February happenings at Customs House Museum and Cultural Center

Here is everything happening at Customs House Museum and Cultural Center in the month of February.

By Myranda Harrison

Customs House Museum & Cultural Center

January 18, 2024 12:32 pm

CLARKSVILLE, TN – Here is everything happening at Customs House Museum and Cultural Center in the month of February.

Exhibitions

Tonya Fleming: Up Close Far Away, February 1 – April 28| Harvill Gallery. Photographer Tonya Fleming presents a series of scenic landscapes, tying together the physical distance among the images with the emotional distance felt in each work.

Rising Voices 3: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Realist Painters, February 7 – April 21 | Kimbrough Gallery. The $50,000 Bennett Prize is awarded biennially to a woman fine art painter whose principal artistic focus is figurative painting in a primarily realistic style. Rising Voices 3 is comprised of paintings by the 2023 Bennett Prize finalists, including Prize winner Shiqing Deng.

Ayana Ross: The Lessons I Leave You, February 7 – April 21 | Jostens Gallery. Ayana Ross collects stories. For inspiration, she draws from family, current events, history, art, her experiences growing up in the American South and Biblical stories viewed through a contemporary lens. Touching on universal themes, Ross’ paintings offer an opening for viewers to find themselves and their own experiences. Ross was the recipient of the 2021 Bennett Prize.

From Here to There: Presented by Google, February 8 – April 24| Orgain & Bruner Galleries. How do we move things on land, sea and ai? Through 10 hands-on interactive exhibit stations that include a hovercraft chair, a canal lock system, pneumatic air tubes, pulleys, levers and hydraulics, guests can learn more about the science of how we get from here to there.

Red Grooms: Selected Works from the Caldwell Collection, through February 11| Memory Lane. Born in Nashville in 1937, Red Grooms stands among Tennessee’s cultural icons. A performance artist, filmmaker, printmaker and cartoonist, he is best known for colorful pop art that captures both the grotesqueness and humor of everyday life. His art is featured in the collections of more than 35 museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Knoxville Museum of Art. This exhibit features paintings and paper sculptures and is produced in partnership with the West Tennessee Regional Art Center with contributions from the Discovery Park of America.

African Americans & the Arts: Celebrating Black History Month, through March 17 | Lobby. The Black History Month theme for 2024 highlights the many impacts Black Americans have had on visual arts, music, cultural movements and more. Experience the works of local artists through a diverse variety of mediums and subjects.

Anne K. Beyer & Wyatt Severs: Inhabit, through March 24 | Crouch Gallery. Ceramicist Anne Beyer and wood artist Wyatt Severs bring together a new collection of furniture, vessels and more intimate pieces that can be found in the space we inhabit. “We create our home and make it ours with the objects that we choose to live with, and that in turn gives us agency for how we want to inhabit our home.”

Events

First Thursday Art Walk, February 1, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.   Free to the public.   Mark your calendars for February’s Art Walk! The Museum offers free admission during First Thursday Art Walk from 5 – 8 pm.

Champagne & Chocolate, February 2, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. $75 tickets. The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center is kicking off our 40th anniversary with our premier winter fundraiser. Invite your date or a group of friends to this evening soiree and indulge in a selection of savory and sweet bites, and of course, champagne & chocolate! Place your bids in the silent auction packed with unique art pieces and donated items perfect for a Valentine’s Day gift for your love. Live music, as well as wine and whiskey pull, will add to the fun of the night! Tickets are on sale now at customshousemuseum.org.

Programs

Sundays at 3:00, A Conversation with the Director and Cast of Thoughts of a Colored Man, February 4 | 3 p.m. | Turner Auditorium. Free to the public; does not include Museum admission. The February installment of our Sundays at 3:00 lecture series welcomes the director and cast members of the upcoming Roxy Regional Theatre production of Thoughts of a Colored Man. Through the storytelling style of SLAM narrative, Thoughts of a Colored Man is a daringly universal new play celebrating the hopes, ambitions, joys and triumphs of Black men in a world that often refuses to hear them. Join director Deontè Warren as he leads the conversation through questions with the actors about their characters, as well as their own personal challenges and hopes as Black men and artists. Thoughts of a Colored Man runs at the Roxy Regional Theatre February 8-24.

Storytime & Craft: Celebrating Black History Month, February 1, 10:30 a.m. | All ages, with adult. Free with membership or paid admission | Family Art Studio. Join us in celebrating Black History Month and learn about the uplifting story of Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, a groundbreaking young artist whose creativity knew no bounds. Afterwards, kids will have a blast creating their very own spaceships to take home. *All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.

Storytime & Craft: Presidents’ Day, February 16, 10:30 a.m. | All ages, with adult. Free with membership or paid admission | Family Art Studio. Immerse your little ones in the world of presidential tales as we read Presidents’ Day by Anne Rockwell and Go to Bed, Ted! by Shirin Yim Bridges. After storytime, get ready for a hands-on creative experience with a shaving cream art craft activity. *All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.

Sunday Studio: Painting with Sarah Spillers, February 18| Third Sunday of each month|2 p.m. & 3:30 p.m. Free, with registration required; does not include Museum admission. Introducing a new workshop series for adults in partnership with APSU’s Community School of the Arts! This month, we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with a work of art perfect for couples or groups of friends. Whether you are a beginner or have painting experience, this workshop is designed to help you develop your skills and express your creativity. This workshop is free, and all materials are included, but registration is required. For ages 16+. Registration opens January 22 at customshousemuseum.org.

Family Art Saturday: Abstract Smush Art, February 24 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. & 2 p.m.– 4 p.m. | Ages 3+, with adult.   Free with membership or paid admission | Family Art Studio. Get ready for a Family Art Saturday that promises a messy and marvelous adventure in creativity! Join us for an exciting smush art activity that’s perfect for all ages. Unleash your artistic side as you experiment with colors, textures and shapes through the delightful process of smushing. *All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.

Homeschool Fieldtrip Day, February 6, March 5, April 2 | 10:30 am | All ages, with adult. Free for Museum members; $3 per student and $5 per adult for nonmembers. Every semester, local homeschool groups are invited to experience an unforgettable day of exploration and learning. For more information on how to register, contact Curator of Education Stephanie Stafford at stephanie@customshousemuseum.org To register for the Homeschool Art Class click here.

F&M Bank Huff & Puff Express Model Trains, exhibit open daily | Trains run Sundays 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Wednesdays 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. and the last Saturday of each month 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.    Our model train exhibit is open daily, and themes change every season – so stick around, because you never know what they’ll have in store.