All of the Cox Girls (Cathy, Kim, Karen and Glennie) came together Thursday evening, October 9, to welcome visitors to the artist reception at the Firehouse Arts Center in honor of their mother, Mary Barber Cox.

The event features the extensive work of Bainbridge’s own “Queen of Arts.”

Mary Cox is especially well known in Bainbridge for her pen and ink drawings of historic buildings, many of which have been featured on note cards, the annual Christmas tree ornament sold by the city each holiday season, and on the enlarged canvases displayed on the walls of Crave Eatery.

However, the exhibit also shows other mediums in which she worked, and for which she may be less known, that display her eclectic artistic abilities. They include pottery and oil paintings. There is also a bulletin board containing photos of the famous family through the years.

Before moving to Bainbridge, Mary Cox taught at the Columbia Museum of Art in South Carolina, where she developed some famous artists. She is a graduate of Florida State University and came to Bainbridge when she married Walter Cox. The family operated Cox Funeral Home for many years, while Mary gave private art lessons in her home to many of Bainbridge residents — young and old — while raising her family of girls. She has continued teaching in her home until recent years when her health declined.

The exhibit will remain open on Fridays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.