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 January at the Museum are: Tennessee Women of Glass, Sher Fick: Imitation of Life, Tom Malone: Works on Paper from the Museum Collection, and Reimagined Lore: The Art of Tara Swalgren.
Customs House Museum Exhibits
Explorations in Color: Tennessee Women of Glass
January 8th–March 1st | Kimbrough Gallery
This exhibition features more than 30 works created by seven women artists working in glass. Artists Betty Turner, Sam Simms, Tammy O’Connor, Mary Beth McClure, Yvette Campagna, Alice Shepard, and Meredith Edmondson will have their glasswork on display.
Sher Fick: Imitation of Life
January 7th–March 30th | Bruner Gallery
Sher Fick brings her carefully crafted assemblages—works inspired by her spinal cord surgery. Fick was the inaugural artist at Seed Space for Experimental Art & Dialogue in Nashville, TN.
Fick was one of nine female artists in TAKE CARE: Biomedical Ethics in the 21st Century, a traveling exhibition featured at The Pool Art Fair, during Art Basel–Miami and ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI. She has exhibited in select museum, solo, and juried exhibitions since 2001.
Tom Malone: Works on Paper from the Museum Collection
Gifted by Charlsie & John Halliburton
January 3rd–March 1st | Harvill Gallery
See works on paper by beloved Clarksville resident Tom Malone. Malone studied at Austin Peay State University from 1971-1972 and continued art classes in 1974-1975. This series includes 10 portraits. Malone died in 1998 as a result of an aneurism.
I Have a Voice: Traveling exhibition from Tennessee State Museum
January 14th–March 29th | Memory Lane
The exhibition, on loan from the Tennessee State Museum, gives a snapshot of Tennessee’s rich African American musical heritage and its influence on worldwide music. The exhibit gives visitors a chance to hear the voices of the many Tennessee African American men and women who made their mark on American music from ragtime to Motown.
Reimagined Lore: The Art of Tara Swalgren
January 14th–May 5th | Orgain Gallery
Swalgren explains, “I want to create these intricate and beautiful creatures that we only see and hear about in folk lore or our fantasies. I want to bring them into our reality, our view. To allow us to gaze upon something so fantastical that it can only be made through art.”
Serepta Jordan: From the Collection
January 14th–March 1st | Lower Level Foyer
Serepta Mildred Jordan was born January 27th, 1839 in New Providence, Tennessee. Jordan started a journal around 1857, when she was 18. She continued writing in her journal until 1864, close to the end of the Civil War. The journal, recently restored, is featured in the exhibition along with photos and a collection of Jordan’s personal belongings.
Belgin Yucelen: Semblance
Through January 12th | Jostens Gallery
Belgin Yucelen studied sculpture at the Florence Accademia D’Arte, University of Colorado Boulder, Art Students League of Denver, and Scottsdale Art School. Semblance is an installation of sculptural garments that redefine the sophistication of cultures of the past in contemporary forms.
Organic Abstract: The Art of Jennifer Bowman
Through January 13th | Crouch Gallery
Kentucky native, Jennifer Bowman is a self-taught contemporary non-objective abstract artist. Her work continues to develop a strong following and has been shown on HGTV, as well as being included in the collections of Taylor York (Paramore), Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus, Holly Williams (musician/daughter of Hank Williams, Jr.), other music legends, and professional athletes.
Programs and Events
Little Explorers: Winter Wonderland!
Fridays, January 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st | Explorers’ Landing Drop-in between 10:30am–11:30am
Free with paid admission or membership | Ages 2 – 5 with adult
WARNING: Activities include items that may be a choking hazard. All parents must supervise their children.
Hands-On Explorers: Family Fun Brainteasers & Puzzles
Saturdays, January 4th & 18th | Family Art Studio Drop-in between 2:00pm–4:00pm
Free with paid admission or membership | Grades K & above with adult
International Brainteaser Month and National Puzzle Day are both observed in January. Enjoy a variety of amusing and engaging games and puzzles that tickle your brain while encouraging family collaboration, camaraderie and fun.
Try your hand at the ancient West African String & Bead Escape Puzzle, fit together a handful of triangles to make a perfect square, play the peg game, solve some riddles, and more! Plus, design and create your own puzzle(s) to take home.
Sunday Family Fun Learning: Collage Art
Sunday, January 19th | Family Art Studio Drop-in between 1:00pm–4:00pm
Free with paid admission or membership | For all ages at parent’s discretion
Leo Lionni was the first children’s author/illustrator to use collage as the main medium for his illustrations. Collage derives its name from the French verb coller, meaning “to glue.” This type of art is made by gluing things to a surface to form a picture. Join us in the Family Art Studio to make new creations out of materials that are usually thrown away.
Gallery Talk with the Artists of Explorations in Color: Tennessee Women of Glass
Saturday January 11th | 1:00pm–3:00pm | Kimbrough Gallery
Come to the Museum’s Kimbrough Gallery and meet some of the glass artists featured in the exhibition Explorations in Color: Tennessee Women of Glass. Listen as the artists discuss their processes and inspirations for their work.
Second Saturday Free Admission Day
Saturday, January 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.
Champagne + Chocolate 2020
Friday, January 17th | Museum’s First Floor Galleries
Join us to sip champagne and savor delectable treats at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center’s premier winter fundraiser, Champagne + Chocolate 2020! Bid on items in the silent auction, enjoy great live music and participate in the wine pull.
Tickets for the event are $50.00 and can be purchased online here, or by calling the Museum Store at 931.648.5780 ext. 2039. All event proceeds will benefit the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center.
Closures
The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center will be closed Wednesday, January 1st, 2020 in observance of New Year’s Day and Monday, January 20th, 2020 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. 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
