Start 2025 with two new art exhibits at local museums

The Creative Discovery Museum + The Hunter Museum of American Art are debuting their first installations of the new year.

An art exhibit installation showing an Indian-inspired marketplace and a kid putting goods into a tote bag at the Spice Shop

See which traveling art installations will be staying in Chattanooga from January to May.

Photo provided by Creative Discovery Museum

We have discovered the secret to traveling the streets of Bollywood + stepping back in time to conservation efforts of the mid-19th Century without even leaving the Scenic City.

Okay, fine we’ll tell you — the answer lies within the two art exhibits the Creative Discovery Museum (CDM) and The Hunter Museum of American Art are debuting this month.

“Namaste India” | CDM, Saturday, Jan. 18-Sunday, May 11

You and your kiddos will be immersed into Indian culture through fun and educational activities that depict the similarities and differences between life in India and here in Chattanooga.

Don’t miss: Preparing roti and other traditional dishes, taking a Tuk Tuk ride, walking the Bollywood red carpet in colorful sarees + shopping the marketplace that features spices and block printing.

John James Audubon, North American Bison (No. 12) from The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America,1843, handcolored lithograph, 20 in x 25 1/4 in. Bank of America Collection

See John James Audubon’s 1843 handcolored lithograph + other works from the Bank of America Collection.

Photo provided by The Hunter Museum of American Art

“The Long View: From Conservation to Sustainability” | The Hunter, Friday, Jan. 31-Sunday, May 4

This art exhibit comes from The Bank of America Collection + captures pivotal moments of the environmental movement through art. See 88 works of art in four categories:

  • The Beginnings of Conservation | Don’t miss: Prints of birds and wildlife by John James Audubon (who inspired the founding of the Audubon Society).
  • Push and Pull — Industry and Environment | Don’t miss: Iconic photographs from Dorothea Lange and Arthur Rothstein of the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression.
  • The Emergence of Conservation Activism | Don’t miss: Robert Rauschenberg’s Earth Day poster for the first-ever celebration in 1970.
  • Working Towards a Sustainable Vision | Don’t miss: Aurora Robson’s meditative artwork with plastic debris — hear the artist discuss her work on Thursday, March 6.

Pro tip: Keep an eye on CDM’s + The Hunter’s event pages for special programming with the art exhibits.

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