Mitchell Museum to offer free admission to military families May 28–Sept. 1

The independent nonprofit Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, 3001 Central St., Evanston, will offer free admission to active-duty members of the U.S. military and their immediate families from May 28 to September 1 as part of the national Blue Star Museums summer program.

The Mitchell is the only Evanston institution enrolled in the program and one of just five in Chicago’s northern suburbs, according to online data from the National Endowment for the Arts, one of the program’s organizers, http://www.nea.gov/national/bluestarmuseums.

The Mitchell is among more than 1,800 fine arts, science, history, and children’s museums and nature centers across the country participating in this summer’s program.

The NEA describes the Blue Star Museums program as “a collaboration between the arts and military communities.”
In addition to the NEA, an independent federal agency that funds arts programs, organizers include Blue Star Families, a nonprofit organization that supports and advocates for military families, and the Defense Department.

The Blue Star Museums program, which operates from Memorial Day through Labor Day, provides free admission for active-duty members, with military ID, and five immediate family members. The program includes active-duty reservists and active-duty members of the National Guard.

Mitchell Museum exhibits on view during the 2013 Blue Star Museums program are “The War of 1812: Fighting for Their Homeland,” through August 25; “Another View of American Indian Fine Art,” through September 1; “New Treasures of Our Collection,” through September 8, and the ongoing “Did You Know They’re Native?,” a photo gallery of noteworthy Native Americans from different walks of life, with a new edition opening July 27.

For information, phone (847) 475-1030 or e-mail visitorservices@mitchellmuseum.org. The Mitchell’s days and hours of operation are posted at http://www.mitchellmuseum.org.