The Art Department Galleries display professional work by nationally and internationally known artists, and by the outstanding Columbia College students. The galleries are under the direction of Bo Bedilion (Hardwick) and Scott McMahon (Larson). The Sidney Larson Gallery is named for Sidney Larson who taught in the department for over fifty years. A graduate of the University of Missouri he studie
d with Missouri artists Fred Shane and Thomas Hart Benton, serving as the resident assistant for Benton’s mural at the Truman Library and creating numerous murals and other public art of his own, including those found locally at the Boone County Court House, Guitar Building, Shelter Insurance Cos., Columbia Public Library, Columbia College and Riback Supply Co., as well as at the Jefferson City Municipal Building and the Rolla Daily News Building. His works of art, which won awards and were exhibited at invitational shows and traveling national exhibits, are found in public and private collections. Larson gave numerous public lectures and served as a judge for local, regional, national and international art competitions. The Greg Hardwick Gallery, created primarily for the exhibition of 3-dimensional art, is also used for alternative media, including video. Greg, a graduate of the Columbia College Art Department, passed away in 2003 while living in Oakland, California. Funding for this beautiful gallery was largely from a generous gift from his parents, Susan and Bob Hardwick of Salisbury, Missouri.
