Columbia State Community College’s Pryor Art Gallery will feature the exhibit “Bob Jones: Native Americans & The West,” which features art from Bob Jones, as well as his photography that has been featured on various country music albums. The exhibition will be open to the public from November 6 until December 20.

“Bob Jones is a multi-faceted artist, photographer and illustrator,” said Lisa Hoffman, Pryor Art Gallery curator. “The wisdom and emotion he captures in his Native American pen and ink drawings are captivating to the viewer—drawing you into the history and tragedy of cultures lost."

Jones' drawings can take months to complete. He spends time researching history through university libraries and the Library of Congress for inspiration. His love for the West goes back to drawing western scenes in the first grade and this passion led to Harris School of Advertising Art in Nashville. Jones was also a pioneer in designing country music album covers for Sun Records and RCA. Today, Jones is 83 and a resident of Spring Hill.

Jones’s photography, which will also be featured in the exhibition, is also highly regarded, as it has been used for many successful country music albums. He has worked with many artists such as Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, George Strait and Waylon Jennings. He also designed many album covers and ads to promote artists in magazines such as R&R, Billboard and Cashbox.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The Pryor Art Gallery is in the Waymon L. Hickman Building on the Columbia Campus located at 1665 Hampshire Pike and is open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The opening reception, which is also free and open to the public, will be November 16 from 5 – 7 p.m. Jones will be in attendance as a special guest and speaker at the reception.

For additional information about this exhibit, please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/PryorGallery or on Facebook at ColumbiaStatePAG.

For more information about the Pryor Art Gallery, contact Hoffman at 931.540.2883 or lhoffman5@ColumbiaState.edu.