Clarksville, TN – The Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is located in Historic Downtown Clarksville, Tennessee. Come explore an entire city block featuring large gallery spaces filled with fine art, science, and history.
Some of the events in March at the Museum include: Breaking Through: The Rise of American Women Artists, Rising Voices 2: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters, Aneka Ingold: Transfiguration, Baskets & Bowls: Art of the West, Magic of the Mind Starring Jeff & Kimberly.
Customs House Museum Exhibits
Breaking Through: The Rise of American Women Artists
March 5th – May 29th | Kimbrough & Jostens Galleries
This juried show features over 100 paintings and sculptures by members of American Women Artists (AWA) from across the country. AWA is an organization that aims to increase the number of professional opportunities for women in the visual fine arts.
Rising Voices 2: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters
Through April 24th | Crouch & Bruner Galleries
The depiction of the human figure is central in the history of art, and this exhibition brings a contemporary view to a timeless subject. The $50,000 Bennett Prize is awarded biennially to a woman fine art painter whose principal artistic focus is figurative painting in a primarily realistic style. Rising Voices 2 is comprised of paintings by the ten 2021 Bennett Prize finalists, including Prize winner Ayana Ross.
Aneka Ingold: Transfiguration
Through April 24th | Orgain Gallery
Aneka Ingold’s dramatically staged paintings present mysterious allegories informed by the stories and lives of women. Drawn from self-reflection and the shared experiences of peers and women throughout history, her narratives are relayed through symbols and patterns that culminate in a central, goddess-like figure. Ingold’s powerful characters, rendered in precise layers of colored pencil and paint, earned her the honor of being named the inaugural winner of The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters in 2019.
Baskets & Bowls: Art of the West
Through April 3rd | Harvill Gallery
Enjoy an assortment of Native American baskets and pottery from the collection of Bob Stanton. After discovering a Hupa hat basket at an antique shop, the Stantons became increasingly interested in Native American cultures. This exhibit includes pieces from various tribes that call the American West home.
The Infirmary
Through April 17th | Lobby
Dr. Robert T. Burt was a skilled surgeon who opened Clarksville’s first hospital in 1906. He performed over 300 operations per year, including C-sections long before they were common practice. This exhibit features photographs and other artifacts that tell the story of Dr. Burt and his colleagues at the Home Infirmary.
Explorers Landing: Exploring Our Town
Open Now on the Lower Level
New Memories, New Adventures, New Explorers Landing! Explore our town with timeless favorites like the Bubble Cave and McGregor’s Market and new discoveries like the Landing and Car Ramp. It’s an adventure for all ages.
Museum Events
First Thursday Art Walk
March 3rd, 5:00pm–8:00pm
The Museum will offer free admission during First Thursday Art Walk Clarksville from 5:00pm–8:00pm. That Taste of Florida food truck will be serving up delicious eats in the Courtyard.
Magic of the Mind Starring Jeff & Kimberly
March 18th, 8:00pm pm & March 19th, 7:00pm
$25.00 general admission tickets are on sale now. Purchase tickets in Seasons or on the Museum’s website.
Museum Programs
Discovery Saturday! Dr. Seuss Science!
March 12th, drop by between 1:30pm–3:30pm | Kindergarten and above, with adult
Free with membership or paid admission | Family Art Studio
Happy Birthday, Theodor Geisel! Participate in fun, interactive science experiments that relate to themes in books written by Dr. Seuss. Inspired by Horton Hears a Who!, investigate the physics of sound using items like tuning forks and wire hangers.
Explore the properties of non-Newtonian liquid “ooze,” inspired by Bartholomew and the Oobleck. The Lorax motivates us to utilize chemistry and nano-technology to clean up a mini-oil spill. And The Cat in the Hat challenges you to construct a tall tower without it falling over.
*All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.
Family Art Saturday: Experiment with Textures
March 26th, drop by between 10:00am–12:00pm & 2:00pm–4:00pm | All ages, with adult
Free with membership or paid admission | Family Art Studio
Smooth or rough – let’s examine the surfaces of some unusual objects like fruits and veggies. Draw pictures with Ms. Sue on different textured papers and compare them to each other!
*All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.
Ready, Set, KNOW: A Children’s Health Fair
April 2nd, 1:00pm–4:00pm | All ages, with adult
Free with membership or paid admission
Healthy habits grow healthy humans. Learn more about children’s health at this program designed for kids. We’ve partnered with Austin Peay State University students to host health fair booths with engaging activities covering many topics including fire safety, childhood obesity, sleep hygiene, and bike safety.
APSU students will offer activities and giveaways for children as they discover more about daily healthy habits. Explore areas throughout the Museum that teach different types of health for children:
- Visit a kid-friendly “medical clinic” to pretend play – bring your child’s favorite doll to “examine!”
- Have a Blast! Move more in a youth cardio blast mini-session to promote fitness.
- Visit the Germ Lab and create a model virus to help remind your children to wash their hands.
- Find out fun facts about Boogers & Burps with entertaining science videos.
Museum Discovery Quest
Free with membership or paid admission | Developed for school-age children
Free Take It N’ Make It Activity
Explore Museum exhibits with your family in a creative way with Museum Discovery Quests – entertaining, self-guided “scavenger hunts” that pique kids’ curiosities and captivate their attention. Several different themes are offered, and all of them include a free Take It N’ Make It activity packet for kids to make a fun project at home. Sign up for a Perks Pass to win a free prize from Seasons: The Museum Store after finishing three Quests.
F&M Bank Huff & Puff Express Model Trains
Exhibit open daily | Trains run Sundays, 1:00pm–4:00pm and Wednesdays, 10:00am–12:00pm
Spring Break Train Schedule: March 8th & 10th: running 1:00pm-3:00pm; March 9th & 11th: running 10:00am–12:00pm
Enjoy one of the largest model railroad layouts in the region boasting a miniature castle, UFO, and scenic landscape. Interact with the miniature world by making automobiles move and helicopters fly. The model train exhibit is open daily and themes change every season.
Seasons: The Museum Store
Women-Owned Businesses Sale
Offer expires March 31st, 2022
Shop women-owned businesses this month for jewelry, art, and home goods. Receive 15% off products from a woman-owned business. Members receive 25% off.
About the Customs House Museum
Located in the heart of historic downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is the State’s second-largest general museum. The original portion of the building was constructed in 1898 as a U.S. Post Office and Customs House for the flourishing tobacco trade. Incorporating a number of architectural styles, the original structure is one of the most photographed buildings in the region.
With over 35,000 square feet of the region’s best hands-on activities and special events…people of all ages agree – the Customs House Museum is well worth the stop!
The Explorer’s Gallery is packed with fun, learning, and fantasy in Aunt Alice’s Attic, McGregor’s Market and kitchen, and of course – the Bubble Cave! Finally, get “all aboard” to see our fantastic model trains. Our volunteer engineers “ride the rails” every Sunday afternoon from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.
Regular museum hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Sundays. Adult admission is $7.00, Senior Citizens and College ID $5.00, Ages 6 to 18 $3.00, and under six years and Museum members are free.
The Customs House Museum is located at 200 South Second Street. For more information, call 931.648.5780 or visit their website at www.customshousemuseum.org
