Tennessee Association of Museums

02/21/2025

February's Featured Museum is Muse Knoxville in Knoxville, Tennessee!

Muse Knoxville believes in a Muse for All! Every child deserves access to transformative learning experiences. Their Family Access Membership provides year-long museum access at a reduced cost for families receiving EBT, WIC, or TennCare. Through the Muse Apprenticeship Program, students gain hands-on experience working alongside museum professionals to develop skills for future careers. The Muse Ambassador Program supports workforce development for disabled high school and post-secondary students in partnership with local advocacy groups. These initiatives ensure that all children, regardless of background or ability, have the opportunity to learn, explore, and grow!

02/19/2025

It’s time again for WHERE is it Wednesday!

Grand Division Hint for this week: WEST TENNESSEE!

Every other week, we post an item, exhibit, architecture, historic photographs, etc. and you guess (1) WHAT it is and (2) WHERE in Tennessee it’s located! Guess museums, historic homes, etc..!

Share your guesses and check back next week to see if you got it correct! Good luck!

02/19/2025

02/14/2025

February's Featured Museum is Muse Knoxville in Knoxville, Tennessee!

Muse Knoxville’s outreach programs bring hands-on STEAM education beyond our museum walls! Their in-school programs align with National and State science standards, serving schools across 24 East Tennessee counties. They also offer STEAM Nights, engaging entire families in interactive learning, and Field Trips that combine curriculum-based programs, planetarium shows, and exhibit exploration. Through these initiatives, Muse Knoxville helps educators enhance science learning and inspire the next generation of innovators!

02/13/2025

Congratulations to our 2025 West Tennessee TAM Scholarship winner, Mackenzie Gardner!

Mackenzie Gardner is an emerging museum professional with experience in academic research and public information. She currently works at the C.H. Nash Museum located on the Chucalissa archaeological site in Memphis, TN. Her BA in History was completed at Arkansas State University in 2022, and she is wrapping up her MA in Museum Studies online at the University of Oklahoma. Gardner also spent this past summer as a research fellow at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut where she explored diverse perspectives of maritime history. She hopes to one day publish a fantasy novel inspired by her studies.

Congratulations!

02/12/2025

Here is the answer to last week's WHERE is it Wednesday: Customs House Museum & Cultural Center in Clarksville, TN!

02/12/2025

Congratulations to our 2025 Middle Tennessee TAM Scholarship winner, Molly Bentzel!

"My name is Molly Bentzel, and I am the Curator and Educator at the James K. Polk Museum. In 2021, I completed my Bachelor's degree in History and Art History at Athens State University, and the following year, I pursued a Master's degree in Material Culture and Artifact Studies at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. I’m deeply passionate about studying the materiality of artifacts and how they can reveal the stories of the past. My goal is to curate exhibits that not only showcase the historical significance of objects but also illustrate how they would have been used in their time, providing visitors with a richer understanding of history."

Congratulations!

02/11/2025

Congratulations to our 2025 East Tennessee TAM Scholarship winner, Cara Lusk!

Cara got her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, with a focus on Historical archaeology, and a minor in Classical Civilization from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2019 and her masters in Archaeology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland in 2023. She is currently an intern with the East Tennessee Historical Society working under collections curator Rebecca P’Simer which she began in June of 2023 with the intent of gaining practical museum experience to pair with her education. She has logged over 100 hours of time in the UTK archaeology lab during her undergraduate studies, participated in 3 separate field schools in Virginia and South
Carolina between 2018 and 2019, and worked with the US park service and UTK to reaccession artifacts from a New River Gorge National River site in 2019. Outside of her internship she is working as a dance instructor of 10 years where she teaches children ages 3-18 in both competitive and recreational environments.

Congratulations!

02/10/2025

check out the 2025 Annual Conference program! You'll want to register for the conference so that you receive a printed copy, as Brandie Herrell at Friesens has made it possible for the program to serve as your own personal notebook! Get ready to fill it up with some TAM good ideas for your museum!

Program:

Join TAM in Knoxville for its 64th Annual Conference, March 12-14, 2025!

02/10/2025

Today is the last day to book rooms at the conference hotel and receive the TAM group rate. You can use the link below. If the room block is full, make your reservation and then contact TAM Coordinator, Debbie Shaw, and she can contact the hotel to get you added into the block - as long as this is done before Monday at 5pm Eastern. Email Debbie at [email protected]

Discover comfort & convenience at our Knoxville Downtown University hotel near top attractions with an indoor pool, fitness center, event venues, & restaurants.

02/07/2025

February's Featured Museum is Muse Knoxville in Knoxville, Tennessee!

Muse Knoxville is a children's museum dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). Through hands-on exhibits, school programs across East Tennessee, and community outreach, they bring STEAM, the arts, health & wellness, and early literacy to life. The museum's mission is to inspire and empower all children through transformative learning experiences! Every visit, program, and partnership helps spark curiosity, creativity, and a love for learning.

02/05/2025

It’s Wednesday! You know what that means! WHERE is it Wednesday!

Grand Division Hint for this week: MIDDLE TENNESSEE!

Every other week, we post an item, exhibit, architecture, historic photographs, etc. and you guess (1) WHAT it is and (2) WHERE in Tennessee it’s located! Guess museums, historic homes, etc..!

Share your best guesses and check back next week to see if you guessed right!

02/05/2025

It is T-minus 35 days until the Opening Luncheon of TAM's Annual Conference in Knoxville!!! Who is ready to grab a 'Pocketful of Hope' from these inspirational panelists?

Conference registration: https://www.tnmuseums.org/event-6012616

02/03/2025

Registration is now open for TAM's Inaugural Board Retreat presented by Leadership Knoxville! The FREE session is open to up to two (2) board members from any Tennessee museum or cultural organization and includes the TAM Opening Luncheon. Registration and additional information is available at https://www.tnmuseums.org/event-6056701

01/29/2025

Here is the answer to last week's WHERE is it Wednesday: Camp Forrest Foundation in Tullahoma, TN!

01/27/2025

January's Featured Museum is the USS Tennessee BB-43 World War II Remembrance Museum in Huntsville, Tennessee!

Thanks to the support from multiple organizations – including Humanities Tennessee, the Tennessee State Museum, Tennessee State University (MTSU), TSDAR, and Mr. Keith Rutherford of The Fusion Group – the museum has been able to commission multiple displays that will integrate artifacts and make historical interpretation of the ship’s history easier and more meaningful for visitors. To date, several new displays and panels have either been completed or are in progress. Museum progress and updates are posted on the museum’s page.

After a visit to the museum in 2024, Dr. Carol Van West concluded that: “The USS Tennessee Museum is a jewel of place. Not only does it tell a powerful World War II story – yes this ship survived Pearl Harbor to fight again – but through the museum’s compelling objects, photos, and sailor mementos, you are reminded of the everyday lives of naval sailors and why the stories of these citizen warriors should always be at the forefront of our World War II history. Here is a very appropriate and educational remembrance of a ship and its crew.”

01/24/2025

January's Featured Museum is the USS Tennessee BB-43 World War II Remembrance Museum in Huntsville, Tennessee!

The USS Tennessee, BB-43, was ultimately sold for scrap by the US Navy in 1959. Although the ship has long since passed into memory, the museum ‘s collection contains many fascinating and significant artifacts from her life.

Some of the most important items are from her experience on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor. For instance, one of the most significant is a star that came from the flag that was flying over the USS West Virginia the morning of December 7, and which is all that remained of the flag. The collection contains fragments from the sunken USS Arizona as well as a piece of shrapnel from a bomb that hit the USS Tennessee's main turret number 3, killing three sailors. Finally, the collection includes a porthole cover from the Tennessee that was removed after the attack so that a steel plate could be welded over the opening prior to sailing back the US west coast for further repair and modernization.

01/22/2025

Time for WHERE is it Wednesday!

Grand Division Hint for this week: MIDDLE TENNESSEE!

Every other week, we post an item, exhibit, architecture, historic photographs, etc. and you guess (1) WHAT it is and (2) WHERE in Tennessee it’s located! Guess museums, historic homes, etc..!

Share your best guesses and check back next week to see if you got it correct! Good luck and have fun!