For fifth straight year, Tang offers free admission for military personnel and their families all summer
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY (May 15, 2025) — The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College is proud to join museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative for the fifth straight year. The program provides free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families this summer, beginning on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 17, and running through Aug. 31.
Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and participating museums across America.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is honored to help connect military service members and their families with their communities through the Blue Star Museums program,” said Mary Anne Carter, Senior Adviser for the National Endowment for the Arts. “Institutions like the Tang Museum offer opportunities for military members to create special memories and connect with our country’s heritage and culture.”
“For 15 years, Blue Star Museums has opened doors for military families to explore, connect, and feel at home in their communities,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families. “Thanks to our continued partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and participating museums nationwide, we’re proud to continue this tradition of belonging and enrichment. Museums are more than cultural spaces—they’re places where military families feel seen, welcomed, and celebrated.”
Summer Programming at the Tang
The Tang’s summer programming includes art exhibitions, tours, family art-making workshops, concerts, and Frances Day, the annual community open house on Saturday, July 19.
Exhibitions
Ernest and Ruth
a field of bloom and hum (through July 20)
Elevator Music 52: Anne E. Stoner—Drowning Out the Noise (through July 20)
Hyde Cabinet #28: Looking Toward The free state of Transplendency (through July 27)
Up to Us: Black Dimensions in Art, 1975–Tomorrow (opens May 31)
Yvette Molina: A Promise to the Leaves
Frances Day
Saturday, July 19, starting at 1 pm: Everyone’s invited to our annual community open house! On Saturday, July 19, starting at 1 pm, we honor the museum’s namesake, Frances Young Tang, Skidmore College Class of 1961, with art-making, tours, music, and more!
Family Saturdays
May 24, 2 pm: Get creative with our popular workshops! Children ages 5 and up and their families are invited to join us for looking at artwork, discussing it, and engaging in a hands-on art-making activity. Summer Family Saturdays will be announced later.
Upbeat on the Roof
Thursdays, July 10 through August 21, 6 pm: Our long-running Thursday night concert series invites you to picnic on the lawn on the grounds of the museum. The music starts at 6 pm. Crafts on the Grass, art-making kits for young music fans, begins at 5:30 pm. (Rain location inside the museum.)
Tang Guide Tours
Sundays, June 1 through July 20, 2 pm: Explore the Museum led by one of our docents.
Curator’s Tours
Friday, May 30, 4 pm; and Thursday, June 26, noon: Curator’s Tour of a field of bloom and hum with Ian Berry, Dayton Director
Thursday, July 10, noon: Curator’s Tour of Up to Us: Black Dimensions in Art, 1975–Tomorrow with Rebecca McNamara, The Frances Young Tang ’61 Associate Curator
Thursday, August 14, noon: Behind-The-Scenes Tour of the Tang with Izzy DeSantis, the KiKi Pohlad ’13 Curatorial Assistant
For more information about the Tang, call the Visitors Services Desk at 518-580-8080 or visit https://tang.skidmore.edu.
In addition to the Tang, participants in the Blue Star Museums program include history, art, and children’s museums, historical sites, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums, and more, and can be found in all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The current list of participating museums will continue to grow as organizations can register to be a Blue Star Museum throughout the summer.
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. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. To learn more, visit https://www.arts.gov.
About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families (BSF) is the nation’s largest military and veteran family support organization. Its research-driven approach builds strong communities with a focus on human-centered design and innovative solutions. A “blue star family” is the family of a currently serving military member, including active duty, National Guard, reserve forces, and those transitioning out of service. Since its founding in 2009, BSF has delivered more than $336 million in benefits and impacts more than 1.5 million people annually through an expansive network of chapters and outposts. For more information, visit https://bluestarfam.org.
About Skidmore College
Founded in 1903, Skidmore College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college of about 2,700 students located in the dynamic town of Saratoga Springs, New York. Consistently ranked as a top liberal arts college by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, Forbes, and more, Skidmore has also been recognized for its innovation, value, and sustainability efforts. Skidmore fosters academic and personal excellence — all driven by a belief that Creative Thought Matters. Its comprehensive array of opportunities encompasses more than 40 bachelor’s degree programs, including popular offerings in business, psychology, and the creative and performing arts; competitive NCAA Division III athletics; world-class facilities; and hands-on civic engagement and career development resources.
About the Tang Teaching Museum
The Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College is a pioneer of interdisciplinary exploration and learning. A cultural anchor of New York’s Capital Region, the Tang’s approach has become a model for college and university art museums across the country—with exhibition programs that bring together visual and performing arts with interdisciplinary ideas from history, economics, biology, dance, and physics, to name just a few. The Tang has one of the most rigorous faculty-engagement initiatives in the nation, and a robust publication and touring exhibition program that extends the museum’s reach far beyond its walls. The Tang Teaching Museum’s award-winning building, designed by architect Antoine Predock, serves as a visual metaphor for the convergence of art and ideas. The Museum is open to the public Tuesday–Sunday, noon–5 pm, with extended hours until 9 pm Thursday. https://tang.skidmore.edu