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 Veterans Coalition Community Art Show, African Americans & the Arts: Celebrating Local Artists, Rising Voices 3: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters, Fifth Saturday Donation Day, Storytime & Craft: Come Join the Band!, Sunday Studio: Painting with Sarah Spillers? Chocolate, Sunday Studio: Painting with Sarah Spillers.
Customs House Museum Exhibits
Veterans Coalition Community Art Show
March 1st – April 7th | Memory Lane
The Montgomery County Veterans Coalition advocates for our Veteran community through education, collaboration, and resourcing. Celebrate the rich tapestry of military service through the lens of artistic expression at the 2024 MCVC Community Art Show.
This expo features a diverse collection of artworks created by Veterans, each piece telling a unique story of resilience, sacrifice, and the profound impact of their service.
African Americans & the Arts: Celebrating Local Artists
Through March 17th | Lobby
The Black History Month theme for 2024 highlights the many impacts Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements, and more. Experience the works of local artists through a diverse variety of mediums and subjects.
Anne K. Beyer & Wyatt Severs: Inhabit
Through March 24th | Crouch Gallery
Ceramicist Anne Beyer and wood artist Wyatt Severs bring together a new collection of furniture, vessels and more intimate pieces that can be found in the space we inhabit. “We create our home and make it ours with the objects that we choose to live with, and that in turn gives us agency for how we want to inhabit our home.”
Rising Voices 3: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters
Through April 21st | Kimbrough Gallery
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 3 is comprised of paintings by the 2023 Bennett Prize finalists, including Prize winner Shiqing Deng.
Ayana Ross: The Lessons I Leave You
Through April 21st | Jostens Gallery
Ayana Ross collects stories. For inspiration, she draws from family, current events, history, art, her experiences growing up in the American South and Biblical stories viewed through a contemporary lens. Touching on universal themes, Ross’ paintings offer an opening for viewers to find themselves and their own experiences. Ross was the recipient of the 2021 Bennett Prize.
From Here to There: Presented by Google
Through April 24th | Orgain & Bruner Galleries
How do we move things on land, sea, and air? Through 10 hands-on interactive exhibit stations that include a hovercraft chair, a canal lock system, pneumatic air tubes, pulleys, levers and hydraulics, guests can learn more about the science of how we get from here to there.
From Here to There is a traveling exhibit developed by the Rochester Museum & Science Center of Rochester, NY and the Sciencenter of Ithaca, NY and is funded locally by a Google Data Center Community Grant.
Tonya Fleming: Up Close Far Away
Through April 28th | Harvill Gallery
Photographer Tonya Fleming presents a series of scenic landscapes, tying together the physical distance among the images with the emotional distance felt in each work.
Museum Events
First Thursday Art Walk?
March 7th | 5:00pm – 8:00pm
Free to the public
Mark your calendars for March’s Art Walk! The Museum offers free admission during First Thursday Art Walk from 5 – 8 pm. Local author Sharon Mabry will be hosting a book signing and reading in the Museum lobby for her new release, The Blue Box and Memories that Live in the Bones. Windy City Vibez food truck will be serving up authentic Chicago-style eats in the Courtyard!
Fifth Saturday Donation Day
March 30th | 10:00am – 5:00pm
Fifth Saturday is Donation Day! During any month with five Saturdays, on the fifth Saturday any monetary donation to the Museum is your admission. Smash’n Beef Co. food truck will be serving up their signature SmashBurgers in the Courtyard.
Museum Programs
Sundays at 3:00
Victorian Mourning: Clothing & Customs
March 3rd | 3:00pm | Turner Auditorium
Free to the public; does not include Museum admission
Directly influenced by Queen Victoria’s deep mourning of her husband beginning in 1861, Americans emulated the world’s greatest trendsetter for their own mourning practices. From clothing and jewelry to funeral processions and the grieving process itself, Americans embraced mourning with strict guidelines.
The March installment of our Sundays at 3:00 lecture series welcomes Montgomery County Historian Carolyn Ferrell to explore these practices and traditions that continued until World War I, with artifacts from the period on display.
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. Register today at www.customshousemuseum.org/events
Storytime & Craft: Come Join the Band!
March 7th | 10:30am | All ages, with adult
Free with membership or paid admission | Family Art Studio
Join us for an exciting adventure of rhythm, melody and imagination as we’ll be reading Froggy Plays in the Band by Jonathan London and Listen to My Trumpet! by Mo Willems. Afterwards, kids will craft their very own rhythm ribbon wands – a perfect blend of artistic expression and musical exploration!
*All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.
Storytime & Craft: And It’s Spring!
March 21st | 10:30am | All ages, with adult
Free with membership or paid admission | Family Art Studio
Get ready to welcome the sights and sounds of spring! We’ll be diving into the stories of Happy Springtime! by Kate McMullan and When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes. Then, inspired by the budding trees and blossoming flowers of the season, children will get to paint their very own springtime trees!
*All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.
Sunday Studio: Painting with Sarah Spillers
March 17th | Third Sunday of each month | 2:00pm
Free, with registration required; does not include Museum admission
Sunday Studio is a new workshop series for adults in partnership with APSU’s Community School of the Arts! This month, we’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with an adorable gnome painting. Whether you are a beginner or have painting experience, this workshop is designed to help you develop your skills and express your creativity.
This workshop is free and all materials are included, but registration is required. For ages 16+.
Registration opens February 19th at www.customshousemuseum.org
Family Art Saturday: Easter Eggs Balloon Art
March 30th | 10:00am – 12:00pm & 2:00pm – 4:00pm | Ages 3+, with adult
Free with membership or paid admission | Family Art Studio
Get ready for an egg-citing activity that is perfect for families and kids who want to add a splash of color and fun to their weekend. With balloons as the canvas and paint as the palette, participants will dip balloons into an array of vibrant colors and press them onto paper to create their very own Easter egg-ceptional masterpieces.
*All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.
Homeschool Fieldtrip Day
March 5th & April 2nd | 10:30am | All ages, with adult
Free for Museum members; $3.00 per student and $5.00 per adult for nonmembers
Every semester, local homeschool groups are invited to experience an unforgettable day of exploration and learning. For more information on how to register, contact Curator of Education Stephanie Stafford at stephanie@customshousemuseum.org.
To register for the Homeschool Art Class, click here.
F&M Bank Huff & Puff Express Model Trains
Exhibit open daily | Trains run Sundays 1:00pm – 4:00pm, Wednesdays 10:00am – 12:00pm, Fridays 10:00am – 12:00pm and the last Saturday of each month 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Our model train exhibit is open daily, and themes change every season – so stick around, because soon it is going to be springtime along the Huff & Puff express with an industrial park!
Seasons: The Museum Store
Spend up to $25.99, get 15% OFF; Spend $26.00-$49.99, get 20% OFF; Spend over $50, Get 25% OFF
Elevate your shopping this month at Seasons! When you spend up to $25.99, enjoy a fantastic 15% off your entire purchase. If you spend between $26 – $49.99, you can enjoy 20% off your purchase. Come in and spend over $50.00, then enjoy a whopping 25% off your total purchase. Offer expires March 31st, 2024
No other discounts apply.
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 interest museum with over 35,000 square feet of exhibit space and houses hands-on activities and special events. Membership and admission information can be found at customshousemuseum.org.
Regular museum hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday through Saturday and 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Sundays. Adult admission is $12.00 (18-64). Senior Citizens (65+), Adult Military, CMCSS Teachers, and College Students are $9.00. Children ages 3 to 17 are $5.00, and children 2 years or younger 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
