Credit: Courtesy of Kent State University
Best known for his extensive catalog of folk and rock songs, singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has also dabbled in visual arts over the course of his extensive career. Kent State University’s Downtown Gallery will feature some of 12 of his portraits in Face Value, an exhibit slated to run from Jan. 21 to March 5.

In the last decade, Dylan has had exhibitions at London’s Halcyon Gallery, the National Gallery of Denmark and Palazzo Reale in Milan. Dylan created “Face Value” for the National Portrait Gallery in London, where it debuted in 2013.

“These portraits, like Dylan’s songs, are very much like a presentation of a series of poems,” says Kent State School of Art director of galleries Anderson Turner in a press release. “Each face you encounter not only tells a story, but also reflects the artistic intensity that has carried Dylan throughout his career. This exhibit of Bob Dylan’s drawings is a way for us to engage with an artist who crosses generations and to get to know him a little bit more. Fortunately, his drawings are worthy of investigation.”

An opening reception takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 21. Both the exhibit and reception are free. Gallery hours are Monday-Wednesday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Sunday noon-5 p.m.

This article appears in The Comics Issue.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.