CHATTANOOGA, TN.- The Hunter Museum of American Art has divided its new temporary exhibitions gallery and has two very exciting, and very different, shows. Have you ever wondered what kind of paintings people have in their own homes? Chattanooga Gems, on display through July 17 will give you the opportunity to see for yourself. Chattanooga is blessed with a number of stellar collections of American art. This small, select exhibition will showcase the best of the best by presenting a selection of the foremost nineteenth and early twentieth century American paintings in private collections throughout the city. Works by artists Andrew Wyeth, Homer Dodge Martin, William Merritt Chase, and Eastman Johnson are among those that will be shown.

In the other half of the Temporary Exhibition Gallery you will find Julie Green: The Last Supper on display through July 24, 2005. The Last Supper is an installation of china painted plates illustrating the final meal requests of death row inmates in the United States. Green began this on-going body of work when she was living in Norman, Oklahoma, and noticed that the local paper published the final menus at the time of each execution. Green uses blue mineral paint, reflecting the long tradition of Dutch delftware and Ming dynasty porcelain colors.

Chief Curator of the museum Ellen Simak said, “These two exhibits represent the breadth and depth of our permanent collection which spans from traditional paintings to our cutting-edge contemporary collection. I hope our visitors will enjoy viewing two such distinctly different shows in adjoining galleries.”

The Hunter Museum of American Art is located at 10 Bluff View in Chattanooga. The Museum is open Monday, Tuesday. Friday and Saturday from 10:00 until 5:00 pm, Thursday’s from 10:00 - 9:00pm, and Wednesday and Sunday from 12:00 – 5:00pm. For more information the public may call the Museum at (423) 267-0968, or visit the website at www.huntermuseum.org.