Monica Linzmeier, Photo Editor
Smithsonian Magazine is providing free admission to selected museums during its ninth annual Museum Day Live! event on Saturday, Sept. 28.
“Museum Day Live! represents Smithsonian’s commitment to make learning and the spread of knowledge accessible to everyone,” Smithsonian Vice President of Advertising Sales and Marketing Media Stephen Giannetti said. “The event gives families an opportunity to experience museums that they otherwise might not try.”
More than 1,500 museums are participating nationwide, 16 of which are in San Diego county. All museums participating are either non-profit organizations or government-operated.
Anthropology professor Joseph Ball said students should take advantage of the free admission.
“This is a great little collection of some real museum gems in the greater San Diego area that the Smithsonian has identified,” Ball said. “Museums are like storehouses of real, seeable, touchable connections with peoples and places around us and from the local past that we mostly don’t know anything about and often don’t even know exist.”
Students gave their opinion on free admission to the selected San Diego museums.
“I think it’s a great thing,” media studies junior J.D. Hodges said. “I came from Washington D.C. where all the museums are free, pretty much nine out of 10 of them are free. It is a great encouragement for people to go.”
Although the event is coordinated by the Smithsonian, it doesn’t provide any of the participating museums with any funding.
“The museums choose to open their doors for free to those with a Museum Day Live! ticket because they believe in the value of providing a cultural and educational opportunity to everyone,” Giannetti said.
To participate in Museum Day Live!, prospective museumgoers can visit smithsonianmag.com/museumday and download two tickets per household. The tickets will not cover parking or any other additional costs such as food or access to special exhibits.
The museums cooperating with the Smithsonian Magazine for Museum Day Live! in the San Diego county are:
California Surf Museum
Mingei International Museum
San Diego Air & Space Museum
Museum of Making Music
Escondido History Center
San Diego Archaeological Center
Oceanside Museum of Art
Marston House Museum
San Diego Chinese Historical Museum
San Diego History Center
The Adobe Chapel Museum
Creation & Earth History Museum
The Warner-Carillo Ranch House Museum
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
San Diego Automotive Museum
PennyPickles Workshop
Photo by: Monica Linzmeier, Photo Editor