Exhibits:

Radnor Lake: The Photography of Lisa Ernst February 28 – April 2
Planters Bank Peg Harvill Gallery
Lisa Ernst is a contemporary still life artist, floral painter and photographer with a primary focus on nature. “My many walks at nearby Radnor Lake here in Nashville have yielded images of the lake in all seasons,” says Ernst. “I’m always amazed how I can see something completely new every time I’m there, from mist and fog, to snow, sunrises and sunsets, clouds reflected in the lake, and my favorite, the ‘heart tree.’”

Marilyn Murphy: Short Stories March 1 – April 30
Orgain & Bruner Galleries
Marilyn Murphy is an artist whose drawings and oil paintings create curious situations implying a larger story that often explores dualities both formally and conceptually (safety and danger, peace and turmoil, fire and water). A Professor of Art at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, her work has been shown in more than 300 exhibitions nationally and abroad.

Chris Hornsby: Fracture March 8 – May 4
Crouch Gallery
Knoxville artist Chris Hornsby’s latest “Fracture” painting series is a haunting exploration into the fractured human nature and the fight within. It’s a combination of stark black, white, and gray “shard” imagery that includes multiple individual paintings that make up large scale presentations. The overall impressions given are the feeling of powerful struggles between strong opposing forces.

Forward March March 7 – July 30
Kimbrough Gallery
This exhibit showcases maps, documents, dioramas, flags, and photos from several wars, featuring objects from the collection of Dr. John Olson.

Hunt Slonem: From the Collection March 9 – May 2
The Leaf Chronicle Lobby
A Neo-Expressionist, Hunt Slonem combines Abstract Expressionist techniques with mysticism and animal subjects of Islam and Mexico and is best known for his paintings of tropical birds, based on a personal aviary in which he keeps about 100 live birds of various species. See his work from the Customs House Museum’s collection in The Leaf Chronicle Lobby.

Reading Appalachia: Voices from Children’s Literature March 23 – August 20
Memory Lane
This groundbreaking exhibition of Appalachian children’s literature examines seminal titles published since the 1800s. Come explore our region’s literary heritage and see how children’s literature tells the story of Appalachia. This is a traveling exhibit from East Tennessee Historical Society and Knox County Public Library.

A Fine Note February 1 – May 28
Jostens Gallery
This exhibit gives a brief look at the importance of music in Clarksville. Items from the Customs House Museum’s permanent collection highlight the world of music, including instruments, sheet music, photographs, and other artifacts ranging from the 1820s until the 1970s. A majority of the objects featured have a close connection to Clarksville and span from an Aeolian harp to a Jimi Hendrix tape.

Activities:

Free Family Day: Music Madness
March 11, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Admission is free all day from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. for our Second Saturday Free Admission Day. Visit the Family Art Studio anytime today to make a drum and a monkey paper bag puppet.
Join us in the Turner Auditorium as Ms. Sue reads Al Perkins’ delightfully rhythmic “Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb” at 10:30 & 11:30 a.m. and at 2:00 & 3:00 p.m.

March in the Family Art Studio
Use this month’s Art Tips about drawing bears to illustrate the song, “The Bear Went Over the Mountain”; make a bear puppet and play with some toy musical instruments.

Spring Break Model Trains
The model trains will be making special runs on the following days:
March 28 & 29, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
March 30 & 31, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

Spring Break in the Family Art Studio: Miniature Instruments
Tuesday & Wednesday, March 28 & 29, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Thursday & Friday, March 30 & 31, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Drop by the Family Art Studio to learn how to make your own miniature instruments out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands. Continue to explore the world of music with a stop by the A Fine Note exhibit.

All activities are free with your museum membership. Non-members pay regular admission fees. For more information contact Ms. Sue at sue@customshousemuseum.org or 931.648.5780.