BRANDYWINE RIVER MUSEUM TO PARTICIPATE IN BLUE STAR MUSEUMS

Brandywine River Museum one of more than 600 museums to offer free admission to military personnel and their families this summer

Chadds Ford, PA  May 24, 2010--The Brandywine River Museum will offer free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2010 as part of the Blue Star Museums program, a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, and more than 600 museums across America. 
 
"We are honored to share our outstanding art collection with military personnel and their families," said James H. Duff, director of the Brandywine River Museum.  This summer, exhibitions include Eye to Eye: Portrait Miniatures from the Collection of Phyllis and Jamie Wyeth and John Haberle: American Master of Illusion, both on view through July 11, as well as Striking Poses: Portraits from the Museum's Collections, on view from June 12 through September 6.  The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily. 
 
"America's museums are proud to join the rest of the country in thanking our military personnel and their families for their service and sacrifice," said National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman. "I cannot imagine a better way to do that than welcoming them in to explore and enjoy the extraordinary cultural heritage our museums present.  The works of art on view this summer will inspire and challenge viewers, and sometimes they will just be a great deal of fun."
 
"There have always been wonderful examples of partnerships between museums and military installations, but the scale of this gift from the museum communities to military families is thrilling," said Blue Star Families Chairman Kathy Roth-Douquet.  "Military families work hard for this country, and it is gratifying for us to be recognized for that.  We anticipate that thousands of military families will participate in the program and visit museums this summer - many of them for the first time.  Blue Star Families will work hard to help our military families make the most of these opportunities."
 
In addition to being Chairman of Blue Star Families, Ms. Roth-Douquet is married to a Marine Corps officer, who is currently deployed to Afghanistan.  They have two children, and Ms. Roth-Douquet and the children plan to take a road trip this summer to visit Blue Star Museums up and down the East Coast.
 
About Blue Star Museums
Blue Star Museums runs from Memorial Day, May 31 through to Labor Day, September 6, 2010.  The free admission program is available to active duty military and their immediate family members (military ID holder and five immediate family members), which includes active duty Reserve and active duty National Guard.  More than 600 museums in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are taking part in the program.  For a list of participating museums, please visit MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "r20.rs6.net" claiming to be www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. 
 
This is the latest Arts Endowment program to bring quality arts programs to the military, veterans, and their families.  Other NEA programs for the military have included Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, Great American Voices Military Base Tour, and Shakespeare in American Communities Military Base Tour. 
 
About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families is a national, non-partisan, non-profit 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 with civilian community and leaders.  Membership includes spouses, children, parents, service members, veterans and civilians.
 
Operation Appreciation is an initiative of Blue Star Families that seeks to connect military families to the larger community.  Blue Star Families 2009 annual survey shows that 94 percent of military families feel that the larger community doesn't truly understand or appreciate the sacrifices we make for the country.  Through initiatives such as Blue Star Museums, Blue Star Families provides avenues for the larger community to show that they do understand, in meaningful ways that enrich the lives of military service members, spouses, children and parents.  For more information, please visit  www.BlueStarFam.org.
 
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts - both new and established - bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education.  Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit  www.arts.gov.

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Exhibiting American art in a 19th-century grist mill, the Brandywine River Museum is internationally known for its unparalleled collection of works by three generations of Wyeths and its fine collection of American illustration, still life and landscape painting.   The museum, located on Route 1 in Chadds, Ford, Pennsylvania, is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults; $6 for seniors ages 65 and over, students, and children ages 6-12; free for children under six and Brandywine Conservancy members.