Lubeznik Center for the Arts to Participate in Blue Star Museums

lubeznik-center-for-the-artsLubeznik Center for the Arts will offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day this summer as part of Blue Star Museums, a partnership with Blue Star Families and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Blue Star Museums may be the program at the NEA of which I am proudest,” said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. “Blue Star Museums recognizes and thanks our military families for all they are doing for our country, and simultaneously begins young people on a path to becoming life-long museum goers.”

Located at Michigan City's lakefront, Lubeznik Center participated in 2010, and is pleased to once again provide a local option for Northwest Indiana families.

Last year the success of the inaugural year of the Blue Star Museums program showed that partnerships between the nation’s museum and military communities are a natural,” said Blue Star Families Chairman Kathy Roth-Douquet. “We are thrilled that 300,000 military family members visited our partner museums in the summer of 2010. We hope to exceed that number this year as the military community takes advantage of the rich cultural heritage they defend and protect every day. We appreciate the NEA and the nation’s museums who chose to partner with us. We also are grateful to our friends at the MetLife Foundation, the lead supporter of the Blue Star Museums outreach initiative, whose generous donation helps make our work possible.”

This year, more than 1,324 (and counting) museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are taking part in the initiative. The complete list of participating museums is available at www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

ABOUT BLUE STAR MUSEUMS
Blue Star Museums runs from Memorial Day, May 30, 2011 through Labor Day, September 5, 2011. The free admission program is available to active-duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members). Active duty military include Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and active duty National Guard and active duty Reserve members. Some special or limited-time museum exhibits may not be included in this free admission program. For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please contact the museum directly. To find out which museums are participating, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. The site includes a list of participating museums and a map to help with visit planning.

ABOUT BLUE STAR FAMILIES
Blue Star Families is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services, including guard and reserve, with a mission to support, connect and empower military families. In addition to morale and empowerment programs, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life and works to make military life more sustainable. Membership includes military spouses, children and parents as well as service members, veterans and civilians. To learn more about Blue Star Families, visit www.bluestarfam.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS
The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov.

ABOUT LUBEZNIK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Just steps away from Michigan City's lakefront, Lubeznik Center for the Arts features a full exhibition schedule in five galleries; an outdoor art collection; a Gallery Shop; plus classes, performances and after-hours events. A not-for-profit organization, Lubeznik Center outreach programs bring art experiences to underserved populations, including thousands of local school children.