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 July at the Museum are: The Art of Peggy Bonnington, The Eagle Has Landed, The Mysterious Captain Weems, Remembering D-Day: 75th Anniversary, Here Comes the Bride, Sunday Family Fun Learning Day.
Customs House Museum Exhibits
Revisiting New York: A Photographic Essay by Norman Lerner
June 25th–September 29th | Kimbrough Gallery
Norman Lerner worked as a fashion and commercial photographer in New York City from the early 50s to the 70s. In 1961, he established the photography program at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. In the 1970s through the mid-1980s, he was a coordinator of the photography studies program at California Polytechnic State University, and remains connected with the university as Professor Emeritus.
Lerner’s photography has been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, among others. MOMA added selections from his Transfiguration series to their photography collection, as did The Santa Barbara Museum of Art. This exhibits showcases 26 of Norman’s iconic New York scenes.
The Art of Peggy Bonnington
July 3rd – September 1st | Harvill Gallery
Specializing in handmade papers and mosaics, local artist Peggy Bonnington brings her whimsical studies of color and shape to the Museum. Peggy is Co-Founder & Volunteer Artist Teacher at Arts for Hearts and is a member of the Downtown Artists Co-op. The exhibit will include both 2D and 3D pieces.
The Eagle Has Landed: Celebrating Apollo’s 50th Anniversary
July 12th–September 8th | Lobby
July 20th, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first humans landing on the Moon on July 20th, 1969 as part of NASA’s Apollo 11 lunar mission. This exhibit features dioramas by Exhibits Preparator Randy Spurgeon and famous magazine covers from the Museum collection commemorating the event.
The Mysterious Captain Weems
Through September 29th | Memory Lane
New donations to the Museum’s collections supplement the story of Captain PVC Weems, who lived in Clarksville as a child and went on to invent navigational devices. The exhibit includes a sextant, navigation plotting ruler, and a star position calculator.
Remembering D-Day: 75th Anniversary
Through September 29th | Memory Lane
This exhibition presents World War II artifacts from the Museum’s collections and private collections including plans and maps of Normandy along with World War II senate surrender documents signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower and General Douglas MacArthur.
Batter Up! Celebrating America’s Pastime
Through July 28th | Crouch Gallery
Batter Up! is an exhibition of baseball memorabilia, local history, and artifacts that includes a 1927 World Series game ball, Nolan Ryan’s jersey from his final season, and local celebrity Clark Coyote. Sponsored by Legends Bank.
Sharon Rusch Shaver: The Way I See It
Through July 25th | Orgain/Bruner Galleries
Gallatin, Tennessee artist, Sharon Rusch Shaver paints the world around her. In 2008 the artist was awarded an Artist-in-Residence at Glen Arbor Art Association in Glen Arbor, MI. Shaver was commissioned to do a painting for the White House in Washington, D.C. in 1999, which is a part of their permanent collection. Shaver’s works are collected by major corporations such as Brown-Forman in Louisville, KY; Wal-Mart in Bentonville, AR; Blue Cross and Blue Shield, as well as private collections throughout the country.
Here Comes the Bride
Through July 21st | Jostons Gallery
This exhibition features wedding dresses, vintage photos, announcements, cake toppers, hair pieces and more from the Museum’s collections.
Programs and Events
Batter Up! Celebrating America’s Pastime: Baseball Panel Discussion
Saturday, July 20th | Geraldine Brame Turner Auditorium
10:30am–11:30am | Free with paid admission or membership
He will be joined by two other baseball enthusiasts for exciting and insightful conversation. Sponsored by Legends Bank.
Phil Wood is an award-winning radio & television personality and author. Wood has spent his entire broadcast career in the Washington-Baltimore area and is a graduate of Austin Peay State University.
Friday Mornings in July: Outta This World!
July 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th | Family Art Studio Drop-in between
10:30am–11:30am | Free with paid admission or membership | Ages 3–5 with adult caretaker
Blast off for a fun hands-on creative journey into outer space! Explore the astronaut sensory bin— what will you find? Make a tactile moon craft. Play a magnet game to discover images of things in our galaxy.
Younger and older children may participate at adult’s discretion. All children must be supervised by their parents or caregivers. WARNING: Items used in these activities may include choking hazards for children younger than age 3.
Hands-on Activities: The Eagle Has Landed
Saturday, July 6th & 20th | Family Art Studio Drop-in between
2:00pm–4:00pm | Free with paid admission or membership | Grades K & above with adult caretaker
July 20th is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Celebrate this milestone in human history with engaging activities. Assemble a simple paper rocket and see if you can get it to land on the Moon Target.
The Moon’s surface is covered with thousands of craters—the largest one is 1,600 miles in diameter and 8.1 miles deep! Discover how and why different sized craters were formed on the moon as you conduct a fun experiment called “Crater Creations.”
Sunday Family Fun Learning Day: Communicating with Pictures: Hieroglyphics & Emojis
Sunday, July 21st | Geraldine Brame Turner Auditorium & Family Art Studio
Drop-in between 1:20pm-4:00pm | Free with paid admission or membership | Ages 5+ with an adult caretaker
Hortensia Rodriguez, who holds a BA degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property from the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí in Mexico, participated in the restoration of the Theban Tomb 39 in Luxor, Egypt in 2017.
Her duties included graphic documentation of the façade, reclassification of hieroglyphs, and reintegration of hieroglyphics into the façade.
Join Ms. Rodriguez in the auditorium at 1:20pm for a 20-minute presentation about her work with hieroglyphics and their contemporary counterparts, emojis!
Following her presentation, join us in the Family Art Studio as we experiment with writing with hieroglyphics.
Younger and older children may participate at adult’s discretion. All children must be supervised by their parents or caregivers.
First Thursday Art Walk
Thursday, July 11th | 5:00pm-7:00pm
The Museum is open to the public with free admission as part of Downtown Clarksville’s First Thursday Art Walk.
Seasons: The Museum Store
Kids Toys Sale
Enjoy 10% off all kids toys. Stock up for the rest of summer and those long car rides! Members get 20% off. Offer expires July 31st, 2019.
Closures
The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center will be closed Thursday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day.
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 4:00pm.
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
