Story by Customs House Museum
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Customs House Museum is featuring a view into the life of local fashion designer Neil Crockarell (December 1, 1939 – March 24, 2013).
Located in the Kimbrough Gallery through Feb. 23, The Sewing Room recreates the studio Neil last worked in. Included in the exhibit are sketches, inspiration sheets, photos and his spool wall; as well as some of the beautiful clothing he made.
Neil graduated from Clarksville High School in 1958. He studied architecture at Georgia Tech in Atlanta but left school to join the first class of volunteers for the Peace Corp. Neil was stationed in Bolivia where he assisted the local artisans with marketing their crafts. After two years, Neil returned to Clarksville and studied art at Austin Peay University. From there, he transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago to study fashion design, receiving a Masters
of Fine Arts.
He moved to the West End neighborhood of Nashville and opened a dress shop, creating designs as well as tailoring for the social crowds of the city. Neil was a favorite “go-to” guy for the society ladies’ formalwear for the Swan Ball.
In 1975 he married and moved into a 1830s log cabin in Palmyra, Tennessee, intending on concentrating on his artwork. His loyal clientele pursued Neil and he resumed his dressmaking.
Located at the corner of Second and Commerce Streets, the Customs House Museum is the second largest general museum in Tennessee. Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Adult admission is $7, Sr. Citizens and College ID $5, Ages 6 to 18 $3, and under six is free. For more information on above events contact Terri Jordan, Exhibits Curator, at 931-648-5780 or terri@customshousemuseum.org.