Of Mark & Meaning: American Women Artists is now on view at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center through April 26, 2026. Featuring 105 works selected from nearly 800 submissions across the U.S. and Canada, this exhibition explores the power of “mark-making” — how artists leave their imprint on canvas, sculpture, and the world. Don’t miss the public Closing Reception & Awards Ceremony on April 24 from 5–7:30 PM.
If you’ve stepped into the galleries at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center lately, you’ve probably felt it. That quiet moment when you’re standing in front of a painting or sculpture and realize — someone made this. Every brushstroke. Every carved edge. Every single mark.
That idea is exactly what Of Mark & Meaning is all about.
From 791 Submissions to 105 Standouts
This isn’t a small regional showcase. It’s national. Out of 791 entries from professional women artists across the United States and Canada, just 105 works were selected for this exhibition. Paintings hang alongside sculpture. Two-dimensional pieces share space with three-dimensional forms.
The result? A gallery experience that feels layered, textured, and full of perspective. As you move through the exhibition, you’ll encounter artists whose work resonates far beyond Clarksville. Paula B. Holtzclaw captures the drama and atmosphere of nature, while Sherrie McGraw, one of America’s foremost painters and instructors, demonstrates a mastery of form and light. Sculptor Diana Reuter-Twining freezes motion in striking detail, and Star Liana York, one of the most recognized living sculptors of the American West, brings decades of celebrated artistry into the space.
You’ll also find Nashville-based artist Taylor Wiedemann, whose traditional still lifes reveal deeper reflections beneath their refined surfaces. Together, these artists create a gallery experience that feels layered, thoughtful, and quietly powerful.
The Power of a Single Mark
Mark-making is the foundation of artistic expression. It can be loose and gestural or careful and precise, applied to canvas, paper, stone - even sound. No matter the medium, each mark becomes part of a visual language artists use to communicate emotion, memory, and perspective.
From early petroglyphs to contemporary installations, humans have always made marks to interpret the world around them. This exhibition celebrates that shared instinct to create something that says, “I was here. This mattered.”
A Continuing Tradition at the Customs House
Since 2010, the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center has hosted exhibitions centered on celebrating women artists. Of Mark & Meaning continues that sixteen-year tradition and marks the museum’s second collaboration with American Women Artists.
It also represents the tenth national museum exhibition in the organization’s 25 in 25 campaign, an initiative to present 25 museum shows over 25 years. Hosting this exhibition places Clarksville within a broader national conversation about contemporary women in the arts — and brings that conversation directly to our downtown.
One More Reason to Go
The exhibition runs through April 26, 2026, but if you love a good “last chance” moment, circle back April 24.
The public Closing Reception & Awards Ceremony takes place from 5:00 to 7:30 PM at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center (200 S 2nd St, Clarksville, TN 37040). Artists will be competing for more than $30,000 in awards, including a $10,000 Grand Prize.
It’s a chance to see the work, feel the energy in the room, and watch the celebration unfold.
Plan Your Visit
The museum is open Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., with Explorers Landing and the Family Art Studio closing daily at 4:30 p.m. It’s closed on Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for military, college students, seniors, and CMCSS teachers, $5 for children ages 3–17, and free for members and children 2 and under. Visitors can also take advantage of savings programs like Museums for All, offering $3 admission for guests with SNAP benefits, and Blue Star Museums, which provides free summer admission for active‑duty military families. Full details are available at HERE.
