Arts & Culture

From its earliest days, the people of Jones County have expressed an appreciation for the aesthetic. The Twentieth Century especially brought a flowering of the arts that continues to blossom today, represented in part by the following institutions.

The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art

 was established in 1923 by the Rogers and Eastman families, early Laurel pioneers, as a memorial to their son and grandson Lauren Eastman Rogers, “to promote the public welfare by founding, endowing and having maintained a public library, museum, art gallery and educational institution, within the state of Mississippi.” Every year, over 40,000 visitors tour LRMA’s collections of European and American art, Native American baskets, English Georgian silver, Japanese woodblock prints, and extensive art history library.

Laurel Little Theater

 Jones County’s very own amateur community group, hosts up to five productions annually. Established in 1961, LLT has produced in recent years such favorites as Our Town, The Trip to Bountiful and Biloxi Blues at their home in the historic Arabian Theater in Historic Downtown Laurel.

Landrum’s Homestead and Village

 offers visitors a glimpse of pioneer life in old Jones County. The ten-acre “Living History Museum” features over sixty Nineteenth Century structures, including a watermill gristmill from 1871.

Jones County Junior College

 adds a valuable dimension to Jones County’s culture. JCJC’s theater offers entertaining musicals and plays like Guys and Dolls and Grease! The college sponsors the Eula Bass Lewis Fine Art Gallery, featuring up and coming student artists. In addition to the Maroon Typhoon, JCJC’s marching band, JC Jazz, the JCJC Choir and Jones OnStage present a variety of musical genres and programs throughout the year.