Blue Star Museums Nationwide Offer Free Admission to Military Families

Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families are pleased to announce the return of the Blue Star Museums program for summer 2021. Museums in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands are registered as Blue Star Museums, with more museums signing up to participate throughout the summer. For a complete list of participants, visit arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and museums across America offering free admission to the nation’s currently-serving military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve.

“We are grateful for the many organizations that have signed up for the Blue Star Museums program this summer, demonstrating strength and resiliency on the heels of a very challenging period for the arts sector,” said Ann Eilers, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “We are pleased to collaborate with Blue Star Families and the Department of Defense on this initiative, and hopeful it will provide the opportunity for military families to engage together at museums while strengthening ties to their community.”

Participation in Blue Star Museums is entirely voluntary. By registering, museums express their appreciation for the nation’s military and their families, while acknowledging the hardships that come with that service. Blue Star Museums include children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses, and more. Military families can plan their summer move or vacation around visits to Blue Star Museums, and explore new places in their community with outings to local Blue Star Museums. There is no limit to how many museums a family can visit during the summer. 

"After a year filled with uncertainties, we are thrilled to launch the 2021 Blue Star Museums program! The impact that this program has on our members is tremendous and something they look forward to each year,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO Blue Star Families. “It is wonderful to offer military families the opportunity to explore the arts with their loved ones and create lasting memories."

Blue Star Museums began in an effort to improve the quality of life for active duty military families, especially focusing on the approximately two million children who have had at least one parent deployed since 2001. The program offers families a chance to visit museums this summer when many will have limited resources and time together. 

The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard as well as Active Duty and Reservists, National Guardsman (regardless of status), U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to five family members. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum. Visit arts.gov/bluestarmuseums for a complete list of participating organizations.

Follow Blue Star Museums on Twitter and Instagram @NEAarts, BlueStarFamily, #bluestarmuseums.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov to learn more.

About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families is the nation’s largest grass-roots military family support organization, with a mission to support military families to improve military readiness. Its distinctive approach builds stronger communities around military families through knowledge and programs that address the unique needs of those who serve. Blue Star Families’ nationally recognized surveys and analysis give military families an important voice that informs policymakers and its military family programs. It uses the power of its collective resources and cross-sector collaborations to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of members of military families to strengthen the troops, their families, and our nation as a whole. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org.