By Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Neigh! Children – and adults – who love horses will get to see a live one in the Customs House Museum’s courtyard on its Free Admission Day on Saturday, December 13.
This braying beauty will be in the courtyard from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 200 South Second Street. The horse is one of the photographic stars featured in the exhibit Eric L Hansen: Blood Rescue.
“We are thrilled that Karen Bielecki is sharing one of her horses with us on December 13 in celebration of National Day of the Horse,” says Terri Jordan, the museum’s curator. “The images of Eric Hansen’s Blood Rescue exhibit have been a favorite among even our youngest guests. It will be a treat for all to get to see one of the ‘models’ up close and to talk to Karen about all things horse. It is not often we have four-legged guests here.”
During this particular Saturday, National Day of the Horse is being observed (the first National Day of the Horse was recognized in congress in 2004). To coincide with this event, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the museum will provide activities for children that pay tribute to horses.
A “Trotting Horse” weathervane, circa 1880-1890, from J. W. Fiske & Company of New York City, a prominent American manufacturer of decorative cast iron./Karen Parr-Moody
As usual, children will enjoy the Explorers’ Gallery, McGregor’s Market and the Bubble Cave. But interestingly, the horse-themed exhibits on view in the Crouch Gallery and Orgain Gallery will be just as intriguing for children as they are for adults.
In addition to photography and paintings, there are many three-dimensional items in these horse-themed exhibits that will appeal to children. Among them are folk art weathervanes from the 1800s, antique wooden horse toys and a vintage carousel horse from Harvey’s department store. (Carousel horses were a well-known trademark of the now-defunct department store that once operated in Nashville and also featured cages of chattering monkeys and mynah birds).
For more information contact the museum at 931-648-5780. The museum also provides information at its website at www.customshousemuseum.org.
An old-fashioned carousel horse from the now-defunct Harvey’s department store./Karen Parr-Moody
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.