The West Tennessee Regional Center for the Arts was established by resolution on December 7, 1992 by Mayor Jess Pritchard and the Board of Alderman. A Board of Directors was appointed and authorized to direct the creation of the Center.
Located on the second floor of the renovated City Hall Building on Main Street, the Cen-ter is the home of the Caldwell Collection. The collection consists of over 200 pieces of art donated by Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin Caldwell, Jr. Dr. Caldwell is a nationally recog-nized physician and patron of the arts and his wife, the former Gertrude Sharpe, is also nationally known and recognized for her fund raising campaigns and work with the Cheekwood Museum in Nashville.
Oil paintings, several forms of sculpture, water color paintings, drawings, prints and lithographs, pastels and silk screenings comprise the Caldwell Collection. Donated in honor of the people of Humboldt and West Tennessee and particularly, Dr. Caldwell's parents, Thelma Jackson Caldwell and Benjamin Hubbard Caldwell, Sr.; the collection of 18th, 19th, and 20th century art works will form the basis of educational programs for students and admirers of all ages. These educational programs will combine with other cultural events to establish the Center as a major attraction and resource in the West Tennessee area. The Center is a recipient of a 1996 Governor's Awards in the Arts.
To learn more about the West Tennessee Regional Art Center, you can visit them on-line at: wtrac.tn.org where you can take a visual tour of the center and learn about the art on display.
