Celebrating the 10th summer of Blue Star Museums, the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families announce that museums nationwide, including New Mexico’s eight state-run museums and Historic Sites under the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), have signed on to provide free admission to our nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families this summer.
The 2019 program begins earlier than past years, starting Saturday, May 18, 2019, Armed Forces Day, ending Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, Labor Day. Military families can find the list of participating museums at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.
Blue Star Museums is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums nationwide.
“After a decade of participation, it remains a privilege for New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs museums and historic sites to serve members of the military and their families through this National Endowment for the Arts program,” said DCA Cabinet Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego. “It’s a small token of our esteem and a ‘thank you’ for the sacrifices they make every day and a wonderful opportunity for military families to share a memorable experience exploring New Mexico’s outstanding cultural treasures.”
Participating DCA institutions include: New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors and New Mexico Museum of Art near the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe, Museum of International Folk Art and Museum of Indian Arts and Culture on Museum Hill in Santa Fe, New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science and National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces; Fort Selden in Radium Springs, the Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner, Fort Stanton Historic Site; Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo, Jemez Historic Site in Jemez Springs, Lincoln Historic Site in Lincoln, and this year, for the first time, Los Luceros Historic Site in Alcalde.