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About Gainesboro Modern Museum of Contemporary Art
Gainesboro Modern Museum of Contemporary Art is a free contemporary art museum located on the historic town square in Gainesboro, Tennessee, a rural community of fewer than 1,000 people.
Founded by Cat and Wade Schmitz and opened in June 2025, the museum brings contemporary art from across the United States and around the world to rural Tennessee through a growing permanent collection and rotating special exhibitions.
Gainesboro Modern was created around a simple belief: where someone lives should not determine their access to extraordinary art. Admission is always free, and visitors are invited to encounter the work on their own terms—to look, question, return, and perhaps discover something unexpected.
The museum occupies a two-story building with two gallery spaces: the Gore Entrance, which features rotating selections from the permanent collection, and the Union Entrance, which hosts special exhibitions and events.
Gainesboro Modern is a 501(c)(3) public charitable institution.
Gainesboro Modern At A Glance
Opened: June 7, 2025
Founders: Cat and Wade Schmitz
Location: Historic town square, Gainesboro, Tennessee
Community: Population 920 (2020 U.S. Census)
Admission: Always free
Museum: Two-story building with approximately 4,200 square feet of gallery space
Gore Entrance: Rotating selections from the permanent collection
Union Entrance: Special exhibitions and events
Collection: Contemporary art by artists from across the United States and around the world
Organization: 501(c)(3) public charitable institution
Press Images
Selected works from Gainesboro Modern’s permanent collection, along with museum, exhibition, and founder images, are available below for editorial use. High-resolution files and additional images are available upon request.
Founders
Cat & Wade Schmitz
Gainesboro Modern was founded by Cat and Wade Schmitz, who opened the museum in June 2025 with the belief that access to ambitious contemporary art should not depend on where someone lives. Together, they transformed a building on Gainesboro’s historic town square into a free museum bringing contemporary art from across the United States and around the world to rural Tennessee.
Their roles at the museum are distinct but deeply collaborative. Wade leads the museum’s artistic vision, collection, and exhibition program, while Cat oversees much of the organizational, development, communications, and behind-the-scenes work that keeps the museum moving forward.
Cat Schmitz
Co-Founder & Board Chair
Cat Schmitz is Co-Founder and Board Chair of Gainesboro Modern. Working across development, communications, partnerships, special events, fundraising, and day-to-day museum operations, she has helped build the organizational infrastructure behind the museum and expand its connections within Gainesboro and beyond. She also leads much of the museum’s outreach and works to build the support necessary to keep admission free and the museum growing.
Wade Schmitz
Co-Founder, Executive Director & Curator
Wade Schmitz is Co-Founder, Executive Director, and Curator of Gainesboro Modern. An artist himself and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Wade leads the museum’s artistic direction, curates its special exhibitions, and shapes the development and presentation of the permanent collection. His approach is grounded in the idea that encountering contemporary art does not require specialized knowledge—or even liking everything one sees—but simply a willingness to look, question, and experience the work.
Press Releases
Gainesboro Modern Museum of Contemporary Art Honored with 2025 Best of Tennessee Award
Guide to Tennessee, 2025
In The Media
Our co-founders Cat and Wade Schmitz were recently featured on The Scene podcast! The conversation explores the story behind Gainesboro Modern, what it means to build a museum of global contemporary art in a small Tennessee town, and the ideas shaping what comes next.
Gainesboro Modern co-founders Cat and Wade Schmitz join Jason and Sheila to talk about Soft Logic, the museum’s exhibition of work by Finnish-Canadian artist Vickie Vainionpää, along with Gainesboro Modern’s growing collection and the experience of bringing global contemporary art to a small town in rural Tennessee.
Interview begins at 1:34:25
Working on a story about Gainesboro Modern?
We’re happy to provide additional images, information, interviews, or help arrange a visit to the museum. Contact Cat Schmitz at cat@gainemod.org.