CLARKSVILLE, TN – The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center would like to announce the upcoming exhibits, programs, and updates:
Exhibitions
Freedom: The History of US, Opening March 11 | Memory Lane. Freedom: The History of US is an exhibition developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, featuring select documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. Since 1776, when the United States declared independence from Great Britain, the idea of freedom and our understanding of its implications have changed dramatically. This exhibition traces the evolving concept of freedom from the founding era to the election of Barack Obama. Accompanying the exhibit are items from the Customs House Museum collection. This exhibition is sponsored by F&M Bank and is part of the Customs House Museum’s celebration of America’s 250th.
Southside: Larry & Linda Greenup, Through March 8 | Memory Lane. Local artisan Larry & Linda Greenup share stories, models, and dioramas of Clarksville’s Southside region of Montgomery County’s history. Linda used articles about the area and people, resulting in her latest book, A History of Southside, Tennessee, in Pictures. The exhibition Southside: Larry & Linda Greenup is sponsored by F&M Bank and is part of the Customs House Museum’s celebration of America’s 250th.
Clarksville’s African American Legacies, Through March 22 | Harvill Gallery. Artifacts from the Customs House Museum’s Collection of African American History in relation to the Clarksville Montgomery County African American Legacy Trail will be on exhibition in Harvill Gallery.
The Bennett Prize®: Rising Voices 4, Through April 24 | Crouch & Bruner Galleries. The Bennett Prize® for Women featuring Figurative Realist Paintings in the series, Rising Voices 4, will be on exhibition at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center in honor of “Celebrating Women Artists,” a series of themed exhibitions since 2010. For the purposes of The Bennett Prize, a “figurative realist painter” is one who paints in a style in which the realistically depicted human figure is central to and a principal focus of the work. Included within this definition are portraits, figure studies, etc., depicting human beings in which the focus of the work is the human or humans so depicted.
Deng Shiqing: The Cost of Life, Through April 24 | Orgain Gallery. Alongside The Bennett Prize exhibition, the 2023 winner, Deng Shiqing, will be premiering her solo exhibition The Cost of Life, featuring the works she has created since winning The Bennett Prize two years ago. The exhibition visually examines the emotional and functional questions that surround surrogacy. Shiqing’s exhibition will travel around the country throughout the next year alongside The Bennett Prize 2025 finalists.
Of Mark & Meaning: American Women Artists, Through April 26| Kimbrough Gallery. Of Mark & Meaning: American Women Artists: Since 2010, the Customs House Museum has hosted a series of exhibitions themed around “Celebrating Women Artists,” and Of Mark & Meaning continues this sixteen-year tradition. This year, 2026, marks the second time the museum has hosted American Women Artists. This exhibit is American Women Artists’ tenth national museum exhibition as part of the 25 in 25 campaign, an initiative to have 25 museum shows for its members over 25 years. 105 works were selected out of 791 impressive entries by professional women artists.
Programs
Sundays at 3:00: Montgomery County’s Connection to Early Texas & the Alamo, with Frank Lott, Executive Director of the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, March 1 | 3 pm | Turner Auditorium | Free to the public; does not include museum admission. As the United States continued westward expansion in the mid-1800s, the lure of land appealed to many who had only a few years earlier settled middle Tennessee. During this era, discover Montgomery County’s connections to the Alamo and early Texas history. Frank Lott will share information about those connections, and especially about Joseph Bayliss, a Montgomery County citizen who went to Texas and fought and died in the Alamo. Reserve your spot by registering here: customshousemuseum.org.
Homeschool Fieldtrip Day, March 3 | 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | K-12 students with adults. School tour admission of $3 per student and $5 per adult for non-member homeschool families. On the first Tuesday of each month, local homeschool families are invited to experience a day of self-guided exploration and learning. For more information, contact Curator of Education Stephanie Stafford at stephanie@customshousemuseum.org.
Storytime & Craft: Shamrocks & Leprechauns, March 5 | 10:30 am | All ages, with adult | Free with membership or paid admission. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day this month, we’re reading books about shamrocks, leprechauns, and pots of gold. For our craft, we’ll make a watercolor rainbow with a pot of gold. *All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.
Tennessee Premiere of PRESERVED, a Documentary by Ben Clark, March 7 | 5:00 p.m. | All ages, with adult, The Customs House Museum will host the Tennessee Premiere of the acclaimed documentary PRESERVED, directed by renowned mountaineer, filmmaker and Clarksville native, Ben Clark, ahead of the film’s nationwide release. The exclusive event will serve as a fundraiser for the Customs House Museum and is co-sponsored by Austin Peay State University’s College of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The premiere includes a catered reception, film screening, and panel discussion. Attendees can upgrade their experience by purchasing VIP tickets to an additional Meet & Greet Experience with the filmmakers, Ben Clark and Executive Editor, Mary Anne Potts, that will take place prior to the film screening. VIP Meet & Greet begins at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for General Admission, which includes the catered reception, film screening, and panel discussion. The $50 VIP ticket includes everything in General Admission ticket and a Meet & Greet Experience with the filmmakers. Both ticket options can be purchased online here: Register for Preserved Film
Sunday Studio: Painting with Randy Spurgeon, March 15 | 2 pm | Ages 16+. Free, with registration required; does not include Customs House Museum admission. In partnership with APSU’s Community School of the Arts, our Sunday Studio class is a creative workshop series for adults. In this introduction to watercolor painting, you will learn to mix watercolors and apply wet-on-wet techniques to your drawings and sketches. The workshop is free and includes all materials. Register here
Storytime & Craft: When ‘Let’s Laugh,’ Poultry, & ‘Read to Me’ Days Collide, March 19 | 10:30 am | All ages, with adult | Free with membership or paid admission. In honor of three days colliding, we’re reading books about chickens that will make you laugh. For our craft, we’ll make a paper chicken. All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.
History on the Rocks at Strawberry Alley Ale Works, March 26 | 5:30 pm | Free and open to the public. Join us downtown at Strawberry Alley Ale Works for our quarterly History on the Rocks, featuring writers and artists from the Spring issue of Second & Commerce magazine. This is a free event open to the public, and patrons can purchase food and drinks from the full menu. The Spring issue features articles about Magic 91.9 APSU’s radio station, the construction of the 1898 Customs House & post office, the history of New Providence, Montgomery County’s connections to the Texas Alamo, and more! We’ll have a little bit of trivia fun, a listen-and-learn session, and time to mingle and meet friends in the community. Second & Commerce is the arts, history, and culture magazine of Clarksville/Montgomery County.
Art in Bloom, March 27 | 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. | Tickets available for purchase. The Customs House Museum Guild invites you to experience an exciting museum event in Clarksville – a unique evening with captivating fine art and florals. Local florists will showcase their interpretations of The Bennett Prize® finalists. This is certain to be a stunning visual display or art and floral arrangements that only happens once a year. Register here.
Family Art Saturday: Flowers with Watercolors & Pastels, March 28 |10 am – 12 pm, 1 pm – 3 pm | Ages 3+, with adult. Free with membership or paid admission | Family Art Studio. Get creative with us this March as we create flowers using watercolors and pastels. As always, this is perfect for artists of all ages — no experience needed, just bring your imagination! All parents are expected to participate with and supervise their children.
F&M Bank Huff & Puff Express Model Trains, Exhibit open daily | Trains run Sundays 1 – 4 pm, Wednesdays 10 am – 12 pm, Fridays 10 am – 12 pm and the last Saturday of each month 1 – 4 pm. Explore one of the region’s largest model railroad layouts, which is interactive for kids of all ages. Our model train exhibit is open every day, with themes that change each season.