Saturday is Free Museum Day in Colo.
Jamie Melissa Wilms only joined the Denver Firefighters Museum, housed in the original, 136yearold Station One building in downtown Denver, in April. But the new executive director and curator of Denver’s firefighting history already knows this year’s Museum Day will be a hit.
“It’s been pretty popular at every museum I’ve worked at, including the Molly Brown House,” Wilms said of the Smithsonian Magazinesponsored program, which highlights and drives traffic to museums nationwide each year. “We’ve already gotten a few calls about this year’s event.”
Museum Day returns for its 14th outing
on Saturday, Sept. 22, with nearly 1,500 museums. The list includes the Front Range’s History Colorado Center; Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art; Denver Firefighters Museum; Aurora History Museum and Historic Sites; Lakewood Heritage Center; Golden History Museum & Park; Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave (in Golden); Western Museum of Mining & Industry (Colorado Springs); and the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.
As the official publication of Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Magazine writes about the national museum scene in addition to its Washington, D.C.based parent. Museum day was born in 2005 as part of the publication’s 35th anniversary, with just over 200 museums participating and an estimated 2,500 people drawn to the free tickets — supported by the Smithsonian Institution — and special programming.
More than a decade later, the program reported 250,000 tickets were downloaded from smithsonianmag.com/museumday in 2017. A total 871,000 people checked out a venue on last year’s Museum Day. On Sept. 22, nearly 30 museums across Colorado will open their doors as part of the program.
That points to not only the success of Museum Day, but the increasing need for easyaccess to cultural and historical institutions, organizers said.
“We are living in a time where increased costs and policy debate have increased barriers to education,” wrote Amy Wilkins, chief revenue officer at Smithsonian Media, in an email to The Denver Post. “There is evidence that museums can play an important role in filling in some of the blanks, (such as) offering a handson learning opportunity that cannot occur in the classroom. We strongly agree with the American Alliance of Museums recent survey . ... Museums are a piece of the puzzle and we feel that their role will only grow.”
That 2013 survey found that 37 percent of U.S. museums are free at all times or have suggested admission fees, while most of the rest offer discounts or free admission days.
Museum Day adds to that by setting aside one completelyfree day every year at participating museums. Attendees can search the program’s website for participating museums in all 50 states and grab basic information about the what the museum offers.
One Museum Day pass, which grants free entry for two people at any participating museum, is allowed per email address.
“The theme of this year’s Museum Day is Women Making History, honoring women in society who are trailblazers in the arts, sciences, innovation and culture, and emboldening others to be pioneers,” Wilkins said. “To help amplify this year’s theme and celebrate Women Making History, Museum Day is hosting a social media campaign asking museumgoers to share stories of female trailblazers that they discover on Museum Day.”
Visitors can tag the museum they visit and use the hashtags #WomenMakingHistory and #MuseumDay. Locally, the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in Colorado Springs will host its “Women of Pikes Peak” program, offering free guided tours at noon and 1 p.m. on Sept. 22.
A familyfriendly scavenger hunt complements a “make and take craft station, highlighting the contributions of women in Pikes Peak regional history,” according a press statement. “Guests will find additional female trailblazers if they explore The League of Wives: Vietnam’s POW/MIA Allies & Advocates exhibit.”