Blue Star Museums Launches Another Summer of Free Admission for Military Families

Washington, DC—The National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families are pleased to announce the museums across America that will be participating in the Blue Star Museums program this summer, from May 21, 2022—Armed Forces Day—to September 5, 2022—Labor Day. This year’s list once again includes museums from all 50 states, District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Find the complete list of participating museums at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

“Museums educate and inspire, cause us to wonder and imagine, dream and remember,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Participating museums offer military personnel and their families an opportunity to feel connected to their community and to explore the world through the power of the arts, culture and design, contributing to each person being able to live an artful life.”

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America, offering free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve. The initiative began in 2010 as 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.

"We are thrilled to celebrate the launch of the 2022 Blue Star Museums program! This wonderful program is a lifeline for many military families, offering them the opportunity to connect with their community, explore new spaces, enjoy the arts, and make lifelong memories. I am grateful for the long-standing partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and another summer of this tremendous program that benefits our military community so greatly," said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO Blue Star Families.

For 2022, the list of participating museums includes both new and returning venues, ranging from art museums, such as the Denver Art Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art; children’s museums, such as Utah’s Treehouse Children’s Museum; zoos and aquariums, such as Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium; and many others, from the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum in Albuquerque to Tampa Bay History Center.  

Museums may join the Blue Star Museums program all summer long so families are encouraged to keep checking the map for museums in their community or on their summer travels.

“The Defense Department is grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and museums across the country who participate in this program,” said Mrs. Patricia Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Military Community and Family Policy. “As an Army spouse who raised three very creative children, I know the importance of these enriching experiences to the lives of military families. Improving the quality of life for our nation’s service members and their families through programs like Blue Star Museums ultimately leads to increased readiness among our service members.”

The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military—Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force, members of the Reserves, National Guard, 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), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.

Follow #BlueStarMuseums on Twitter and the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families at @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily.

Efforts to spread the word to museums about this program have involved the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Directors, the Association of Children’s Museums, the American Association of State and Local History, and the Association of Science-Technology Centers.