West Bend, WI – The Museum of Wisconsin Art joins 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 2021 program will begin on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 15, 2021, and end on Labor Day, Monday, September 6, 2021.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the launch of the Blue Star Museums 2021 program,” said Laurie Winters, executive director and CEO. “As a participant in this program each year, we’re honored to provide military families the opportunity to create special memories and experience Wisconsin art and artists this summer.”
Blue Star Museums is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and participating museums nationwide. Blue Star Museums include children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses, and more, and hail from all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Find the list of participating museums at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums
“Like the resilience military families demonstrate time and again MOWA is an example of resiliency in the arts sector over the past year,” said Ann Eilers, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “We are grateful to MOWA for their leadership in strengthening community through their participation in the Blue Star Museums program this summer.”
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 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), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.
MOWA located in West Bend, Wisconsin is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30–4:00.
ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART
The Museum of Wisconsin Art is an innovative forum for contemporary artists, socially relevant exhibitions, lectures by artists and industry experts, engaging classes, and activities for all ages. We believe that where we live is important and we are passionate about Wisconsin. Everything we exhibit and talk about has been made by an artist with deep connections to the state.
Since 1961, MOWA has been connecting audiences and artists, sharing new perspectives, and inspiring the community that inspires us. MOWA’s current home opened in 2013 in the heart of downtown West Bend. The strikingly modern 32,000-square-foot building has become a destination for visitors and tourists from the far corners of the state and beyond. The museum satellite MOWA | DTN opened in 2019 in the Saint Kate—The Arts Hotel in downtown Milwaukee’s cultural district. Visit wisconsinart.org to learn more.
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.
ABOUT BLUE STAR FAMILIES
Blue Star Families is the nation’s largest grass-roots military family support organization, with a mission to support military families to improve military readiness. Its distinctive approach builds stronger communities around military families through knowledge and programs that address the unique needs of those who serve. Blue Star Families’ nationally recognized surveys and analysis give military families an important voice that informs policymakers and its military family programs. It uses the power of its collective resources and cross-sector collaborations to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of members of military families to strengthen the troops, their families, and our nation as a whole. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org