to obtain family-sustaining employment.

United Way’s Community Impact investment portfolio also includes $1,281,031 invested annually to improve Health and Financial Stability outcomes for people in our community who need a helping hand up.

G IVI N G BAC K

EquipmentShare Unveils Patriotic Telehandler to Support Veterans Organizations Ahead of Veterans Day EquipmentShare, one of the fastest-growing equipment rental companies in the nation because its rental experience is powered by T3 technology, is adding a patriotically wrapped telehandler to its rental fleet to demonstrate its commitment to hiring and supporting veterans and service members.

The Genie GTH-1056 telehandler is nicknamed “Tele-Hero” and is wrapped in camouflage and stars-and-stripes. Ten percent of the Tele-Hero’s rental proceeds will be donated to Welcome Home Inc. and Hire Heroes USA, two organizations that help veterans find safe housing and employment resources. EquipmentShare expects to donate more than $3,400 annually from the Tele-Hero’s rental proceeds alone.

CO MMUNITY

Six Columbia Classroom Projects Get a Boost on National STEM Day from UScellular In honor of National STEM Day, UScellular provided support to six K-12 classroom projects in Columbia that focused on science, technology, engineering, and math through a $2,200 donation to DonorsChoose, a nonprofit organization that connects public school teachers with interested donors who

BRIEFLY

want to support classroom projects. This funding was part of a $25,000 donation UScellular made to fund every active STEM project on DonorsChoose in five cities across the country. “We’re providing youth with access to STEM tools and resources to help them grow into lifelong learners,” said Joe Cabrera, director of retail sales and operations for UScellular in Missouri and Kansas. “National STEM Day is the perfect time for UScellular to spread locally grown joy by celebrating educators and the classroom projects that give youth a broader view of all the possibilities that STEM education can provide.” In addition to supporting National STEM day, UScellular has committed to connecting more than 200,000 of tomorrow’s innovators each year with the resources they need today to help shape future opportunities.

HEALTH

Burrell Behavioral Health Awarded $5 Million in Grant Funding from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Burrell was named one of the Missouri behavioral health providers receiving the SAMHSA Community Mental Health Centers Grant. Burrell will be awarded $2.5 million a year for two years, for a total of $5 million. The goal of the grant is to enable Burrell to support and restore the delivery of clinical services that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic while providing resources to address the increased mental health needs of Community Mental Health Center staff. This grant will provide services to clients, support IT needs to enhance telehealth services, and focus on the wellness of Burrell employees. “The challenges throughout the last year and a half have not only increased the demand for mental health services, but have also taken a toll on our staff who are caring for our community. Burrell is honored and humbled for the opportunity to offer more help to our neighbors and our dedicated team members,” says Burrell CEO and president and C.J. Davis.

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FEBRUARY 2022

H O L LY LY N N M U L L I G A N

B I L L AT H E RTO N

Tiger Home Team at the House of Brokers announced Holly Lynn Mulligan as their new team director. For the last 10 years Holly has worked in residential real estate in the Columbia area — nine at Re/Max Boone Realty and one with a small boutique brokerage — before joining Tiger Home Team.

She served on the Women’s Council of Realtors leadership committee from 2016 to 2019, serving as the 2019 Columbia chapter president.

Bill Atherton has been formally named the chief executive officer of Coyote Hill. After taking a tour of Coyote Hill in October of 1995, Bill quickly made the transition to be a home parent missionary.

Founder Larry McDaniel says: “I will be forever convinced that God called Bill and [his wife] Tammy to that time and place.

They accepted the challenge, and the rest is a wonderful history of perseverance, growth, dedication, and purpose.” After serving as home parents of the foster care neighborhood in Harrisburg for nine years, all while raising four biological kids of their own, Bill finished his master’s in social work and became a licensed therapist. After Bill and Tammy retired from being home parents, Bill transitioned to working in Coyote Hill administration. Bill has served as development director, program director, site director, and chief operating officer.

ABIGAIL ANDERSON

Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbia announced that their Board of Directors unanimously named Abigail Anderson as the next chief executive officer. The change took effect on January 3.

Abigail comes to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbia with extensive experience in organizational transformation. Previously, she worked as the executive director for the Red Cross Central and Northeast Missouri Chapter. In addition to being mom of two, she has experience working with underserved children in South Africa through the Treatment Action Campaign and through the Boys and Girls Club of Jefferson City. Abigail earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Truman State University, a master’s in public affairs and a nonprofit management certification from MU, and has since been recognized as a leader in the nonprofit industry from both universities.

DR. JENNIFER JEWELL

Jennifer Jewell has been named dean of the Columbia College School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences following a nationwide search. She will assume the position on July 1, 2022, and Dr. Sandra Hamar will continue to serve as interim dean until then.

Jennifer has most recently served as professor and director of the School of Social Work at Salisbury University. With over seven years of academic

leadership, she has helped to increase enrollment in both the graduate and undergraduate programs, develop innovative student support programming, and expand the school and university's work on diversity and equity issues, earning her the 2021 Presidential Diversity Award. Jennifer received her Ph.D. in social work in 2008 from the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky. She taught at Spalding University in Louisville for seven years prior to moving to Maryland.

R YA N A R M S T R O N G

The Missouri Society of Health and Physical Educators recently named Columbia Public Schools teacher Ryan Armstrong the nine-state Central District Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year for 2022. Previously, Ryan was selected as the 2021 Missouri High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. The MOSHAPE award process is based on a variety of criteria, including conducting a highquality comprehensive and diverse program that reflects standards and best practices, utilizing teaching methodologies that meet professional standards, engaging in culturally responsive instructional standards, utilizing high-quality assessment standards, and advocating for the profession. Recognized as a popular and inspiring teacher at Parkade Elementary School, Ryan provides more than expected on all levels and is a treasured member of the faculty, the district said.

MULLIGAN

ANDERSON

AT H E RTO N

JEWELL

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Compass Board of Directors, from left to right: Linda Bott, secretary; Tony Lotven; Phylshawn Johnson, chair; Ruth Acuff, vice chair; Zach Harrison.

Community Focused, Music Driven Compass Music Center is a dream 14 years in the making.

BY MARY CAITLYN POLOVICH | PHOTOS BY ANTHONY JINSON

“W

e have always wanted to move into this,” says Phylshawn Johnson, director of Compass Inc. “But, you know, it’s all about means and fundraising and finding the right place at the right time — all of those things. And this is it. Everything fell into place.”

Founded in 2007, Compass is a nonprofit organization that provides aspiring musicians, singers, and songwriters with educational, promotional, networking, and showcasing opportunities to help them reach their full

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musical and artistic potential. They have hosted music showcases, Local Fest, youth open mics, and music camps for Mid-Missouri youth. Now, their biggest dream is becoming a reality — the Compass Music Center, a space for musicians to explore, perform, and confer. A space to be themselves.

“We are in a time where so much is being rebuilt, and it just felt like a natural time for us to build something for the community that we all know is needed,” Phylshawn says. “Music is such a beautiful healer and really helps

build community, which is what I think a lot of people are missing after such a long time of isolation.”

Compass signed the lease for the Compass Music Center on September 1, 2021. The center is located on MU’s campus and is undergoing renovations before officially opening.

The overall goal of the music center is to help foster a music community that has access to opportunities, a space for musicians of all ages to grow, and a community hub for lessons, concerts, and more.

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October 2007 Compass Inc. is founded by Vicki Leighty.

April 2008 Compass becomes a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

July 2012 Compass hosts its first music camp in the North Village Arts District.

"I’ve been a musician my entire life,” says Violet Vonder Haar, director of Compass Music Camp, a youth camp program put on by Compass Inc., “and what is really important to me is to create a space that I really desired as a young musician. If a program like this would have existed when I was a kid, it would have been life changing.”

“One of the things a lot of our campers struggle with after camp is keeping their groups together or finding new groups to play with,” Phylshawn adds. “With the center, we will be able to offer programming year round, as well as a space for people to be able to practice and rehearse with other musicians — to create that community that we all are longing for.”

Beyond programming and classes, the Compass Music Center will really be whatever it needs to be for the community.

“What we offer will naturally unfold based on what the desire is and what people in the community are interested in,” Violet says. “I anticipate it to change and evolve over time just based on the need and want.”

“One idea we thought about was having a Fan Club,” Phylshawn adds, “where if you’re a fan of, oh, let’s say The Beatles, then there would be a fan group that can get together and kind of geek out together.”

CELEBRATIONS

Starting the Compass Music Center has truly been a community effort. Just three months after announcing the plans for the new music center, $37,000 was donated solely from the surrounding community. Compass was also one of the nonprofits that received funding from Veterans United Home Loans as a part of their 10 year anniversary campaign, in which Veterans United gave $10 million to local nonprofits. Compass received $222,700 based on employee votes to cover the construction on the new music center.

“It’s just absolutely incredible and a big weight lifted,” Violet says. “Every nonprofit that I know of in town has received funding. They have been able to give sizable amounts to so many groups in town. The long-lasting effect that is going to have on our community is just huge.”

Community involvement didn’t just stop at funding, though. Volunteers have been helping with demolition and getting things ready to be renovated. When the time comes, Compass will be having a volunteer paint party to help paint the new space.

“Volunteers do almost everything,” Phylshawn says, “from helping with grants to organizing programs and doing social media to greeting people at the door.”

“We are building this from the ground up,” Violet says. “We tell people who want to be involved that if they have a program they think would work well in this space, let us know. We are open to ideas, and as long as people want to be involved, we want to find a way to let them be involved.”

April 2017 Compass

COMPASS INC.

presents Local

1107 UNIVERSIT Y AVE

Fest at Rose

COMPASSCOLUMBIA .ORG

Music Hall, a showcase celebrating local musicians and artists.

September 2021 Compass signs a lease with Mizzou Hillel and begins fundraising for the Compass Music Center.

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Missouri High Steppers Mission:

We strive to provide opportunities for growth and development through enrichment activities centered around character building, leadership, health and life skills, education, career, sports, recreation, fitness, and the arts.

Stepping into Action Through determination and discipline, the Missouri High Steppers are shaping future leaders.

BY TAYLOR AMBRA

U

nder the tree that sits in front of Hickman High School, Rolando Barry discovered the Missouri High Steppers.

In 1979, Carolyn Woody and Dorcey Lee Turner had 15 to 20 students practicing under this Hickman tree, and they called themselves the Blind Boone Drill Team. Rolando, who was a bus driver at the time, would sit outside the school waiting for the final bell to ring and watch them practice. Having been involved in similar drill team organizations as a child in St. Louis, Rolando was intrigued when he came across this group. After a couple months, he took over the organization, renamed it the Missouri High Steppers, and took it to a new level.

The Missouri High Steppers is a youth performing arts organization that brings people of all ages to get involved in the arts through drumming, dancing, singing, stepping, and more.

“Through arts, there is a discipline,” Rolando says. The organization comes together to create powerful and impactful performances that they showcase throughout the Columbia community, and they travel to other locations as well.

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CREATING A LEGACY Rolando started by teaching the students basic steps that he had learned as a child. 43 years later, Rolando is still leading the Missouri High Steppers with his right-hand man, Tyrone Raybon, who is better known as “T-Man.” Tyrone has known Rolando since he was 15 years old and now has grandchildren who are involved in the organization.

Rolando gives a lot of credit to his wife, Teresa, who he calls his “solid rock.” Teresa encourages and supports him to follow his dreams every day to create a positive environment for the youth of Columbia. Creating positive role models is important to Rolando, and through a service learning opportunity with MU, college students can volunteer with the organization and act as mentors for the younger members. Alumni of the organization frequently come back to serve as mentors as well.

As of now, the organization has about 55 members on their roster who are involved in workshops four evenings a week, and occasionally on the weekends, to polish routines before a performance.

Founded: 1979 Creed:

I am responsible for the decisions I make in this life. I am the one who determines who I am, what I do, and what I will become. Compassion and hard work are my tenets. Gentleness and resoluteness my hallmark.

I will strive to maintain a positive attitude about life, to work hard at every task I undertake, and to persevere in the face of life’s difficulties.

I pledge to be a role model to others and to make empathy and kindness my personal guiding light.

Suaviter in modo, Fortiter in re.

Gentle in manner, resolute in deed.

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NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

“Through the process of developing these routines that we take out into the community, the kids learn how to be responsible for the decisions they make in their life, stay high-focused, and stay on task.” Rolando says.

There is a creed that each member of the organization must memorize and follow. Rolando says the creed shows that this organization isn’t kids just doing silly dance moves that have no purpose; they are “intricate dances that are backed by a sound philosophy in terms of how to govern your life and apply it to all stages of your life.”

CREATING PEACE IN COLUMBIA In November of 2021, their organization took a huge step when they were gifted a building from local businessman Greg DeLine. This allowed the organization to have a place to call home and build connections with each other. In years past, the organization has had to go on hiatuses because they simply had no place to practice, so having this building has let the High Steppers grow permanent roots in the community.

About 95% of the members in the Missouri High Steppers are Black youth. Rolando says it is “a good feeling to see these youth members who are often portrayed negatively, but when you hear the drums, you hear a sound in the community that is peaceful, because behind those sounds, there is hard work being done.”

Each member works diligently and creatively to follow the creed and expectations placed on them to be a part of this organization and create performances for the community.

Students of any age can be a part of the organization, they are just required to pay a $25 monthly fee. Rolando says this monthly fee helps create motivation and the drive to show up every day and work hard. The organization also recognizes that not everybody can afford the monthly fee, so they offer scholarships to give students a chance to become a member.

Rolando says that his favorite part of being involved in this organization is being at practice every night and seeing the growth that happens with the youth members. He sees young kids become involved in a place that is accepting and offers opportunities to allow them to get involved in the community.

A WAY TO GIVE BACK The organization has plans for expansion and growth in the future. Having a permanent building has opened up many opportunities for the organization, but Rolando says it

doesn’t stop there. He has a goal to travel to every state to showcase the Missouri High Steppers and become involved in drill team competitions across the country.

You can catch their performances this month at the Mizzou women’s basketball halftime show on February 3 and men’s basketball halftime show on February 22. Their website offers a calendar of events, more information on the organization, and a place to make donations to help them reach their goals in the future.

Through generous donations from the community, the organization is able to purchase necessary equipment, buy uniforms, offer scholarships, and cover some travel expenses.

MISSOURI HIGH STEPPERS 2306 OAKL AND GRAVEL RD. (573) 808-1736 MOHIGHSTEPPERS.ORG

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BUSINESS UPDATE

The Canvas on Broadway, the beloved wine and paint business, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in April and will soon be adding new classes to its calendar.

BY CO R I N C E SARIC

COMOMAG.COM

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BUSINESS UPDATE

W

hen you fi rst enter The Canvas on Broadway, you may notice your attention being pulled in multiple different directions. Perhaps you fi rst see the paint-covered mason jars full of paintbrushes, or the individual easels sitting on the long tables, but more than likely you’ll notice the impressive display of canvas paintings that cover the walls.

These are just a small selection of the paintings offered during classes at The Canvas on Broadway. Th is wine and paint studio located in downtown Columbia offers a relaxed and welcoming environment for any and all artists.

Best friends Stephanie Hall and Angela Bennett opened the business in 2012 after gaining inspiration while painting custom picture frames through their other business, Muddy Boots Design Company. They created 100 test paintings before opening the business and combined their skills to establish The Canvas on Broadway.

“I think it was a social connectedness between two powerful women with a dream to bring art to everyone that made this place bloom,” general manager Renee Monroe says.

The Canvas on Broadway, which was the fi rst wine and paint studio to open in Missouri, is currently being revamped with the help of Renee. In 2022, new classes and painting styles will be added.

“I think the ability to be downtown and offer a community space to make freely is what inspires people to come,” Renee says. “We aren't corporate, and we invite the individual goals of the experienced painter and happy accidents of a beginner with family, friends, fi rst dates, and strangers. The studio is a space to relax, let go, and lean into creative endeavors. We paint because it's fun. The end product is not only a beautiful painting, but a memory of that experience one had in the studio.”

The business has become a popular destination for bachelorette parties, girl’s nights out, birthday parties, and date nights.

Private parties and kid’s classes are also available, and companies around town can also rent out the space for a team-building activity. You can book your visit on their online calendar.

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The studio can hold up to 62 painters at once, but if you are unable to make it in, the painting class can come to you via a virtual class taught by one of the owners. You can also come in and paint on your own whenever there is an event open to the public. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or have never even picked up a paintbrush, you are welcome at The Canvas on Broadway and are always encouraged to try something brand new.

“Our instructors walk you through the whole process — what the tools are, how you should apply the paint, the exciting variance of brush strokes — and in the end, people are pleasantly surprised with what they leave with,” Renee says. “They're like ‘Wow, this came out pretty close.’ But I think what's really exciting is that no two paintings are ever the same, including the instructor’s and the original design. A painting can express who we are at that very moment in time, and our studio honors that."

Various classes are held Wednesday through Saturday, and the theme of the paintings rotates monthly. The types of paintings offered are typically based on holidays, the weather, and the season. Some examples of popular styles are beach scenes, Mizzou-themed paintings, flowers, and holiday pieces. The company has around 800 pre-painted designs they currently choose from.

Renee, who has been at the company for more than six years and began as an instructor, encourages people to come to a class at the studio more than once instead of just for special events so they can continue to experience everything the studio has to offer.

“We want people to come back to make art, have a beer or glass of wine, get to know our instructors, and hang out with fellow classmates,” Renee says. “The studio has so much to enjoy. Our aim is to develop relationships with our students.”

Being downtown also provides its own unique advantages for the business and the painters themselves. Within Renee’s fi rst six months of working at The Canvas on Broadway, she was teaching a class while Mizzou students were celebrating graduation on the sidewalks outside.

“The MU band was unofficially strolling the sidewalks playing music in a general parade style,” Renee says. “’Bohemian Rhapsody’ was playing loudly in the studio, and I had a class of about 40 people or so. The band heard Queen playing from our front door, so they

came in and the whole band started playing Bohemian Rhapsody and we sang. It was in the very middle of a Saturday night class, but a once in a lifetime experience.”

Renee beams while recalling this event and sees it as a direct representation of the way art makes people feel and how it can bring together people from all walks of life.

“Community creation and laughter can bring out some beautiful things in people,” she says. “It's really cool when your students have that fun, feel-good energy, which becomes contagious beyond the studio walls.

It's energy that can be seen from the street and [make] people want to come in and be a part of our class, even just for a moment. It's exactly what happened when the band played in our studio.”

The Canvas on Broadway is celebrating its 10th anniversary in April, so sign up for a class, grab a drink, and create with paint.

More classes will soon be added to the calendar, and Renee also has a few surprises up her sleeve to celebrate. (Th ink Bob Ross-style paintings, late evening sessions, and perhaps even pet portraits.)

BUSINESS UPDATE

THE CANVAS ON BROADWAY 706 E. BROADWAY, STE. 100 (573) 443-2222 THECANVASONBROADWAY.COM

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PERSON YOU SHOULD KNOW

Robert Greene Filmmaker-in-chief, Murray Center for Documentary Journalism PHOTO BY SADIE TH I BO DEAUX JOB DESCRIPTION

I am a documentary fi lmmaker who helped launch and teaches at the Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism. I also teach in the MU Film Studies department.

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PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

I’m a Sundance-award winning fi lmmaker and I've directed more official True/False fi lms than any other director (“Kati With An I,” “Fake It So Real,” “Actress,” “Kate Plays Christine,” “Bisbee ’17”). My newest fi lm, “Procession,” is on Netfl ix. I write about and teach documentary fi lm.

HOMETOWN

Charlotte, North Carolina, and New York City.

YEARS LIVED IN COLUMBIA

Seven-plus.

QUOTE YOU LIVE BY

Fail upwards.

FAVORITE VOLUNTEER/COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

Supporting Ragtag Film Society, helping to put on our Murray Center student fi lm festival (the Stronger than Fiction Film Festival), helping to program the Based on a True Story Conference.

FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT

“Procession.”

A COLUMBIA BUSINESSPERSON YOU ADMIRE AND WHY

Stacey Woelfel because of his incredible leadership at the Murray Center, at KOMU, and beyond.

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR JOB

I love teaching fi lmmaking through the lens of being an active fi lmmaker because I learn as much from my students as they do from me, and we can both apply our learning to doing great work. Documentary fi lmmaking is about ideas, about working with others, and about caring for the world. Journalism students are often the most resourceful and idealistic group.

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY

I fell in love with Columbia when I came to my fi rst True/False in 2010 and I love the combination of big dreams and Midwest directness that makes this town unique. I also have a ton of respect for my colleagues at the journalism school.

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I love teaching filmmaking through the lens of being an active filmmaker because I learn as much from my students as they do from me, and we can both apply our learning to doing great work.

IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, YOU WOULD

Be programming Ragtag Cinema.

WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION

be seen in shared spaces. For the journalism school, we need to continue to produce journalists who do their work from a place of empathy and rigor.

YOUR NEXT PROFESSIONAL GOAL

Taking a nap and finding a new director of the Murray Center to replace the irreplaceable Stacey Woelfel.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED IN BUSINESS

Make sure you take a minute to enjoy your successes, because you never know when they’ll go away.

HOW YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY

I want to make art that the community is proud of and help produce students who do meaningful work. I also want to support the high school and middle school kids of this town, because they may be our greatest generation.

GREATEST STRENGTH

My ability to apologize.

GREATEST WEAKNESS

Too many weaknesses to list one.

WHAT YOU DO FOR FUN

Watch professional wrestling.

FAMILY

My incredible wife, Deanna Davis, who works at the University Press; my incredible daughter, Ella Davis-Greene, who goes to Hickman and is an amazing artist and fashion icon; and my incredible son, Wilkie Davis-Greene, who goes to Jefferson Middle, played basketball for the Cyclones, and is one of the most intuitive people I know. Plus Pippi the dog, Asher the cat, and our hermit crab, Crabby.

FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA

Being a fi lmmaker means learning to collaborate. Your ideas are only as good as the ideas of your entire team.

Ragtag Cinema.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE FACING YOUR INDUSTRY

Raising two incredibly cool kids.

For fi lm, the challenge is to support movie theaters, because we still need our work to

MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT

ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF

I have been to four Wrestlemanias.

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CANDIDATES YOU SHOULD KNOW

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Candidates You Should Know

Meet your Mayoral Candidates of Columbia

Barbara Buffaloe*

Tanya Heath

Randy Minchew

Maria Oropallo

David Seamon

*Mayoral candidate Barbara Buffaloe was previously featured in the January issue of COMO, which is always dedicated to revealing the new 20 under 40 class, as well as providing updates on alumni. As a 20 under 40 alumna, Barbara was selected for PYSK before the current state of the mayoral race.

COMO Magazine is not and will not be endorsing any candidate in upcoming elections. Find Barbara’s interview on our website at comomag.com.

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CANDIDATES YOU SHOULD KNOW

Tanya Heath Adjunct Instructor, Strategic Communication, Missouri School of Journalism, University of Missouri JOB DESCRIPTION

Now in my 11th year, I teach classes that include advertising copywriting, public relations, awards and multicultural events, interview skills, and a capstone lab. My students are juniors and seniors who want to gain hands-on experience that will give them the professional knowledge to succeed in internships or jobs.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

I have a 30 year career in advertising and wellness. I’ve been the director of advertising for Mizzou Magazine, a freelance writer, and am currently employed as an adjunct instructor for strategic communication at the Missouri School of Journalism. I’m also a wellness practitioner as well as a distributor of health products in direct sales.

HOMETOWN

Columbia, Missouri.

YEARS LIVED IN COLUMBIA

50 years.

QUOTE YOU LIVE BY

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

—Benjamin Franklin FAVORITE VOLUNTEER/ COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

Anything to do with lifting people’s spirits up by listening, encouraging, and producing meaningful action. This could be through various committees of outreach at

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Community United Methodist Church, 4-H, soccer teams, or West Broadway Swim Club.

FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT

I organized the Meditation and Prayer Interfaith Walk on the streets of downtown Columbia on November 21, 2021.

A COLUMBIA BUSINESSPERSON YOU ADMIRE AND WHY

I admire Ruth LaHue. She is an incredible businesswoman who has made My Secret Garden the go-to place for locals and visitors for absolutely beautiful floral arrangements and more. She’s so insightful and thoughtful, and she has been a leader in the District.

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR JOB

I teach the whole person. I teach the lesson of the educational topic, but I also teach how it’s used in the real world and how to maneuver through office politics to make sure that the best idea can rise to the top. I also teach my students resiliency so they can take care of themselves in a demanding profession, become leaders, and to reach back as alums and help hire the next group of young Tigers!

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY

MU means the world to me. My mom was a high school Spanish teacher and my Dad was a MU geology professor. I graduated from our Missouri School of Journalism and I’m an adjunct instructor wanting to challenge, bring along, and encourage the next generation.

IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, YOU WOULD

I would be doing my wellness business fulltime because I believe that teaching people simple ways to improve their health is the key for this next century.

WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION

That the students want to work as hard as any other generation. While the challenges may be different than other generations, the distractions are at an all-time high. The teaching of today is to help them identify and prioritize the necessary steps of a project and then complete it with hands-on learning.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE FACING YOUR INDUSTRY

Basically, there’s going to be three challenges: population of students interested in getting

Clear communication is so important for positive growth. a degree; tax support and revenue streams to make higher education affordable; and teaching the students healthy in-person conflict resolution skills. Clear communication is so important for positive growth. As students of the future start even younger with social media communication as their dominant communication preference, learning techniques for in-person conversation will become critical for the success of any person, community, company, and our country.

YOUR NEXT PROFESSIONAL GOAL

In teaching, I’d like to continue to expand the types of classes that I teach. I’d also like to expand my alumni base of former students to become “cluster” mentors, where a current student can have a few mentors their junior and senior year from all over the country.

With my wellness business, I’d like to reach more people who have physically demanding jobs so they can learn the recovery techniques that my business offers.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED IN BUSINESS

As a member and then club leader of 4-H in Boone County, I apply the 4-H and the Missouri School of Journalism philosophy to my teaching: learn by doing, create a strong classroom community, and make it fun!

HOW YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY

As a mayoral candidate, I would like to find ways to strengthen our city’s work force with the tools, training, and positive interaction

with our community. Our city needs to have a strong vision of what we’re going to be with a rising population and new demands. We have to plan strategically with our resources and employees to provide our residents the basic infrastructure and smart additions. For our community, I’d like to increase our mentor programs for all interested people, businesses, and organizations.

GREATEST STRENGTH

Creating fresh and practical ideas to challenges.

GREATEST WEAKNESS

I don’t always know how to respond to sarcasm.

WHAT YOU DO FOR FUN

I play golf with my husband.

FAMILY

I’ve been married to David Heath for 22 years and we have a 20-year-old daughter, Brianna, and our dachshund, Ozzie, named after former St. Louis Cardinal Ozzie Smith.

FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA

Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.

ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF

Finding the joy during and after the challenges in life. In my 20s, both parents were diagnosed with cancer, so I learned to “be in the moment” and also still dream of a future with or without them.

That was so hard, but I received a lot of support and learned so much on how to be resilient. Before they passed, they were able to see me enjoy my career, get married, and have our daughter. Moving forward, I share what I learned with others. I listen, I encourage, and I walk with them. If they’re open to it, I pray with them or for them. Over time, my hope is that they, too, may find joy again.

MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW...

That when I was at Hickman High School, I joined the girls golf team. My first round of nine holes, I shot a 108 with every bad shot, whiff, and penalty stroke in the book. Our coach brought in a couple retired women professionals, and three weeks later, I dropped my score down to 48 for 9 holes. I went from last on the team to the fourth spot on varsity.

So, when I set my mind to anything, I can accomplish great things.

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CANDIDATES YOU SHOULD KNOW

Randy Minchew Vice President of Business Development, DeLine Holdings

JOB DESCRIPTION

I assist DeLine business entities and partners with development goals and strategies.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

General contractor and residential and commercial real estate rehab and development.

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HOMETOWN

Houston, Texas.

YEARS LIVED IN COLUMBIA

26 years.

QUOTE YOU LIVE BY

“To thine own self be true.”

— William Shakespeare.

FAVORITE VOLUNTEER/ COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

I love the work we do at Phoenix Programs and Grade A Plus. Both of these nonprofits provide great service to the people of our community.

FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT

I am beyond excited to be involved with Burrell Health and Phoenix Programs and the development of the new behavioral crisis center in Columbia.

A COLUMBIA BUSINESSPERSON YOU ADMIRE AND WHY

John Ott has done so much for The District in downtown Columbia. His efforts have been under the radar and without much fanfare but have benefitted Columbia greatly over the years.

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR JOB

We have opportunities every day to make someone’s life better. I see that happen right before my eyes, and it is rewarding on so many levels.

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY

Our tagline at DeLine Holdings is “making a difference.” I believe we are doing that one person at a time.

IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, YOU WOULD

I would spend even more of my time and resources to serve people struggling with chemical addictions. Statistics show that 87% of the patients coming through our emergency rooms are there due to drugs or alcohol and that 75% of the homeless community is addicted. I understand the addiction issue on a personal level.

WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION

Business development means I spend my time serving the doers in our 12 different

City Hall can be more efficient, and our city employees can be better compensated.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED IN BUSINESS

I have learned business is more about relationships and helping people get what they need. I will get what I need if I help enough other people get what they need.

HOW YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY

My next area of service will be at City Hall. I believe I see a way for our streets to be safer. City Hall can be more efficient, and our city employees can be better compensated. City Hall can assist and resource the local nonprofit community and educational institutions in dealing with issues related to underserved children and their primary education or secondary education and job training needs. City Hall can solve issues like trash pick-up or maintaining consistent utility service to all of its customers. I believe I see a way that I can lead City Hall to be more transparent in its day-to-day operations.

GREATEST STRENGTH

I love people.

GREATEST WEAKNESS

I love people.

WHAT YOU DO FOR FUN

I love spending time with my grandkids and playing golf.

FAMILY

companies. I look for entrepreneurs and ventures our company might want to be involved with.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE FACING YOUR INDUSTRY

Employee compensation and retention has always been a challenge for most businesses. I believe these challenges will continue, but solving the communication gap between owners and employees will prove to be our next big challenge and those companies who solve that will flourish and those who don’t will not have enough employees to survive.

YOUR NEXT PROFESSIONAL GOAL

I want to continue to find and develop philanthropic opportunities in my role at DeLine Holdings.

I married Cindy Swift in 1980, and together we raised seven kids — four of our own along with two nieces and a nephew. Now we have sons in law, daughters in law, and seven grandkids.

FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA

Pick any golf course.

ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF

My family. I can spend all day talking about them and their accomplishments in the community, jobs, kids, pets, and art projects.

MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW...

I grew up 45 minutes from Galveston and surfed the gulf coast for 25 years until we moved to Missouri. I still have my custommade long board. I had hair that was as wide as my shoulders in the 70s. I have been clean and sober since 1975.

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CANDIDATES YOU SHOULD KNOW

Maria Oropallo Chair of City Finance and Audit Committee JOB DESCRIPTION

Household manager for the people who live in my house!

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

After college, my work life began in financial services at Chase Leasing Corporation and GTE Shareholder Services. Then I began a 22-year career as a municipal employee for one small town in Massachusetts, three cities, and one major county in Virginia. Before moving to Columbia in 2005, my husband and I established a consulting service that helped private nonprofits build affordable rental housing for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

HOMETOWN

Columbia, Missouri.

YEARS LIVED IN COLUMBIA

17 years.

QUOTE YOU LIVE BY

“The greatest gift is not being afraid to question.” — Ruby Dee. FAVORITE VOLUNTEER/ COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

Mobile Soup Kitchen.

A COLUMBIA BUSINESSPERSON YOU ADMIRE AND WHY

Leigh Ann Lockhart of Main Squeeze, who was able to shift the business model to meet challenges and demands and still be Main Squeeze.

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR WORK

The people who were served by my work had a voice.

FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT

Driveway Firepit Chats.

IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, YOU WOULD

Find another way to do this work!

WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION

Local government starts with you, the individual, and then your family, then your neighbor, then the community. Remember this and we can be successful.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE FACING YOUR INDUSTRY

Embracing rapidly changing demographics.

How people “live, work, and play” is no longer how it was 50 or even 10 years ago.

Additionally, advancements in technology, innovative practices, and collaboration have changed the landscape of how we effectively govern. Drilling down to connect city services and delivering them efficiently and equitably is at the core of successful governance.

YOUR NEXT PROFESSIONAL GOAL

Be elected mayor.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED IN BUSINESS

Listen, ponder, then listen again.

HOW YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY

We use a lot of terms to describe our city.

Creating room to discover what the people actually mean by those terms can begin the drive toward solutions. How, when, and where we listen to each other is crucial.

Our elected and appointed officials must meet the people where they are. I want to do everything possible so people have a voice. And in the end, if people say they were heard, then I will have accomplished something good.

GREATEST STRENGTH

Being a technocrat.

GREATEST WEAKNESS

WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR JOB

Being a technocrat.

Being able to see the goal and the path to getting there is 90% of the solution.

WHAT YOU DO FOR FUN

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Bake — and sadly I’m bad at it!

How, when, and where we listen to each other is crucial. Our elected and appointed officials must meet the people where they are. I want to do everything possible so people have a voice.

FAMILY

The people who live in my house are my husband and my CPS middle schooler.

FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA

Eagle’s Bluff.

ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF

Completing a performance audit for the City of Columbia.

MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW...

English is my second language (sometimes that’s obvious), we are a proud military family, and I love playing “Mario Kart.”

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CANDIDATES YOU SHOULD KNOW

David Seamon Operations Manager, Scholastic Inc. JOB DESCRIPTION

I manage the overnight shift from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

I was a logistics officer in the United States Marine Corps from 2012 to 2017. I worked at Veterans United Home Loans from 2017 to 2019 and joined Scholastic Inc. in 2019. I also started on the CPS School Board in 2020.

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HOMETOWN

Columbia, South Carolina.

YEARS LIVED IN COLUMBIA

19 years (minus the five years I was stationed in North Carolina) QUOTE YOU LIVE BY

“Rumble, young man, rumble.” ­— Muhammad Ali FAVORITE VOLUNTEER/ COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

Graduation weekend and month. I have had the opportunity, through the board, to present diplomas at two high school graduations. It’s always funny to see how the students react when they walk toward you. Are they nervous, scared, indifferent, only there because mom wants pictures and threatened them? But what I really love are the reactions after the ceremony is over. The parents beaming with pride, being congratulated by complete strangers. The students, even those that looked like they didn’t want to be there, smiling and celebrating with friends. It’s the same thing with MU, Columbia College, and Stephens. And the weather is perfect around that time of year. It gives the city a feeling of renewed energy and optimism.

FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT

The board attended a conference in Kansas City two months ago. Because of quorum rules, we aren’t allowed to get together often without it being a public meeting. It was nice to hang out with colleagues and get to know them as a group.

A COLUMBIA BUSINESSPERSON YOU ADMIRE AND WHY

Josh Williams, owner of Pappadoo’s Soul Food. I remember hanging out in the commons at Rock Bridge and seeing Josh.

He started his own restaurant and did it his way, with his style of cooking, and he’s been incredibly successful. I’m proud of him.

IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, YOU WOULD

Travel the world. There’s something about visiting a new place and then bringing those experiences back home that is magical.

THE NEXT CHALLENGE FACING YOUR INDUSTRY

Someone is eventually going to portray the current supply chain issues as a national

I want everyone to see this city as a promise and an opportunity.

WHAT YOU DO FOR FUN

I try to squeeze in some recreational reading in between required reading for school and work. I play Xbox with my son and a friend from the Marine Corps, and my daughters have me playing with Barbies recently. I’ll try to find a pickup game every so often, but those are less frequent now.

FAMILY

My wife and I are approaching our 10-year wedding anniversary in May, and we have three children: Drevyn, Kennedy, and Nola.

FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA

Probably Rock Bridge High School, particularly the track and football field.

My wife and I met at Rock Bridge, and I remember having so much fun practicing with my friends and being a part of great sprint teams. Now our son is at Rock Bridge.

ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF

security concern (that’s how we got the interstate highway system), so that revamp will be a challenge, whatever it looks like.

YOUR NEXT PROFESSIONAL GOAL

I just started an executive master’s program in public administration at the University of Pennsylvania that I honestly didn’t think I’d be accepted into. So making sure I stay on top of that is my first goal.

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED IN BUSINESS

Quality strategy wins battles. Quality logistics wins wars.

HOW YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY

I want everyone to see this city as a promise and an opportunity.

GREATEST STRENGTH

I try my best to actively listen to people. If someone is taking the time to tell you about an experience, it’s likely important to them, so take the time to absorb what they’re saying.

GREATEST WEAKNESS

I’m an introvert, so my greatest strength plays into my greatest weakness. Being in large groups of people wears me out and I need to recharge sitting by myself in silence for a while.

Both my grandfather and father were Marines, and it had always been a lifelong dream of mine to become a Marine. I remember watching my dad walk up to complete strangers, people who just happened to have on a USMC shirt or hat or a tattoo, and he’d just say “semper fi.” And this person would immediately turn around and say it right back and you would have thought they’d known each other for years; it would be like a small party erupted. So when I was standing in my dress blues in 2012, taking the oath, my wife and mom pinning my rank on my shoulders and my grandfather presenting me the mameluke sword, that was a oncein-a-lifetime moment. I thought of all the hard work that I’d put into that moment, and then suddenly I’d earned the title of Marine.

One of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I still love running into Marines on the street, especially the older ones, and having that small party erupt.

MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW...

I do a lot of creative writing. I’ll have some prolonged feelings or thoughts and I’ll write a ten-page story placing those thoughts or feelings into characters. I rarely show the writing to people — maybe my wife and one good friend. Most of them end up deleted. I started working on a Tom Clancy-style novel about 10 years ago about India, Pakistan, and China. I’m that nerd.

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ENCOURAGING, EXPERIMENTING, EMPOWERING An initiative focused on cultivating the musicians of today.

BY MA RY CA I TLYN PO LOVI C H | PHOTO S BY A NT HO NY J I NS O N

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“When the lights dim, the conductor lowers their arms for the first downbeat of music, and the very first sound of music starts — when that moment hits, I can hear in that very first note all the work, time, and effort put into that one moment. The culmination of everything I was working towards,”

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Jacob Gotlib, managing director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative, says.

In February 2020, the MU School of Music transitioned from being a school split between several buildings across campus to one that had finally found a home: The Sinquefield Music Center. The building now serves as a home not just for MU School of Music students, but for people across the world as they participate in various programs as a part of the Mizzou New Music Initiative.

“The goal is to make the university and the state of Missouri a center for composition and the performance of new music,” Jacob says. “All of our programs are designed to help students throughout the state either write new music or perform music by living composers.”

Jacob stepped into the role of managing director in August of 2016.

“I’ve been in the world of contemporary music composers, people who are practicing and defi ning what that means, for a while now,” he says. “I have cultivated this passion for doing things behind the scenes, of creating the infrastructure for which this music can thrive, and that’s exactly what I’m doing in this managing director role.”

The MNMI hosts programs and competitions for various ages, starting as young as kindergarten-age.

Their biggest competition is the Mizzou International Composers Festival, for which internationally renowned composers come to MU’s campus the last week of July each year.

“Composers from all over the world submit portfolios to apply to participate in this festival,” Jacob explains. “This year, we have 530 applicants and only five slots open. It is becoming an increasingly wellknown competition internationally.”

This year alone, MNMI received submissions from 49 countries and from every continent except Antarctica. Applicants submit a portfolio containing three contrasting pieces with scores and recordings.

A panel consisting of composition faculty within Mizzou’s School of Music and various composers from around the world narrow down the original submissions from 530 to 40 and then down to five.

“We don’t want to be biased and only have our faculty review submissions,” Jacob says. “We bring in ideas, perspective, and expertise from around the world.”

Of the five winners, one spot is always reserved for an MU student. In addition to composers coming to campus to perform, the school also brings in guest composers at the top of the field to come and mentor the five selected winners.

Other programs include the Missouri Composers Project, Sinquefield Composition Prize, Missouri Summer Composition Institute, and the Creating New Music Project, or COMP, which began in 2006 as the very first program of MNMI. COMP is a competition for kindergarten through 12th grade students throughout the state of Missouri. Students can write and submit original work of any genre, and the winner receives a cash prize for both themselves and their school. Additionally, the winner is invited to campus to perform their work.

“It is a pretty big program because it encourages music making in a creative way,” Jacob says. “So often, a kid’s music education revolves around performance of pre-existing music. The first contact kids have with music is typically instrument lessons — piano, violin, flute, whatever they play — and they learn to play music written by other composers, sometimes the greats. But here, the point of this program is to encourage them to be on the other side, the one writing the music.”

The Missouri Summer Composition Institute is an intensive composition summer camp for high school students throughout the state of Missouri. Sixteen students are selected to come to campus for a week, at no cost, with the goal of writing a brand new piece from scratch. At the end of the week, students get their work performed and recorded by a professional new music ensemble.

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“During those five days they are working and collaborating intensely,” Jacob explains, “as well as having lessons with faculty, coaching performers, and preparing to present. It is a really fun and intense experience.”

Many kids who are writing and composing their own music don’t have a community at their school with the same interests. Th is camp is just one way the initiative is cultivating a community passionate about music, even at a young age.

“To be able to have all of them together on campus really engineers a sense of community and makes them feel like they aren’t alone —

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there are people like them,” Jacob says. “I’ve watched kids become completely transformed by their experience during just one week.

Just watching what happens when these kids write a piece from scratch, watching it get realized and seeing what happens . . . the look on their face when what they write fi nally gets realized by professional musicians — it is life changing. Astounding.”

The past couple of years, the program has been held online instead of on campus.

“It was still a terrific experience, but not quite the same,” Jacob says. “We’re hopeful to have everyone stay on campus again.”

MNMI is not only cultivating a community, but it is actively encouraging and investing in composers, practitioners, and performers who specialize in the music of today.

“We are devoted to cultivating the forefront of what the future of music should be,” Jacob says. “That means encouraging experimentation and encouraging new ways of thinking, new ways of listening, and new defi nitions of what music can be.”

The programs that make up MNMI all work together to highlight the importance of making this work a part of basic music education.

“The idea that composing and being creative with music can start at the same time as learning to play an instrument has a huge impact.

It is a huge influence in how students think about music,” Jacob says. “Every composer that I’ve talked to, who I’ve mentioned this program to, their jaw drops. And they always say they wish they had programs like these when they were kids.”

While MNMI cultivates composers and performers, it also brings an exciting landscape to Columbia with the International Composers Festival. It is an impactful experience for both the performers and the audience.

“People in Columbia can experience world-class music-making by some of the most important names in the field, all right here in our town,” Jacob says.

MNMI brings together a diverse array of programs that position the MU as the leading center for composition and new music. Over the past 12 years, the initiative has aided in the creation of over 550 new pieces of music.

Both MNMI and the new music center are the result of support from Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield and the Sinquefields’ charitable foundation. The Sinquefields gave $1 million to the MU School of Music in 2009 to establish MNMI. The initiative funds a variety

of programs, scholarships, assistantships, guest performer and composer residencies, collaboration with partnerships, and the Mizzou International Composer Festival.

Additionally, the Sinquefields gave $1.4 million in 2013, $2 million in 2016, and $2.5 million in 2019 to sustain the MNMI. “The Sinquefields have always been interested in music, compositions, and cultivating students who explore composition and con-

1960. The Sinquefields gift in 2015 helped turn a dream into a reality.

The new music center has various features that support MU music students at every stage of their education.

“All the rooms in the building were designed specifically for music-making, “Julia Gaines, MU School of Music director, explains. “Practice rooms and rehearsal rooms have angled walls so the sound can bounce off the walls in all directions. Straight walls in Julia Gaines, a room where music is going MU School of to be made leads to a very Music director limited acoustic experience.

Our rooms were designed for a premium acoustic experience for musicians, and this makes it easier to practice and rehearse for longer amounts of time.”

The center also has top technology capabilities, featuring a professional-level recording studio.

“We currently use our studio for all recordings anywhere in the Sinquefield Music Center and Fine Arts Building,” Julia says. “We hope to expand this out to include Jesse Auditorium and the Missouri Theatre in the future.”

Perhaps most importantly, the new building was built with every student in mind.

“We also have a lactation room,” Julia says. “I know this is only significant to a few people, but as someone who had to deal with this with two babies, I am very happy about this. I love seeing our moms — faculty, staff, and students — go in and out of there.” temporary music,” Jacob explains. “It got to Even with all the features of the new builda point where the facilities were limiting the ing, the biggest highlight is encouraging inextent to which we could be the kind of worldteraction between students and faculty. class institution we all wanted to be.”

“When we were separated out between four The Sinquefield’s gave $10 million — the to five buildings, it was difficult to build a largest arts gift ever to MU — in 2015 to go community atmosphere, “Julia says. “But now towards the construction of the music center. that we are down to two, it has really helped Plans to build a new music center really both the faculty and the students see each started in 1965, when the music program outother more, which inevitably leads to collabgrew the fine arts building, which was built in oration and mentorship.”

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Machens means investing in our future.

Machens is honored to give back to our community by investing in education.

Every month, we award a deserving high school senior with a $2,500 scholarship.

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A colorful cluster of creativity in Columbia.

BY LAUREN SABLE FREIMAN | PHOTOS BY KEITH BORGMEYER

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T

he nine-square-block area north of Broadway makes up a small portion of downtown Columbia.

But inside those blocks, known as the North Village Arts District, over 150 artists are creating vibrant music, artwork, and other products inside renovated and repurposed warehouses, buildings, and shops. Cafés, restaurants, yoga studios, galleries, performance spaces, a distillery and other businesses round out the space, which spans just under three-quarters of a square mile.

“It is an eclectic community of businesses who support each other in a vibrant and fast-growing area,” says Tootie Burns, president of the North Village Arts District board of directors. “I see a lot of younger businesses coming in and putting their mark on the area, and it keeps us fresh and vibrant.”

Though the area has been recognized in city planning documents for over 20 years, it began to revitalize, grow, and reinvent itself in 2007. That’s when developer Mark Timberlake purchased a former laundry company on Orr Street, commissioned local artist Chris Teeter to create 16 giant studio doors, and opened Orr Street Studios. The North Village Arts District was formed in 2009, and the organization received 501(c)(3) status in 2013.

While businesses in the area do not have to be arts-focused, the NVAD has become a tight-knit community for artists and a collaborative, supportive, welcoming melting pot of innovative business owners.

“We promote each other and support each other down there,” Tootie says. “If you need to borrow something, like easels or supplies, people are incredibly helpful and support their fellow businesses and artists. It is a true community.”

For the past seven years, the NVAD has welcomed the community to the area for First Fridays, held from 6 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of each month. It’s a free, welcoming, family-friendly event that invites the public to interact with artists, hear musical performances, see the Missouri Contemporary Ballet practice for an upcoming performance, or engage in a child-friendly project. First Fridays consistently attracts a large and loyal crowd.

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“It is an eclectic community of businesses who support each other in a vibrant and fast-growing area.”

Tootie Burns, president, North Village Arts District

“Most of the galleries have a new show every First Friday, and a lot of the venues will have a musician or a demonstration that changes from month to month,” Tootie says. “We try to tie into a holiday if something is coming up. We have a holiday market, a Valentine’s market, and we celebrated the bicentennial by passing out cookies at different venues.”

Although the NVAD suspended First Fridays and other events from March 2020 until March 2021, Tootie says the organization worked to remain active during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NVAD was especially creative in the ways it safely engaged children as the city was adapting to COVID’s restrictions and challenges.

“We did a children’s scavenger hunt in October 2020 where we had artists donate small handmade items, and we scattered over 100 treasures around the NVAD for kids to discover,” Tootie says. “We also gave away sets of sketch pads and colored pencils to our business members to give away. We have tried to remain active in reaching out to children during COVID, but it has been tough, and we want to do it safely.”

While the district is constantly evolving and growing, Tootie says the board of directors continues to dream up ways to enhance the area for Columbia’s residents and visitors. Th is summer, after writing and submitting a grant application, the NVAD was awarded $231,530 from the Veterans United Foundation.

The funds will make the North Village Arts Walk, which will feature 10 to 12 murals and art installations around the district, a reality.

“We’ve talked about this for years, but this funding really allows us to do this,” Tootie says. “We are starting the process of identifying sites of the artwork and coordinating with artists for the artwork to be installed. We are planning to have rotating installations, but the majority will be permanent.”

Tootie says that the North Village Arts Walk will be the NVAD’s biggest project to date and will come together over the course of several years. She imagines a “Little Free Art Gallery” that would serve as a lending library for art supplies and a home for small treasures for kids to find.

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“We would have that constructed by a carpenter and installed, and then put art supplies or free pieces of small artwork that children can come and access,” Tootie says.

“I’m excited about that, and I think it might be one of our fi rst projects.”

Tootie says the NVAD board and the business community is also excited about the possibilities for the "Ameren site," two acres of land at St. James and Orr streets, in the heart of the district. Although the land has restrictions for how it can be developed, Tootie says such a large area of green space in the middle of downtown would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

“You don’t just get big chunks of open space in the downtown area,” she says. “There is a possibility for it to be transformative for the arts district because it is such a big piece of land. We are pretty excited about the possibility of that becoming an area where people can gather, where kids can kick around a soccer ball or do a children’s activity.”

Kenny Greene, owner of Monarch Jewelry, has played an active role in the transformation of the NVAD over the years. His business has been located in the area since 1979, and he is affectionately known around the neighborhood as the mayor of the NVAD. Over the years, Kenny says he has made almost a complete circle around the district, and he has watched the neighborhood change and grow. His fi rst location was at 1013 E. Walnut. After a move to 101 Orr St., he now occupies space at 1019 E. Walnut.

“As things have changed, it has become more vibrant,” Kenny says. “More buildings are being fi xed up and renovated, there is a lot more activity, and the selection of businesses, galleries, and bars has grown quite a bit.”

As more visitors flock to events like First Fridays and more people become aware of the treasures hidden within the blocks of the NVAD, Kenny says that businesses in the district are even more inspired to make the NVAD a cohesive center for arts and business.

“Other people started to recognize how much we were doing for Columbia and how large an impact we have on the community, because we draw people from all over,” Kenny says. “We’ve started being located by the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau and The District as a destination area. It starts feeding a sense of pride in the neighborhood. We are expecting more support to make it more vibrant, so we can spread the influence of what we’ve got throughout the city and the state.”

With so much to look forward to in the coming months and years, Tootie recognizes that the NVAD, and its growing impact on the city of Columbia, has been a labor of love for many people over the course of many years.

“I’m so appreciative for the people that had the vision for it, that saw the opportunity for arts studios,” she says.

“A lot of people have given their time, talent, and treasure to the area, and I'm very grateful to the people who have done that.”

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