Modern Renaissance
From contemporary exhibitions to cutting-edge architecture, these regional museums are forwarding the South’s cultural footprint
By Kate White Little
THE NOTION THAT SERIOUS ART and entertainment only exists in New York and Los Angeles endured for decades, but today the South stands at the center of the modern cultural conversation and is shaping what comes next. Whether through visionary collections, bold architecture, or unconventional guest experiences and environments, here are the regional museums leading the charge.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Bentonville, Arkansas
Founded by philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton, Crystal Bridges will recognize its fifteenth anniversary this year with an expansion poised to transform what was the art world’s great surprise—a free, world-class museum in northwest Arkansas—into a full-fledged American art juggernaut. The astounding 50 percent expansion will see the addition of 114,000 square feet of galleries, studios, dining options, event spaces, and more. Designed by Moshe Safdie, the world-acclaimed architect of the original museum building, the addition will integrate seamlessly with the existing architecture and the surrounding 134-acre Ozark landscape.
The museum also offers The Momentary, a decommissioned cheese factory turned multidisciplinary space for visual arts, performing arts, culinary experiences, festivals, and artists-in-residence. The satellite contemporary art space is in downtown Bentonville, which is gaining traction as a must-visit destination for its outdoors experiences—nearby Oz Trails Bike Park will debut 20 miles of rider-designed trails, and the new 8th Street Gateway Park will transform underused land into wetlands, boardwalks, and scenic trails. The Compton, a new 142-room hotel, and events like the Bentonville Film Festival, are amplifying this dynamic art destination.
Frist Art Museum
Nashville, Tennessee
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Frist Art Museum in Nashville. Occupying the city’s former main post office building, the Frist is a treasured Art Deco structure. Operating as a non-collecting institution, the museum curates a dynamic exhibition program, presenting 12 to 15 shows each year drawn from leading international collections, with exhibitions developed in-house. The Frist is also home to the award-winning Martin ArtQuest gallery, a fun, innovative space brimming with creativity and wonder. Offering ever-changing interactive stations and the support of staff, guests of all ages and abilities can explore exhibition concepts through hands-on learning.
A stellar lineup of 2026 exhibitions includes In Her Place: Nashville Artists in the Twenty-First Century, which spotlights the central role women have played—and continue to play—in shaping Nashville’s visual arts community. On view until April 26 and presenting nearly 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles, and installation works made by an intergenerational group of 28 celebrated Nashville-based women artists, the exhibition kicked off the museum’s special anniversary year.
High Museum of Art
Atlanta, Georgia
Located in the heart of Atlanta, the High Museum of Art draws audiences from across the Southeast and around the world with a distinguished collection and an ambitious exhibition program. Housed within facilities designed by Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the museum features collections of modern and contemporary art, a growing collection of African art, with work dating from pre-history through the present, and major holdings of photography, folk, and self-taught work—especially that of artists from the American South—in addition to an extensive anthology of nineteenth- and twentieth-century American fine and decorative arts, European paintings, and works on paper.
Glenstone Museum
Potomac, Maryland
Glenstone sits at the intersection of art, architecture, and nature. A leader in the “slow art” movement and located on 360 acres of gently rolling pasture and unspoiled woodland, the serene and contemplative environment is intentionally free of the tourist crowds you will find at the nearby National Mall in Washington, D.C. This approach to the visitor experience is based on the idea that lower crowd density enables prolonged and more meaningful encounters with art. Works are presented in a series of refined indoor and outdoor spaces. A departure from the traditional museum model, one gallery space may be dedicated to an installation by a single artist, and instead of explanatory text on the walls, docents offer information through conversations with visitors. Admission is always free, and visits must be scheduled in advance.
More Regional Standouts
Add these must-see museums to your list:
Asheville Art Museum » Asheville, NC
The museum’s collection centers on American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with a distinct emphasis on artists connected to Western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia, those who studied or taught at Black Mountain College, and fine handmade objects produced in the region. Works by artists of the region make up approximately 50 percent of the museum’s collection.
Greenville County Museum of Art » Greenville, SC
Centered on American art from the nineteenth century to the present, the Greenville County Museum of Art is home to one of the South’s most quietly remarkable collections. Long celebrated for its holdings of works by Andrew Wyeth, the museum also places a meaningful emphasis on Southern artists, particularly those connected to the Carolinas. Its refurbished galleries, housed in a stunning example of Brutalist architecture, reflect a thoughtful balance between nationally significant names and regional voices.
International African American Museum » Charleston, SC
Telling the unvarnished stories of the African American experience across generations through remarkable artifacts and exhibitions, the International African American Museum is home to more than 150 historical objects, more than 30 works of art, and nearly 50 films and digital interactive experiences that uniquely bring history to life.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts » Richmond, VA
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts boasts a remarkable permanent collection of more than 50,000 works of art from almost every major world culture spanning 6,000 years. The collection includes the largest public collection of Fabergé outside of Russia, the finest collection of Art Nouveau outside of Paris, and one of the nation’s top collections of American art.
END NOTE » Smoke Show
Michelin honorees Scoundrel and Lewis Barbecue offer a one-of-a-kind collaboration
WHAT’S BETTER THAN A MICHELIN CHEF thinking outside the box? Two culinary minds playing in the same sandbox. For five days, beginning on April 14, diners at Greenville’s Michelin-starred Scoundrel and at Lewis Barbecue, which received a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation, will be treated to special dishes, each with a twist.
For a limited time, Lewis Barbecue will offer the Lewis Barbecue Prime Rib Sandwich, featuring Scoundrel’s signature Montreal seasoning, duck-fat fries, and a velvety sauce au poivre. The sandwich will be served on Scoundrel’s porcelain dishes rather than on Lewis’s traditional trays.
At Scoundrel, the menu will feature the Lewis Barbecue Smoked Prime Rib Steak Frites, which includes prime rib wood-smoked in Lewis’s signature Central Texas style. Diners may also order the “hat supplement,” a limited-edition Lewis Barbecue baseball cap, as part of their dish. Catch this culinary twist on smoke and mirrors through April 18.—Blair Knobel