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 May at the Museum are: The Infamous Captain Weems, Remembering D-Day: 75th Anniversary, Sharon Rusch Shaver: The Way I See It, Here Comes the Bride, Annual Staff Art and Flying High.
Customs House Museum Exhibits
The Infamous Captain Weems
Memory Lane | May 21st – September 29th
New donations to the Museum collection 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
Memory Lane | May 21st – September 29th
This exhibition presents World War II artifacts from the Museum’s collection’s and private collections including plans & maps of Normandy, and World War II senate surrender documents signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower and General Douglas MacArthur
Batter Up! Celebrating America’s Pastime
Crouch Gallery | May 9th – July 28th
An exhibition of baseball memorabilia, local history, & artifacts. Including 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
Orgain/Bruner | May 2nd – July 25th
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
Jostons Gallery | May 3rd – July 21st
Here Comes the Bride features wedding dresses, vintage photos, announcements, cake toppers, hair pieces and more from the Museum’s collection’s.
Annual Staff Art
Lobby | May 1st – June 23rd
The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center presents an exhibition of works in various media by staff members of the Museum. This exhibition celebrates their talent, highlighting the museum’s legacy of nurturing working artists and exhibiting art generated in the local community.
Bold Strokes: The Art of Sandy Spain
Harvill Gallery | Extended Through June 23rd
This Nashville artist working in acrylics is known for her strong color palette. Ms. Spain has work in private collections throughout the United States, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, Austria, and Germany.
15 Over 50: A Women’s History Month Exhibition
Kimbrough Gallery | Through June 9rd
This exhibition features 15 contemporary women artists from across the country all over age 50. Works include photography, painting, and sculpture done in a variety of styles.
Programs and Events
The Big Payback
Thursday, May 2nd | www.thebigpayback.org/CustomsHouseMuseum
The Big Payback is coming May 2nd. The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center is thrilled to participate in this community-wide, online giving day hosted by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
Kicking off at midnight on Thursday, May 2nd, you can make donations online to the Museum. This year the Museums’ goal is to raise $2500 to use towards artifact conservation to improve the stability and preservation of collection artifacts to ensure that they can be enjoyed by future generations.
Exhibition Reception
Thursday, May 9th | 5:00pm – 7:00pm | Members Only Event
Join us for the Opening Reception of the Museum’s new exhibitions. Our new exhibitions will include Batter Up! Celebrating Americas Pastime, Sharon Rusch Shaver: The Way I see It, Here Comes the Bride, The Infamous Captain Weems, Remembering D-Day: 75th Anniversary, and the Annual Customs House Museum & Cultural Center Staff Art Show. Light refreshments will be served.
Flying High Saturday, June 1st
Starting at 5:00pm | Wilma Rudolph Event Center | 21 & over
Members: $150.00 per person, Non-members: $200.00 per person
On June 1st, 2019, the Museum will host its 35th annual Flying High fundraising event. This event will be a fun-filled night with silent & live auctions, dinner, drinks, live music, and dancing. This year’s theme is Mad for the Arts, inspired by the critically acclaimed Mad Men television series. Tickets can be purchased online at flyinghigh2019.ticket.qtego.net/tickets/list or by phone at 931-648-5780.
Friday Mornings in May: April Showers Brought May Flowers
Explorers’ Landing | May 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st
Drop-in between 10:30pm – 11:30am
Free with paid admission or membership | Ages 2-5, with an adult caretaker
Your little ones will get hands-on as they explore the Flower Garden Sensory Bin with kid-sized and kid-friendly tools. Your explorer can use a shovel to dig into the “soil.” They can use the trowel to move the soil into planters; what happens if they put the soil into a planter with a hole in the bottom? They can plant a plastic flower or move the small rocks around using giant tweezers. What’s hiding underneath the soil? Plus, make a simple flowering tree craft to take home.
Hands-on Activities: Junior Inventors
Explorers’ Landing | Saturday, May 4th & 18th | Drop-in between 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Free with paid admission or membership | Grades K-6th, with an adult caretaker
The Museum provides the materials and supplies; you bring the imagination! Families will work as a team to design and create the prototype of an invention.
Have a blast as a family and utilize your creative problem-solving skills! Also, examine and touch a few historic inventions from our Education Collection.
Sunday Family Fun Learning Day: Who is that?
Family Art Studio | Sunday, May 19th | Drop-in between 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Free with paid admission or membership | All ages welcome
Although all of our fingerprints are different, it is the face that we almost always use to identify someone. This Sunday we will be experimenting with assorted materials that will be used to create a face: clay, fabric, paper, magazine cutouts, yarn, and other items will be included in this program.
Visit the exhibit 15 over 50: A Women’s History Month Exhibition. Find the painting, Age of Innocence, by Lisa Jennings. What is missing from the drawing of the young girl’s head? What are some possible reasons the artist left this out? Enjoy a faces scavenger hunt with your family. Take a selfie to remember your day at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center and tag us on social media.
First Thursday Art Walk
Thursday, May 2nd | 5:00pm – 7:00pm
The Museum is open to the public with free admission as part of Downtown Clarksville’s First Thursday Art Walk.
Second Saturday Free Admission Day
Saturday, May 11th | 10:00am – 5:00pm.
The Museum is open to the public with free admission all day from 10:00am – 5:00pm as part of our monthly Second Saturday Free Admission Day.
Seasons: The Museum Store Mother’s Day Sale
Happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy 20% off any one item in Seasons. Chose from an array of locally or regionally made items for the special ladies in your life. 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 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