Blue Star Museums, a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 1,300 museums across America offers free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2011. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families. The complete list of participating museums is available at www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.
“Blue Star Museums may be the program at the NEA of which I am proudest,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “Blue Star Museums recognizes and thanks our military families for all they are doing for our country, and simultaneously begins young people on a path to becoming life-long museum goers.”
“Last year the success of the inaugural year of the Blue Star Museums program showed that partnerships between the nation’s museum and military communities are a natural,” said Blue Star Families Chairman Kathy Roth-Douquet. “We are thrilled that 300,000 military family members visited our partner museums in the summer of 2010. We hope to exceed that number this year as the military community takes advantage of the rich cultural heritage they defend and protect every day. We appreciate the NEA and the nation’s museums who chose to partner with us. We also are grateful to our friends at the MetLife Foundation, the lead supporter of the Blue Star Museums outreach initiative, whose generous donation helps make our work possible.”
Blue Star Museums runs from Memorial Day, May 30, 2011 through to Labor Day, September 5, 2011. The free admission program is available to active-duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members). Active duty military include Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and active duty National Guard and active duty Reserve members. Some special or limited-time museum exhibits may not be included in this free admission program.
Participating museums in Oklahoma include:
* American Banjo Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
* Cherokee National Historical Society, Inc., Tahlequah, OK
* Chisholm Trail Heritage Center, Duncan, OK
* Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Norman, OK
* General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum, Hobart, OK
* Guthrie Museum Complex, Guthrie, OK
* Jasmine Moran Children’s Museum, Seminole, OK
* Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, Shawnee, OK
* The Mustang Historical Society, Mustang, OK
* National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
* Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, OK
* Oklahoma Museum of Telephone History, Oklahoma City, OK
* Osage County Historical Society Museum, Pawhuska, OK
* Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa , OK
* Plains Indians & Pioneers Museum, Woodward , OK
* Price Tower Arts Center, Bartlesville, OK
* Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, OK
* Science Museum Oklahoma, OKC, OK
* Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art, Tulsa, OK
* Stafford Air & Space Museum, Weatherford, OK
* Toy & Action Figure Museum, Pauls Valley, OK
* Will Rogers Memorial Museum & Birthplace Ranch, Claremore, OK
For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please contact the museum directly. To find out which museums are participating, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. The site includes a list of participating museums and a map to help with visit planning.
