MARSHALL, Texas — Bob Snead, a highly decorated army pilot and artist who has created thousands of pieces over the course of his career, brought a select few to East Texas for his show at the Michelson Museum of Art in Marshall.
“This is about the Buffalo Soldiers, who were formed a year after the Civil War in 1866,” said Snead.
The six all black regiments known as the Buffalo Soldiers played a large role in Western exploration, and the rebuilding of the United States.
“Right after the civil war, the buffalo soldiers were the only military the new Mexico territory had,” said Snead.
Once everyone had gotten a chance to view Snead’s art, he spoke to the group, giving background on his pieces, along with a few history lessons, like how the Buffalo Soldiers got their name from the Native Americans of the plains.
“When they saw the black soldiers with their black faces and their black short curly hair," explained Snead, "and the way they fought each time they encountered them in a skirmish, it reminded them of the buffalo.”
This is no ordinary collection of art, there’s a piece commissioned by Colin Powell, and another that was used as the model for a statue of a Buffalo Soldier.
“This is the piece that was used for the model for the Buffalo Soldier statue at Fort Bliss,” said Snead.
And the show even got an appearance from Joe Roy, better known as "Pop" from POP WATCH.
The two veterans got to meet each other.
“He’s pretty cool,” Pop said.
Snead says he's glad his art is showing people a lesser known side of history.
“I think it’s great that the people are so interested in this part of history and that they want to come out and see it and to be part of it, and learn a little bit more about it," Snead reflected, "Because this is a part of history that not a lot of people know about."
