Sarasota Art Museum to Offer Free Admission this Summer to Active Military Personnel and Their Families as an NEA Blue Star Museum

June 14, 2021 – Sarasota

Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design announced that as part of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Blue Star program, active military personnel and their families will enjoy free admission this summer, from Saturday, May 15, 2021 to Labor Day, Monday, September 6^th.

“During my 20 years serving in the U.S. Army, the constant change of moving my family every other year on average made it very difficult for us to learn about each new town we were living in, let alone engage with the cultural institutions there,” said Sarasota Art Museum Interim Co-executive Director David Samec. “By partnering with the Blue Star Families program to provide active-duty service members and their families free admission, we hope to make it much easier for them to engage with our community by providing a warm and welcoming gathering space in which to learn about and be inspired by the contemporary art of our time.”

The NEA’s Blue Star Museums program supports the service and sacrifice of our nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families and a list of all participating museums in the program is available at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. This year’s participating organizations include fine art, science, history, and children’s museums, as well as zoos, aquariums, gardens, and more.

The Blue Star program supplements the Sarasota Art Museum’s ongoing free admissions programs for public and life safety officers, veterans and active military with ID; all children under 17 when accompanied by an adult; and Cross College Alliance Students with ID. In addition, through the support of the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, the Sarasota Art Museum offers free admission to everyone on the last Sunday of every month.

Sarasota Art Museum opened two new exhibitions to the public on May 29^th featuring the work of Robert Colescott (1925-2009) in the 2^nd floor galleries and Charles McGill (1964-2017) in the John & Charlotte Suhler Gallery on the 3^rd floor.

Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott is the first comprehensive museum retrospective presenting the works of one of America’s most compelling and controversial artists and will reveal over 50 works from 53 years of his career that both bring to the surface and challenge diversity and racial stereotypes. Art and Race Mattersinvites a renewed examination of the artist, whose work is still as challenging, provocative, and relevant now as it was when he burst onto the art scene over five decades ago.

Charles McGill: In the Rough features the work of this multidisciplinary artist, educator, and golf teaching professional celebrated for his assemblage works that re-purpose the plastic, steel, leather, vinyl, and hardware from vintage golf bags. By cutting, tearing, and re-imagining these materials into abstract sculptures, McGill transforms the accessory and game of golf from a symbol of exclusion and privilege to a cite for discussions surrounding racial and class inequities.

“We’ve seen the tremendous impact the Blue Star Museums program brings to our military families, and we’re thrilled to be celebrating a decade of support,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, chief executive officer of Blue Star Families. “Not only are museums fun to explore but they are also great for making memories and strengthening military families as a whole.”

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. The 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.