The International African American Museum (IAAM) is proud to announce its participation in the Blue Star Museums program for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. This national initiative, a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and Blue Star Families, provides active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, with free access to the country’s premier cultural institutions.
IAAM’s participation is made possible by a generous grant from the Ellison S. and Noel P. McKissick Foundation, which invests in organizations that strengthen our communities by empowering families and individuals through education, healthcare, veteran support, arts and culture, and the environment. The Ellison S. and Noel P. McKissick Foundation has been a longtime supporter of IAAM since 2019, beginning as a founding donor for the institution.
"Becoming a Blue Star Museum is a profound milestone that reflects our commitment to honoring the service and sacrifice of our nation’s military families," said Dr. Ohmar T. Land, IAAM’s Chief Development Officer. "Through the extraordinary support of the Ellison S. and Noel P. McKissick Foundation, we are able to remove financial barriers and invite those who serve to find their own stories reflected in our museum."
As a Blue Star Museum, IAAM will offer free admission this year to active-duty military personnel and their families beginning from Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 16, 2026, through Labor Day on Monday, September 7, 2026. Blue Star Museum visitors will have access to 12 permanent exhibitions that include nine galleries and IAAM’s latest special exhibition “middle of somewhere: the art and the legacy of Black Southern makers.” Admission also includes access to IAAM’s Center for Family History (CFH), which offers a unique opportunity learn more about their ancestry through free digital resources on family genealogy and African American-centric databases.
The museum’s galleries highlight several powerful South Carolina military legacies, including:
- Harriet Tubman: Her leadership during the 1863 Combahee River Raid, which freed over 750 enslaved people.
- Charity Adams Earley: A trailblazer who became the highest-ranking Black woman in the U.S. Army during WWII.
- The 1st South Carolina Volunteers: One of the nation's first Black Union infantry regiments, composed of formerly enslaved men.
- The United States Colored Troops (USCT): South Carolinians who served with extraordinary risk during the Civil War.
For service members and family members wanting to visit IAAM, Blue Star tickets must be purchased on-site at the museum. Free general admission 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), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.
For a complete list of participating Blue Star Museums, visit arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.