2022 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Hacker & Kitty Caldwell

2022 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Hacker & Kitty Caldwell

Hacker and Kitty Caldwell have been engaged in the civic and cultural life of Chattanooga for decades. After completing his MBA at the University of Virginia, Hacker returned to his hometown of Chattanooga to work for the appliance manufacturing company his great-grandfather started in 1904, originally named Tennessee Stove Works and then Modern Maid in the 1960s. When the company was sold and production moved to South Carolina, Hacker turned to a long career and successful business managing hedge funds.

Originally from Virginia, Kitty joined Hacker in Chattanooga in the late seventies after they were married. Having studied
American art history in college, she immediately began volunteering as a docent at the Hunter Museum of American Art. She has also served on the Hunter Museum’s Board of Trustees. One of her contributions has been to initiate the Chairman’s Circle program of the museum, whose members provide vital support to the museum.

In fact, both Hacker and Kitty have played a part in the transformation of the Hunter Museum becoming the institution it is today. During Hacker’s tenure as Board Chair, the museum embarked on the $22 million 21st century waterfront building project to add 28,000 square feet of new construction and 34,000 square feet of renovation, restore the 1905 mansion, create an outdoor sculpture plaza, and completely reinstall the museum’s permanent collection. The Caldwells’ time and financial resources were instrumental in the completion of the project in 2005.

Originally from Virginia, Kitty joined Hacker in Chattanooga in the late seventies after they were married. Having studied American art history in college, she immediately began volunteering as a docent at the Hunter Museum of American Art. She has also served on the Hunter Museum’s Board of Trustees. One of her contributions has been to initiate the Chairman’s Circle program of the museum, whose members provide vital support to the museum.

In fact, both Hacker and Kitty have played a part in the transformation of the Hunter Museum becoming the institution it is today. During Hacker’s tenure as Board Chair, the museum embarked on the $22 million 21st century waterfront building project to add 28,000 square feet of new construction and 34,000 square feet of renovation, restore the 1905 mansion, create an outdoor sculpture plaza, and completely reinstall the museum’s permanent collection. The Caldwells’ time and financial resources were instrumental in the completion of the project in 2005.

Yet perhaps the most valuable thing Hacker and Kitty have given to the museum and Chattanooga is their expertise as art collectors. As members of the museum’s first collectors’ group, they traveled to New York City many times to visit galleries and learn about and seek out items for the museum. As leaders in that role, they have helped the museum to acquire close to 30 artworks for the permanent collection. By building their own personal art collection, Hacker and Kitty have been exposed to many artists, styles, and subject matter and acknowledge that many years of experience collecting art has cultivated discrimination and understanding in how they understand different artworks and their qualities. In their words, “the more you look, the more the eye is developed.” It is this keen eye that has helped place the Hunter Museum “on the map” and become an example of how art museums can transform the communities they serve.

Hacker and Kitty are proud that their love of the arts has rubbed off on each of their four children as well. Each one is actively involved in the arts and volunteers on the boards of arts organizations in their own community.
Two of their daughters live in Chattanooga—Betsy Caldwell Cake who serves on the board of directors of the Creative Discovery Museum and Pop-up Project, and Charlotte, founder and director of Stove Works, a contemporary exhibition space and artist residency program.

Hacker and Kitty have seen Chattanooga evolve and grow to become a city known for its vibrant arts and culture and hope that more artists visit and decide to make Chattanooga their home. The Caldwells consider their place as one in a long line of arts patrons who have shaped a legacy and paved the way for a better and stronger Chattanooga because of the arts, a path that continues for the next generation to carry forward.

Hacker and Kitty are proud that their love of the arts has rubbed off on each of their four children as well. Each one is actively involved in the arts and volunteers on the boards of arts organizations in their own community. Two of their daughters live in Chattanooga—Betsy Caldwell Cake who serves on the board of directors of the Creative Discovery Museum and Pop-up Project, and Charlotte, founder and director of Stove Works, a contemporary exhibition space and artist residency program.

Hacker and Kitty have seen Chattanooga evolve and grow to become a city known for its vibrant arts and culture and hope that more artists visit and decide to make Chattanooga their home. The Caldwells consider their place as one in a long line of arts patrons who have shaped a legacy and paved the way for a better and stronger Chattanooga because of the arts, a path that continues for the next generation to carry forward.