Written by Meghan Gattignolo, Visitor Services Manager
Oh, it’s a wonderful time of year!
While the heat of this summer has been overwhelming, inside the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center the air is blissfully cool and our annual staff art exhibit is on display! This annual show has been a community favorite for years. We don’t always have the opportunity to show off our artistic side at work. We all have different ways of seeing the world and expressing ourselves, and the variety of styles and mediums used are a lot of fun to see. So, take a break from the heat and enjoy chilling out with the art provided by the Museum’s dedicated staff members!
Here are a few examples of what you’ll see:
Store Associate Kim McCue’s Couple O’Jellies is a mixed-media piece, created from a technique she saw on Pinterest, that cheerfully expresses her love of ocean animals. Wesley Bossard is a recent addition to the staff who supports our Exhibits and Facilities departments. His contribution is a small collection of minimalist animal sculptures entitled Menagerie.
Art from Kim McCue, Maegan Collins
and Vicki Parker
Menagerie by Wesley Bossard
Nature and natural places are crucial in maintaining balance with ourselves and our families. Exhibits Curator and artist Terri Jordan shares one of her family’s favorite places with her oil painting: the serene Japanese Garden at Cheekwood. Clarksville’s Billy Dunlop Park, the setting of my own contribution Afternoon Quest, is where my youngest daughter and I like to explore together. The image of her innocently enjoying nature is beautiful to me. Artist Alexis Leverette’s One’s True Nature delves into internal reflection with her “self-portrait that explores the struggle and desire to be more than a product of my environment.”
Japanese Garden by Terri Jordan
One’s True Nature by Alexis Leverette
A few staff members have been on exciting trips abroad, and some pieces on display are reminiscent of their adventures. Technical Writer and Managing Editor Becky Wood’s photographs Bromo Tengger Semeru, Jodipan and Cianjur are souvenirs from a three-week trip spent exploring Indonesia. The photographs feature beautiful snapshots of the places she visited as she crossed the island of Java. Marketing Communications Manager Maegan Collins enjoyed a trip to Greece last year, where she attended a friend’s wedding inside the subject of her photograph, Agios Konstantinos Glyfada. To pay homage to the vivid blues she enjoyed throughout her visit, she chose the frame to contrast the black-and-white image. A newer addition to the staff, Visitor Services Associate Carleah Ludiker, celebrates the time she spent in California and Mexico with her piece Las Flores de Mexico. Carleah’s trip left a huge impression on her, as she came back home with a fresh appreciation for Mexican culture and the Spanish language.
All of us at the Museum are excited for you to see our artistic side. Check it out soon! The Annual Staff Art Exhibit is on display until September 18.
Meghan Gattignolo
Meghan Gattignolo is the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center’s Visitor Services Manager and regularly contributes articles to the Museum’s blog. From a military family, Meghan has spent most of her life in Clarksville. She loves learning about Clarksville’s history and writing. Meghan holds a B.A. in History from Austin Peay State University, with minors in German and Political Science. She lives in Clarksville with her husband and two daughters.
Becky Wood, Technical Writer, edits each blog post. Maegan Collins, Marketing Communications Manager, prepares photographs and visual images as well as prepares the blog posts for the web.