Customs House Museum and Cultural Center

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Located on North Second Street in downtown Clarksville, Tennessee is the restored Customs House Museum and Cultural Center. Originally a customs house and later a post office, it was reopened in the 1980s as a local history museum. It contains one of the best collections of local history in the state. It is open to the public and currently offers free admission each Sunday of the month.

[edit] Gentry exhibit controversy

An exhibit by artist William Gentry, entitled "The Fat is in the Fire", was removed from display on November 15, 2006, one day after it opened. The exhibit featured a series of American flags which had been altered in various ways. Three large flags bore printed messages such as "Waste creates jobs. Waste is good for the economy," while several dozen smaller flags had been deep fried.

Museum director Ned Crouch stated that the exhibit had been removed because it conflicted with the community standards of museum members. He also voiced concerns that the exhibit could be interpreted as flag desecration, and that it might have a negative effect on public funding for the museum.

Gentry condemned the move, terming it "censorship". He stated that the work was created to make valid points about obesity in American culture, and that he saw no reason to censor a work that contained no obscenity, nudity, or violence.^[1]