The Art Guys' Time Capsule Reveal at University of Houston Delivers a 57-Year Punchline
On September 26, 2026, Time Capsule 1 was unveiled at the University of Houston, part of The Art Guys' 2010 piece "The Statue of Four Lies." The ceremony included remarks from several notable figures: UH public art Director Rachel Mohl, Curator Michael Guidry, President Renu Khator, Dean Andrew Davis, and classics professor Richard H. Armstrong, who delivered part of his speech in Latin. A suitcase was presented by Jack Massing, containing laundry and a silver bar associated with U.S. precision-time services. Attendees enjoyed a petting zoo, bouncy houses, face painting, Kona Ice, and cupcakes. Notably, Michael Galbreth, who passed away in 2019, was not present. The original artwork features a limestone wall with Latin inscriptions and a 76-page codex housed in the university's collections.
Key facts
- Time Capsule 1 from The Art Guys' "The Statue of Four Lies" was opened at the University of Houston on September 26, 2026.
- Time Capsule 2 is scheduled to be opened on April 1, 2083.
- The time capsule contained laundry, including boxers with Krispy Kreme logos and Warhol-style Mickey Mice, and a four-sided silver bar.
- The numbers on the silver bar were deciphered by AI as telephone numbers for U.S. precision-time services.
- The Art Guys are Michael Galbreth and Jack Massing; Galbreth died in 2019.
- The artwork "The Statue of Four Lies" debuted in September 2010 on the UH campus.
- The piece includes a 76-page codex with page 48 deliberately missing, stored in the university's special collections.
- The event featured speeches by UH officials and a Latin oration by classics professor Richard H. Armstrong.
Entities
Artists
- The Art Guys
- Michael Galbreth
- Jack Massing
- Hank Schyma
- Stu Mulligan
- Jim Pirtle
- Richard H. Armstrong
- Rachel Mohl
- Michael Guidry
- Renu Khator
- Andrew Davis
- Abraham Lincoln
Institutions
- University of Houston
- Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts
- Glasstire
- Harvard University
- U.S. Naval Observatory
- Kona Ice
- Krispy Kreme
- Yale University
Locations
- Houston
- United States
- Texas