05/16/2026
DID YOU KNOW: The A.E. Backus Museum is a Blue Star Museum, a sixteen-year collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and museums across the United States to offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel and their families, starting on Armed Services Day, May 16, 2026 and continuing through Labor Day, September 7, 2026.
"The Backus Museum is proud to participate in this national program to honor the service of the military with increased access for family members," said J. Marshall Adams, Executive Director. "The artists at the core of our mission served their country in wartime and peace — Bean Backus during the Second World War, and later several of the younger Highwaymen painters also served their country in the armed forces. Today as a Blue Star Museum, we are pleased to thank our military families for their service, and share with them the cultural treasures of our community."
Blue Star Museums include art, science and history museums, children’s museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses and more, and exist in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. At the Backus Museum, Blue Star families can enjoy access to the special exhibition "Through the Eye of the Camera" (May 15 - June 19), as well as the permanent collection and display of works by A.E. Backus and of the Florida Highwaymen painters during regular season schedule and summer hours.
The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military — Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force, members of the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps and up to five family members. To obtain free access, visit the front desk with relevant ID.
A list of participating museums nationwide is available here: https://www.arts.gov/blue-star-museums-map
