For folks looking to celebrate America’s 250th birthday uniquely and creatively, be sure to head on over to the Hunter Museum of American Art this Thursday, July 2nd, for free admission to the entire museum as part of their Throwback Thursday series, which happens on the first Thursday of each month and is dedicated to providing free admission to the museum from 4-8 p.m.
This Throwback Thursday is set to be one to remember, featuring a family quilting craft activity that aims to teach families about America through folk art and free admission to the entire museum to explore the various exhibits and expansive American art collection, with the special evening culminating with a performance by rising Chattanooga Americana band Call Me Spinster.
Support for Throwback Thursdays comes from Art Build as part of their Access for All program, and the entire event is designed to be an inclusive and community-driven one, where folks from all walks of life are invited to enjoy learning more about America’s history through its art and hands-on activities.
In speaking with Adera Causey, curator of education at the Hunter Museum of American Art, about what people can expect, she mentioned that there will be an America’s 250th Birthday brochure guiding guests on how American artists have told their stories over the years, as well as crafts and live music.
“We will have crafts for guests of all ages from 4-6. These are inspired by both the work of Saya Woolfalk and the history of American craft, bringing in quilt and doll-making traditions. We'll also have a visual time capsule that guests can write their ideas of what they'd include in a capsule, sharing our present with the future. Finally, at 6, we are thrilled to welcome Call Me Spinster to perform their own unique blend of Americana and contemporary music.
Guests will be invited to explore our collections and to use our special 250th birthday brochure to learn more about the way artists have told these stories. Guests can also visit our special exhibit, Saya Woolfalk: An Empathic Universe, to experience an immersive multimedia exhibit that offers an imagined vision of society.”
Founded in 1952, the Hunter Museum of American Art will be celebrating their 75th anniversary next year, and this free event serves as an even greater and broader example of how pivotal the museum is in not only telling stories through their art but also as one of Chattanooga’s leading cultural institutions, bringing folks together through community engagement and visual art.
When speaking to Adera about the importance of this event within the larger context of the museum’s mission and why now is such an important time to highlight that mission, she mentioned how the museum reflects and details stories of American history and represents the diversity of lived experiences.
“The museum is all about the many stories of American history and the way art tells them. It is not just the stories that are told in textbooks, but it is stories of diverse Americans and their experiences, from moments of joy and triumph to those of challenges. This is another opportunity for us to highlight some of those stories.”
It is just another way to offer a look at our nation's history and present through the eyes and experiences of a diversity of artists. And it is a way to celebrate the way this diversity of lived experiences and creative vision has made us into the nation we are today and also give us a vision of the nation we can aspire to be.”
Throwback Thursday: America’s 250th Celebration
- Thursday, July 2. 4-8 p.m.
- Hunter Museum of American Art. 10 Bluff View Ave, Chattanooga.
- Free.
- huntermuseum.org