Blue Star Museums Summer is May 18-Sept 2, 2024
The Annual Program is a Partnership Led by the NEA and Blue Star Families
The Albany Museum of Art is participating in the Blue Star Museums summer program, which starts May 18 on Armed Forces Day and continues through Labor Day on Sept 2. The program provides free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer. Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, which is in collaboration with the Department of Defense and participating museums across America.
While the Albany Museum of Art offers free admission to everyone year-round, Executive Director Andrew J. Wulf, Ph.D., said the museum’s participation in the program is a way to express appreciation to U.S. military personnel and their families for their devotion and service to their country and to invite them to engage in the art exhibitions and educational programming at the AMA.
“Without their service and sacrifice, our nation could lose the freedom of speech and expression that we all cherish,” Wulf said. “Those freedoms are essential to the arts and our way of life. We hope that those in military service and their families will share in the cultural treasures and experiences at the Albany Museum of Art during the Blue Star Summer program and throughout the year.”
Exhibitions that service members and the public can view this summer at the AMA include Shared Ideologies from the Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary. That exhibition comprises selected works by Native American artists from the 1970s to today. It is curated by Dr. Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, Curator of Native American art at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary.
Complementing Shared Ideologies is Tradition & Legacy: Depictions of the American West. It includes paintings on loan from the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Ga.; works on long-term loan from the Family of Mr. Walter G. Thompson, and a significant painting from the AMA’s permanent collection.
Two AMA exhibitions are from the museum’s permanent collection. Mixed Metals presents a selection of AMA African Art Collection jewelry pieces. Most of the jewelry is from Ethiopia and Ghana, with others from Mali. The year-long, three-part exhibition of Old Master Drawings from the Shaffer Collection continues, featuring pieces from about 150 Old Master Drawings that Albany native Randolph Shaffer, Jr. collected in Europe during World War II and donated to the AMA in 1988.
Those four exhibitions continue through Aug 3. New fall exhibitions will open on Aug 29.
During the summer, participating Blue Star Museum institutions offer free admission to up to five family members of those serving in the U.S. military—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force—and those in the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commissioned Corps.
“We are grateful to the Albany Museum of Art for participating in this summer’s Blue Star Museums program, and we hope military families will take this opportunity to create meaningful, lifelong memories,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Whether you are traveling this summer, getting to know a new duty location, or exploring what your community has to offer, Blue Star Museums is a wonderful opportunity to create connection and find inspiration.”
“Military families love Blue Star Museums, and we couldn’t run this program without the National Endowment for the Arts and the museums across the nation who show they care by participating,” said Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet. “Access to museums enriches military families, creates wonderful family memories, and helps us feel connected to our communities so that we can thrive and do the hard job we have to do for the country. I am delighted for us to launch the 14th year of this very special program.”
In addition to the AMA, the Blue Star Museums program includes children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses, and more, and hail from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The current list of participating museums will continue to grow over the summer as organizations are welcome to register to be a Blue Star Museum throughout the summer.
A list of participating museums, zoos, and organizations may be found HERE.
More information about the Blue Star Museums program may be found at HERE.
SUMMER EXHIBITIONS
- Shared Ideologies From the Muscarelle Museum of Art at William & Mary is May 9-Aug 3, 2024, in the Haley Gallery.
- Tradition & Legacy: Depictions of the American West is May 9-Aug 3, 2024, in the East Gallery.
- Mixed Metals: Jewelry from the AMA African Collection is May 9-Aug 3, 2024, in the McCormack Gallery.
- Old Master Drawings from the Shaffer Collection, Part 2 is May 9-Aug 3, 2024, in the Hodges Gallery.
- Escape Plan, an installation by Elinor Saragoussi, is in the West Gallery.
ABOUT THE ALBANY MUSEUM OF ART
The Albany Museum of Art is located at 311 Meadowlark Drive in Albany, Ga., adjacent to Albany State University West Campus just off Gillionville Road. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Albany Museum of Art is open to the public 10 am-5 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free.
For more information about the AMA please visit our website, or call 229.439.8400. Be sure to follow the Albany Museum of Art on Facebook and Instagram.
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 give 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. To learn more, visit HERE or follow the NEA on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
ABOUT BLUE STAR FAMILIES
Blue Star Families (BSF) is the nation’s largest Chapter-based military and Veteran family support organization. Its research-driven approach fosters strong communities with a focus on human-centered design and innovative solutions. Since its founding in 2009, BSF has delivered more than $200 million in benefits and impacts more than 1.5 million people each year. For more information, visit HERE.
