Hunter Museum — classic home, unique additions!

It’s just stunning.  It really is.  Perched 80 feet above the Tennessee River with a commanding view of the city of Chattanooga, the Hunter Museum of American Art blends the architecture of a stately columned mansion with the sleek Gehry-like curves of a modern structure.

The Hunter Museum was open on the Fourth of July! And we wanted to be there.

We’d heard it wasn’t just the traditional/contemporay structure —  the outside artsiness – the inside acquisitions are noteworthy, too.  The Hunter’s inspiring collection ranges from Colonial pieces to modern-day art by some of America’s finest:  Winslow Homer, Thomas Hart Benton, George Segal, Childe Hassam, Mary Cassatt, and Red Grooms —  just to mention a few.

Humor, color, and movement greet you on the front lawn — “The Lindy Hop” by Red Grooms (2009)

Our small camera doesn’t do the Hunter Museum justice.  You must — simply must — click onto the website to see the photographs on each tab — images that show this blend of three buildings representing 100 years of architecture.

• First, the Edwardian-style mansion, home of insurance broker Ross Faxon.  In 1904, Faxon commissioned architects to build a private residence on the bluff.  It later sold to the founder of the first Coca-Cola bottling company, Benjamin F. Thomas.  His nephew, George Thomas Hunter, founder of the Benwood Foundation, donated the Faxon-Hunter home to the Chattanooga Art Association.
• Second, the addition of a central atrium space in 1975 and a donation of 40 American paintings from the Benwood Foundation.
• And most recently, in 2005, the $22 million expansion and another add-on: an outdoor sculpture plaza.

Old was certainly pleased to meet new.  And the architectural blend on the outside mimics the periods represented by the collections on the inside.

We had heard that this was a museum of note, but what really drew us to visit on the Fourth was a quite modern special exhibit:  Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock & Roll Photography.  If you know my husband, you know he’s a follower of legendary musicians — all genres, all styles.  I knew he would enjoy this exhibit.  But we apologize to our readers for posting no pictures of these musical greats –  photographs of the photographs were not allowed!

Take our word for it, though: this is a must-see if you are a rock-and-roll fan.

Larger-than-life-size photos, mostly in black and white, pay tribute to musicians — from the humble beginnings of rock and roll to the sounds of rappers and famous groups today. Noted in the copy accompanying each picture were the names of the photographers who, in most cases, had won the respect of — and some coveted time with – such notables as Little Richard, Van Morrison, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Tupac, and more.

The exhibit, with in-gallery audio, ends August 12th. (It’s a good one!)

We moved on from there to enjoy the art and architecture.  First, the view from the glass panels we had seen outside overlooking the water.

“Hunter Museum Fence” by Alabert Paley (1975)

We weren’t the only ones enjoying the view!

“Couple on Two Benches” by George Segal (1985)

The Tennessee River from the Hunter Museum

We strolled the halls and rooms looking for names of artists we recognized.  And there are many.

Here are a few, a precious few, of our favorites.

“Over the River to Grandma’s House on Thanksgiving Day” by Grandma Moses (1947)

“House on the Cape” by Edward Hopper (1940)

“Main Street Mansion” by Grant Wood (circa 1936-36)

“The Wreck of the Ole ’97″ by Thomas Hart Benton (1943)

In 2008, Hunter Museum received the artist estate of George Cress, a respected Chattanooga artist.  An entire room and hallway are dedicated to this unique collection.

“Pines and Red Earth” by George Cress (1957)

The original mansion, as you might expect, houses more traditional art — sometimes in jewel-toned rooms with some of the largest Oriental rugs we’ve ever seen.

Samuel F. B. Morse, known primarily as the inventer of the telegraph, was also an accomplished artist. Above the fireplace is a portrait of Mrs. George Watson, (oil on canvas circa 1825).

“A Symbol” by Asher B. Durand (1856)

“Rose of Sharon with Feathers” Quilt (circa 1865) above a cherry table with inlay

It was a day to reflect.  To consider the art of making art.  And to think about the visionaries who turned a stately, magnificent home into a place for American art.

What’s To Like: Hunter Museum of American Art

• Fascinating blend of old and new architecture
• Selected art from some of America’s best-known, well-respected artists
• Numerous museum interest groups — e.g., Avant-Art (young-minded members!), Friends of African American Art, Hunter Underground 2012 (They party in the basement!)
• Summer Music Series: All-American Art

• Hands-on fun with art like this magnetic board with words.  Patrons are invited to arrange words to describe the art!

• String Theory — a series of chamber music concerts in partnership with Lee University

Hunter Museum of American Art

10 Bluff View

Chattanooga, TN 37403

423.267.0968

For hours and admission, click here.

Have you been to the Hunter Museum?  Let us know your favorite artworks, sculptures, places to view the river, etc.  We’d love to hear from you!

Bluff View Art District is the epitome of quiet elegance in the heart of the city.

My husband and I left Knoxville on July 3rd in time to position ourselves on the Walnut Street Bridge for Pops on the River in Coolidge Park and then watch colorful, dramatic fireworks burst and dance to the music of the night.

A view of the Tennessee River from Bluff View Art District

 But the Fourth was ours for exploring on our own, so we headed to the District.

Near the Back Inn Cafe, a tall whirligig-like sculpture let us know this is no ordinary shopping area.  This is as artsy a place in Tennessee as you can find.

This sculpture almost says “lift off”!

Our first stop? River Gallery, in the former Dr. Edward Newell home.  We spotted suspended glass orbs beckoning us inside to take a closer look.

Hand-blown glass catching the sunlight from a window in River Gallery

Known for showcasing the creative art of some of the area’s finest craftsmen, the gallery offers variety in form, function, and medium.

Colorful scarves on display at River Gallery

Ceramist Kelly Jean Ohl created “11 Piece Wall Installation” — unique wall art.

We couldn’t resist touching these hand-turned, burled wood bowls.

We were pleasantly surprised to see this oil on canvas “House in Biltmore Village” by Knoxville artist Joe Parrott!

Wall hanging of colorful, contemporary quilting: “New Paths” by Marquetta Johnson

River Gallery is celebrating 20 years in business with a special exhibit, Collecting Thoughts.  Although it runs from August 1 to 31 this year, we were privy to some of the art that day by Nancy Kubale, Roelna Louw, and Susan Parrish.  (Here’s where the viewpoints part of this post comes in: It’s not just art . . . these pieces make statements!)

The sign with Nancy Kubale’s “Stand Still” reads “a reminder to stop and stand still and be fully present.”

Roelna Louw’s ceramic sculpture entitled “Us” features two people leaning in for conversation.

Susan Parrish’s mixed media pieces are a testament to her creativity as they express her views on people, politics, and the vagaries of life.

Parrish’s “Holy Man” uses metallic washers, a sink stopper, and a blue cleaning brush!

We left River Gallery and walked past other buildings like Renaissance Commons, a stately building now used for private events and the District’s holiday buffets. Originally this was a quadruplex, then a duplex, and now one of the area’s most tasteful examples of urban renewal.

Renaissance Commons

The Bluff View Inn is really a conglomerate of three turn-of-the-century homes repurposed as Bed & Breakfast Inns: the Maclellan House, the T. C. Thompson House, and the C. G. Martin House.  An 1889 English Tudor, The Maclellan House offers seven guest rooms, a honeymoon suite, and several original furnishings.

Bluff View Inn: The Maclellan House

You can see a view of the river from the breakfast room at The Maclellan House.

Period furniture graces the sitting room.

The Bocce Court Terrace, named for the game of bocce brought to America by Italian immigrants, offers unparalleled views of the river and a place to relax.

Built with salvaged architectural elements on the site where another home previously stood, Rembrandt’s Coffee House sells paninis, soups, artfully packaged chocolates, and gourmet desserts. It was definitely abuzz with activity on the Fourth.  We took time to relax, have lunch, and meet some of the people out and about that day.

Lili talked to us about the varieties of tea and coffee at Rembrandt’s.

We weren’t the only ones having trouble deciding what to order! Sandwiches, salads, desserts, fresh brewed coffees . . .

But Dava said my choice of chicken salad was a good one and tea would make a great, relaxing after-shopping drink!

I was tempted — very tempted — to take home this beautifully wrapped box of chocolates — just for myself!

We even struck up a conversation with Christina Neighbors who wants to be a teacher, if she can get a job in Chattanooga! Anyone hiring?

Listed in the Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Gardens, the River Gallery Sculpture Garden fascinates young and old with creative pieces that grace the courtyard and the bank below, leading to the river. It’s not unusual to see people looking closely at the sculptures or relaxing in this urban setting so removed from busy city life.

This sculptural figure seems suspended in flight on the banks below the garden.

A stack of heads seems as tall as the bridge from this perspective!

A walking, winged sculpture seems almost in motion.

The Bluff View Bakery occupies my favorite structure, the former Powers & Condon building.  Even on the Fourth of July, workers baked fresh bread in Chattanooga’s oldest artisan bakery and hand twisted pretzels for the restaurants and B & B’s in the area.

My favorite building in the District houses the Bluff View Bakery.

Rolling and shaping pretzels by hand

We asked Sharon why they were working on the Fourth, and she replied, We have to get the bread ready to sell at Blue Cross, Blue Shield tomorrow.  To the employees.

Sharon explained why they were working on the Fourth!

And so it was, that we, too, had fresh bread to take home that afternoon as one last souvenir from the Bluff View Art District.

It was hard not to pinch off a hunk of fresh bread on our way back to Knoxville!

You can see Bluff View Art District in a day, including a quick tour of the Hunter Museum, but you may want to spend more time than that.  It’s easy to get caught up in the shops, open air sculptures, and the fascinating architecture of the district.  So much to see. So many view points.

For a historical overview of the Bluff View Art District and a timeline of the district’s development, click here.

For more on the Hunter Museum of American Art, click here, and be sure to check out my next blog.

Bluff View Art District

411 East Second Street

Chattanooga, TN 37403

<!– Begin Yelp Badge – get your own at http://www.yelp.com/bling –>
<div style=”line-height: 1px”><div style=”width:200px; height:40px; overflow:hidden; line-height: 100%; background-image : url(http://embed.yelpcdn.com/bling_borders?color=C41200&width=200&BGcolor=CCCCCC&position=top&height=40) “><a href=”http://www.yelp.com”><img src=”http://embed.yelpcdn.com/static/201206261522729853/img/p.gif” style=”height: 20px; width: 40px; margin-top: 2px; margin-left: 80px; margin-right: 80px; border:none; “/></a><div style=”text-align:center”><a href=”http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=BGhBqE9I7FB6b09H9inpUA” style=”font-family:arial; color:#FFFFFF; font-size: 12px !important; “>Recent reviews by "Rusha S."</a></div></div>
<div style=”width:200px; height:15px; text-align : center; line-height: 100%; background-image : url(http://embed.yelpcdn.com/bling_borders?color=C41200&width=200&BGcolor=CCCCCC&position=bottom&height=15) “><a href=”http://www.yelp.com/bling” style=”font-family:arial; color:#FFFFFF; font-size: 12px !important; “>What’s this?</a></div>
</div><!– End Yelp Badge – get your own at http://www.yelp.com/bling –>

Ayden’s favorite flavor? Chocolate, of course!

Ask almost anyone from Knoxville to Athens what color jug to look for if you want Mayfield’s milk, and they’ll answer YELLOW!  It’s the same with ice cream cartons, frozen novelties, even campaign posters for Mayfield Dairy Farm president Scottie Mayfield who’s running for Congress!

Mayfield is a brand we know and love — not just for building strong bones and cooling us off in this brutal summer heat but also for an iconic brand that we’ve grown up with in school cafeterias and grocery stores throughout East Tennessee.

So, for my fifth in a series of Cool Off 2012 blogs, I ventured to Mayfield Dairy Farm in Athens where I watched kids on a summertime field trip and then toured the Visitor Center. Afterwards, I treated myself to a cold, creamy cup of my favorite flavor!

It was 1910 when T. B. Mayfield bought 45 Jersey cows and delivered milk to people in his hometown of Athens, Tennessee.  Today, Mayfield milk is distributed in Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. In 1981, Time  named Mayfield’s the “World’s Best Ice Cream”!

A mom and daughter from Fairfax, Virginia, wait for the Mayfield tour to begin.

But not much of that mattered to the more than 100 kids I saw on the Factory Tour, ready to see how a real dairy works.  We first went into the Moovie Theater where films are sometimes shown, but not today.  Instead, we did a little meet and greet and got to know our guide better.

At the guide’s request, we donned lovely red hairnets before embarking on our adventure. (Lots of giggles, as you can imagine!)

A happy family from Sevierville, TN model the red hairnets

Since we couldn’t take pictures inside the processing areas, you’ll have to take my word for it: fascinating!  First, we watched as rows of yellow jugs were created from bits of plastic, melted and molded into shape.  Then, the machines punched out the tops and handles, dumping the scraps into a bin to use later to make more jugs. (Ultimate recycling!)  The third area — the filling room –  featured parading jugs ready, willing, and able to receive delicious Mayfield milk.  The jugs then moved on to be capped and stored. Last, we viewed the clean-up area and the section of the plant where pint and half-pint cartons are filled. When school’s in session, Mayfield’s can fill two million half-pint cartons of milk each week!

Where is all this milk coming from?  Mayfield’s receives over 120,000 gallons of milk a day (weekends, too!) from over 150 area farmers!

You can’t tour the ice cream factory yet, but in the near future that part of the dairy will be open, too.

We learned a lot about Mayfield ice cream from watching a video and listening to our guide. I’m going to wait ’til the end to tell you the best-selling flavors she named for us, but be thinking now.  I want to see if you can guess which one is Number One!

She’s serving my favorite flavor? Can you guess what it is?

Meanwhile here’s what the guide told us those busy Mayfield folks produce:

• 50,000 gallons of ice cream per day!
• 10,000 ice cream sandwiches per hour!
• 9600 sundae cones per hour!
• 11,500 Brown Cows per hour!
• 3600 pint containers per hour!
• 3600 48-ounce and 56-ounce containers per hour!
• 400 three-gallon tubs per hour!

When Mayfield technicians first pour ice cream that has never been frozen (still in soft serve stage) into the cartons, they quickly place it into freezers at 45 degrees below zero where it hardens in 90 minutes! Then, the ice cream is moved to freezers set at 20 degrees below.   A lot of work to keep that ice cream creamy and cold!

Memorabilia and collectibles on display at the Mayfield Tour

We left the Factory Tour ready to look around and, of course, sample the goods.  The Mayfield Gift Shop offers almost everything bovine you can think of like udder bowls and spoons and cow-shaped scoops.

An Udder Bowl and an Udder Spoon!

Cow Ice Cream Scoops

 And t-shirts with slogans like “Love at First Bite” and Mayfield branded items!

T-shirts from Mayfield’s Gift Shop

Tervis Tumblers with the Mayfield logo

The real treat, of course, is the ice cream. Young and old file into the dining area to order their favorites.

Cooling off with Mayfield’s ice cream

Outside, these big porch rockers don’t stay empty for long — lots of folks want that Southern experience — rockin’ on the porch with a cup of Mayfield’s ice cream!

Rockin’ on the porch!

So, have you guessed the best-selling flavors yet? Just look below this picture of Jordan Hope and Jillian Boreing for the answer.  They confirmed what I suspected.

Jordan and Jillian – great Mayfield scoopers!

The Most Popular flavors of Mayfield ice cream are (drum roll, please):

1st Place: Vanilla

2nd Place: Moose Tracks

3rd Place: Homemade Vanilla

Did you guess correctly?

Now, for those of you who haven’t had Moose Tracks, here’s how Jordan described it: Vanilla ice cream base with Denali fudge swirl and chunks of chocolate cups filled with peanut butter! Yum!  I had to order that one, for sure!

A cup of Moose Tracks makes my day!

If you’re thinking of going to Mayfield Dairy Farm to cool off OR take your relatives OR herd a group of cute kids through the process, go to the website to confirm this schedule:  Monday -Friday: 9 AM to 5 PM and Saturday: 9 AM to 2 PM. Closed on Sunday. Or call 1-800-MAYFIELD.

What’s to Like: Mayfield Dairy Farm

• Interesting tour of actual plant production (Red hairnets NOT optional.)
• Knowledgeable, patient tour guides with data points fully memorized
• Gifts galore — from yellow Mayfield souvenirs to cow-related must-haves
• Outdoor seating and cows (not real) to climb on
• Delicious ice cream, shakes, and other goodies served with a smile!

Mayfield Dairy Farm

4 Mayfield Lane

Athens, TN 37303

1-800-MAYFIELD

It’s a great place to cool off!

For more information, take a look at the Mayfield Dairy Farms Visitor Center page of Tennessee Vacations: http://www.tnvacation.com/vendors/mayfield_dairy_farms_visitor_center/

Mayfield Dairy Farm is a point of interest on the Tanasi Trail of Tennessee Highways and Byways.

Note: If you’re making a day of it with kids, you might consider going to Sweetwater Valley Farms (17988 West Lee Highway, Philadelphia, TN) to see a working farm and cheese production on the same day as your visit to Mayfield’s.  The two sites are approximately 25 miles apart. You’ll love ‘em both!

Four other Cool Off 2012 blogs await you — hope you’ll take a look:  Original Freezo, Coolato Gelato, Bruster’s, and Razzleberry’s.  And there’ll be one more.  Or maybe two.  It’s a hot summer, after all.