Free admission for service members at Legacy Art Park

“We are always thrilled to participate in this program and honor our veterans,” said Angie Quinn, executive director of the art park. “We have one sculpture in particular that is a tribute to the military called ‘Fallen Comrade.'”

“Fallen Comrade” is sculptor David Greenwood’s stylized interpretation of a P-51 Mustang — a fighter plane that played a dominant role in World War II air battles. This sculpture is, in part, a tribute to the valor and skill of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the African American squadron of fighter pilots whose World War II record was heroic on two fronts — in air combat as well as in breaking the barriers of racism in the U.S. military.

“Museums educate and inspire, cause us to wonder and imagine, dream and remember,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts in a news release. “By participating in the Blue Star Museums program, Michigan Legacy Art Park is offering military personnel and their families an opportunity to feel connected to their community and to explore the world through the power of arts, culture and design, contributing to each person being able to live an artful life.”

Blue Star Museums include children’s museums, art, science, and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses and more, and hail from all 50 states, District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The current list of participating museums will continue to develop over 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, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Commissioned Corps and up to five family members.