For Immediate Release
May 6, 2021
Digital Images Available Upon Request 

CLARK ART INSTITUTE JOINS NATIONAL 2021 BLUE STAR MUSEUM INITIATIVE 

Program offers free admission to active duty military and their families 

(Williamstown, Massachusetts)—The Clark Art Institute is one of more than 800 museums nationwide participating in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission to active duty US military personnel and their families this summer. The 2021 program begins on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 15, 2021, and ends on Labor Day, Monday, September 6, 2021.  

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. Find the list of participating museums at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. 

“We are proud to participate again this year in the Blue Star Museums project,” said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark Art Institute. “We look forward to welcoming US military personnel and their families to the Clark this summer and to thanking them for their service and commitment.”  

“Like the resilience that military families demonstrate time and again the Clark Art Institute 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 the Clark for their leadership in strengthening community through their participation in the Blue Star Museums program this summer.” 

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 US Virgin Islands. The current list of participating museums will continue to develop, as more organizations join the Blue Star Museum project. 

“We are thrilled to celebrate the launch of the Blue Star Museums 2021 program! Thank you to the Clark for participating in this impactful and highly anticipated program,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO Blue Star Families. “Because of the Clark and its counterparts in the arts community, military families have the opportunity to create special memories and experience the arts again!” 

The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and 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 any participating Blue Star Museum. 

Follow Blue Star Museums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily, #bluestarmuseums. 

ABOUT THE CLARK 

The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 275,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art. 

The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm; open daily in July and August. Advance timed tickets are required. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; EBT Card to Culture; and Blue Star Museums. For more information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303. 

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. 

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