Here are the events going on at Customs House Museum and Cultural Center for July.

Museum exhibitions

Select Works from the Reliant Bank Collection

July 1 – Sept 5 | Lobby

From picture-perfect downtown views, to watercolors of charming architecture and peaceful riverside scenes, Reliant Bank’s extensive art collection contains over 60 works of art that depict a historic Clarksville scene, was created by a Clarksville resident or both. Selections from this newest donation to the Museum include pieces by Peg Harvill, Danny Goodrum, Jackie Langford, Marvin Posey, Tony Biagi, Silke Tyler and Max Hochstetter.

C. Douglas Charlton: Out of Darkness – Purgatory, Mayhem, Color, Love, Hate, Light, and Tomorrow
July 1 – Sept 26 | Jostens Gallery

C. Douglas Charlton grew up just outside of Nashville in Gallatin, Tennessee. Old Hickory Lake provided an inspiring backdrop to begin creating artwork. Having spent much of his youth in his grandfather’s woodshop, Charlton uses wood as his surface medium of choice. His paintings have a neon-rustic look that convey nostalgic emotions. Building depth through layers of color, his artwork has the ability to transport you to the ethereal experience of your most cherished memories, whether it be a person, place or pure emotion.

Start Your Engines!
Opens July 29 | Bruner, Orgain & Kimbrough Galleries

The Museum expands its Challenge & Champions exhibit with this multi-gallery exhibition showcasing Montgomery County’s auto racing history and the local legends that formed the sport. Start Your Engines! will highlight race cars, art, historical memorabilia and video footage of personal stories from locals who established auto racing in the area.

Patsy Sharpe: Small Worlds
Through Aug 29 | Harvill Gallery

Watercolor artist Patsy Sharpe displays thirteen of her finely-detailed miniature paintings in the new exhibit Small Worlds. Sharpe has exhibited in local, national and international shows and she is a member of the Signature Tennessee Watercolor Society, The Miniature Art Society of Florida and the Southern Watercolor Society.

Richard Sloan’s Birds of the Southeast
Through July 18 | Kimbrough Gallery

Richard Sloan’s careful attention to detail is captured in his exquisite illustrations of Southeastern birds. Once a staff illustrator at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Sloan’s work has been collected by the Smithsonian Institution among others. This collection of illustrations was donated to the Museum by Mr. & Mrs. Carl Eisemann.

Helping Americans Help Themselves: 140 Years of the Red Cross
Through July 18 | Kimbrough Gallery

Celebrate 140 years of the American Red Cross through artifacts, photos and local stories. The American Red Cross works to rebuild lives and communities after disaster strikes. Read the valiant stories of the beginning of the local Red Cross chapter created in 1917, national humanitarian efforts and wide-spread volunteerism.

Larry Hughes: A Walk in the Parks
Through July 18 | Bruner & Orgain Galleries

Larry Hughes is a Memphis-based artist working primarily in watercolor, drawing media and oil. With deep roots in Arizona and California, his primary artistic interests turn to western wilderness areas, particularly the Grand Canyon, the Sonoran Desert, the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and Northern New Mexico, where he works en plein air to support later studio work.

Susan Bryant: 7 Chapters from A Book About Light – A 40-Year Retrospective of Photographs
Through July 25 | Crouch Gallery

View the “7 Chapters” that represent the diverse processes Susan Bryant uses to create her expressive photographs. Her work includes gelatin silver prints, hand-colored silver prints, digital photographs, daguerreotypes and ambrotypes. Bryant has taught at APSU for 30 years and her work has been exhibited throughout the U.S.

The Electrification of the TVA
Through Aug 1 | Memory Lane

Take a look back at the history of the Tennessee Valley Authority and how electricity changed lives, especially for those living on farms.

Museum events

First Thursday Art Walk
July 1, 5 – 8 pm

The Museum will have free admission during First Thursday Art Walk Clarksville from 5 – 8 pm. Tater Headz will be serving up hand-crafted baked potatoes in the Courtyard.

Customs House Museum Ice Cream Social 

July 18, 1 – 4 pm

Celebrate National Ice Cream Day with us! Spend the afternoon at the Museum for an ice cream social with fun activities for the whole family! Scoop up some summer fun with balloon animals, face painting and magic. Dairy Queen of Clarksville will serve up some sweet frozen treats, and Mikey’s Munchies and Big Mike’s Little Donuts will sell sweet and savory snacks. This fundraiser benefits the Explorers’ Landing Renovation at the Museum.

American Red Cross Blood Drive

July 21, 10 am – 3 pm

In celebration of 140 years of the American Red Cross, the Museum and local Red Cross chapter are hosting a blood drive that is open to the public. Each donor will be entered in a drawing for 1 FREE annual Museum membership. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter “CustomsHouse” to schedule an appointment.

Fifth Saturday Donation Day

July 31, 10 am – 5 pm

Fifth Saturday is Donation Day! Any month with five Saturdays, on the fifth Saturday any monetary donation to the Museum is your admission. All donations directly support the Museum in creating educational programming for children and adults, preserving our historical collection and supporting our award-winning exhibitions.

Book Reading with Sara R. Turnquist and Rachel V. Bull

July 31, 2 – 4 pm | Geraldine Brame Turner Auditorium

Historical romance author Sara R. Turnquist and children’s author Rachel V. Bull are making a special stop at Seasons: The Museum Store for a reading of Sara’s book An Inconvenient Acquaintance, the latest book in The Convenient Risk series. Sara will also read Rachel’s children’s book Jojo Goes to Camp. Both authors will be available to sign books.

Museum programs

Touching History

Every Tuesday, drop by between 1 – 3 pm | Memory Lane, All Ages | Free with membership or paid admission

Experience hands-on history with Ms. Pat as you grind coffee beans, discover how handmade fabric was crafted and spin a zoetrope in Touching History, a drop-by program for all ages. Step back in time as you interact with historic artifacts that give you a glimpse of life in a 19th-century log cabin before electricity.

Painting the Sun

July 31, drop by between 10 am – 12 pm & 2 – 4 pm | Family Art Studio, Ages 3 and up | Free with membership or paid admission

Create a unique and artistic sun using paint, crayons, ribbon and other materials. Compare your sun to illustrations by children’s author Eric Carle, author of Where Is the Sun? Please wear appropriate clothing for this art activity.

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 after finishing three MDQs. Available MDQ themes:

  • #04: Nature Trails & Tales
  • #03: Stories
  • #02: Tools & Simple Machines
  • #01: Structures

Huff & Puff Express Model Trains

Exhibit open daily | Volunteer Train Crew members run trains Sundays, 1 – 4 pm and Wednesdays, 10 am – 12 pm

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.

Holiday closure

The Museum is closed in observance of the Fourth of July on Sunday, July 4, and administrative offices are closed on Monday, July 5.