No matter how much we grow, Nashville’s likelihood of having a dedicated, stand-alone contemporary art museum is fairly slim. But we have a hotel-adjacent contemporary art museum that’s free, has exhibits that change annually, and is open 24/7, so I take advantage of it as often as I can. I think of it as my late-night de-escalation zone when I’m walking back to my car after going out downtown — often from the Ryman to the Public Square Garage. I stop at the 21c and take in three floors of things I don’t get to see anywhere else in the city — works by artists like Beth Cavener, Shelley Reed and Jesse Jonathan Hale — sometimes mingling with hotel guests, but mostly being invisible, finding new favorites, and plotting my return. MARGARET LITTMAN
Best Free 24/7 Art Museum
21c Museum Hotel Nashville
Hank Willis Thomas' "Raise Up," on display at 21c
