Gateway Regional Arts Center to Offer Free Admission to Military Personnel and Their Families this Summer
MT. STERLING, KY – On May 9, 2024, The Gateway Regional Arts Center announced it will join museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer. The 2024 program will begin on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 18, 2024, and end on Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 2024. Learn more and find the list of participating museums at arts.gov/BlueStarMuseums.
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 participating museums across America.
“We are grateful to Gateway Regional Arts Center 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 Gateway Regional Arts Center, 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.
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 @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily.
About Gateway Regional Arts Center
The Gateway Regional Arts Center (GRAC) is the premier cultural center for the Central and Eastern regions of Kentucky. With a mission of providing excellent arts experiences for the communities along the I-64 Corridor between Lexington, Kentucky and Huntington, West Virginia, GRAC is on the forefront of cultural programming and continues to grow its reach in the Appalachian and Bluegrass regions of Kentucky. Nestled in-between the rolling hills and horse farms of Central Kentucky and the mountains and hollers of Eastern Kentucky, Mount Sterling offers a unique conduit - the “Gateway,” as it is known here - between the two distinct landscapes and cultures. GRAC sees itself as the cultural heartbeat of that conduit; it’s a place where we embrace our rich and vast identities and explore them through myriad art forms and anthropological methods. In addition to a robust offering of affordable classes and events open to the public, GRAC also houses the Small Town America Institute for Rural Arts & Culture, a think tank dedicated to supporting rich cultural programming in rural American towns and counties. Through academic research, as well as free resources and guides, the Institute assists smaller arts councils and interest groups bring vibrancy to their communities through the arts.
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. To learn more, visit arts.gov or follow us 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, click here.
