Museum Day coming to eastern Idaho this Saturday
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IDAHO FALLS – Five eastern Idaho museums are participating in the Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day on Saturday, a nationwide event allowing visitors to get free museum tickets.
People wanting free tickets for participating museums can visit the Smithsonian magazine’s website to download one ticket per email address, which admits the ticket-holder and a guest. The tickets are only valid on Saturday.
The participating museums in eastern Idaho are the Bannock County Historical Museum in Pocatello, Collectors Corner Museum in Idaho Falls, the Idaho Museum of Natural History in Pocatello, Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls, and The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls.
Art Museum executive director Miyai Abe Griggs said Museum Day is a great way to celebrate museums and attract people who might not normally come. Because the Smithsonian is such a large, well-known institution, it has the power to draw attention to other museums with Museum Day.
Bannock County Historical Museum director Lynn Murdoch said the museum participates in Museum Day because they think it is a good idea. Because admission is free with a downloaded ticket, Museum Day exposes museums to a broader audience.
“Museum Day goes beyond getting visitors through museum doors,” Smithsonian spokesperson Ami Atha told EastIdahoNews.com. “It acts as a springboard to empower and help advance the hopes and ambitions of the public. It represents a national commitment to access, equity and inclusion.”
Some of the exhibits include historic photos at the Bannock Museum, an interactive history of horses from the Museum of Natural History, Idaho’s history with nuclear power at the Museum of Idaho, and antiques, coins and stamps from the Collectors Corner.
Atha said Museum Day’s theme this year focuses on women in history. “The theme recognizes and honors the women in society who are trailblazers in the arts, sciences, innovation and culture, and emboldens others to be pioneers.”
Smithsonian magazine is asking visitors to share what they learned from the exhibits about women in history using the hashtag #WomenMakingHistory.
Museum Day started in 2005 to mark the 35th anniversary of Smithsonian magazine, according to Atha. The number of participating museums has grown from 200 to 1,500 since then.
Smithsonian magazine is run by the Smithsonian Institution, which owns 19 museums and nine research centers. According to their website, the Smithsonian Institution began in 1846, after a British scientist named James Smithson donated more than $500,000 to the United States “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.”