In early 2026, a downtown mural inspired by the work of Ozarks artist Robert E. Smith was painted over. A public outcry over the loss of a fragment of the city’s local culture followed, as did fundraising efforts to bring it back. Since then, plans have been developing to recreate the artwork and continue to celebrate Smith’s work.
Shortly after the mural was covered, Jesse Tyler, co-owner of All True and partner with SGFCO, alongside downtown business owner Nicole Brown, began efforts to bring the mural back to the downtown scene. After the Springfield community raised more than $17,000 through a GoFundMe campaign, Tyler said work has been ongoing to select the artists and a location to recreate the artwork. In addition to the more than 80 individual donations received, the project was able to secure a sponsorship from the Downtown Springfield Community Improvement District.
“It was a definitely a shared effort by a lot of people who all just really valued his [Smith’s] work and the thought of not having his work in a visible space downtown anymore just wasn’t a reality we wanted to live with,” Tyler said…