New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs

New Mexico Museums & Historic Sites offer Free Admission to Active Duty Military & Their Families From Armed Forces Day through Labor Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2019

MEDIA CONTACT


(Santa Fe, New Mexico) - Celebrating the tenth 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, September 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 way to say ‘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, 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, Alamogordo; New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque; New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, Las Cruces; National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque; Fort Selden in Radium Springs, the Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner, Fort Stanton Historic Sites; 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.

 

About Blue Star Museums

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America. The program runs from the Saturday May 18, 2019 through Labor Day, September 2, 2019. 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.Follow Blue Star Museums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily, #bluestarmuseums.

About the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs: http://www.newmexicoculture.org/ Created in 1978 by the New Mexico Legislature, the Department of Cultural Affairs represents New Mexico’s dedication to preserving and celebrating the cultural integrity and diversity of our state. The Department oversees a broad range of New Mexico’s arts and cultural heritage agencies which include 15 divisions representing a variety of programs and services. Among its primary functions is the management of the largest state sponsored museum system in the country. New Mexico’s historic sites and state-run museums are located across the state and include: New Mexico Historic Sites, Statewide; New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe; New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe; Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe; Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe; New Mexico Museum of Space History, Alamogordo; New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque; New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, Las Cruces; and the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque.

Events, news releases and images about activities in divisions of the Department of Cultural Affairs can be accessed at media.newmexicoculture.org.                   

 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.

Blue Star Museums is one of the National Endowment for the Arts’ programs that support military personnel and their families. Others include Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network and grants awarded to nonprofit organizations to support projects that reach military and veterans.


About Blue Star Families Blue Star Families builds communities that support military families by connecting research and data to programs and solutions, including career development tools, local community events for families, and caregiver support. Since its inception in 2009, Blue Star Families has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and serves more than 1.5 million military family members. With Blue Star Families, military families can find answers to their challenges anywhere they are. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org

 

 

 

 


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