A.E. Backus is a Blue Star Museum
The A.E. Backus Museum will participate in Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and museums across the United States to offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel and their families through Labor Day, September 7, 2026. To obtain free access, visit the front desk with relevant ID.
A list of participating museums nationwide is available here.
Blue Star families can enjoy access to the special exhibition Through the Eye of the Camera (now - June 19), as well as the permanent collection and display of works by A.E. Backus and of the Florida Highwaymen painters during regular season schedule and summer hours.
"The Backus Museum is proud to participate in this national program to honor the service of the military with increased access for family members," said J. Marshall Adams, Executive Director. "The artists at the core of our mission served their country in wartime and peace — Bean Backus during the second World War, and later several of the younger Highwaymen painters also served their country in the armed forces. Today as a Blue Star Museum, we are pleased to thank our military families for their service, and share with them the cultural treasures of our community."
Blue Star Museums include art, science and history museums, children’s museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses and more, and exist in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each year, the program begins on Armed Forces Day in mid-May and ends on Labor Day at the beginning of September.
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, NOAA Commissioned Corps and up to five family members. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card, or DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.
About the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery
Since its founding in 1960 and the first day the doors opened in 1961, the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery has been a center and catalyst for creativity and culture in our region. The Museum houses the nation’s largest public presentation of artwork by Florida’s preeminent painter, A.E. “Bean” Backus (1906-1990), and also continues its more than sixty-year tradition of exhibiting and celebrating the paintings of the original Florida Highwaymen, who got their start here. In addition, the Museum organizes and hosts changing exhibitions from artists of regional, national and international acclaim.
Hours: Wed. – Sat., 10 AM to 4 PM and Sun., 12 Noon to 4 PM through June 19; Summer Hours: Sat. 10 AM to 4 PM and Sun. 12 Noon to 4 PM through August 9.
Admission is $5 per person; AARP, AAA, and Veterans with appropriate ID receive a $2 discount. Students with school ID, children under 18, active duty military, and current members are always free. Additionally, the A.E. Backus Museum offers $1 admission to individuals and families presenting a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card as part of the Museums for All access program, to encourage individuals of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum habits.
All visitors are asked to follow the latest public health guidance for the safety and comfort of guests, staff, and volunteers.
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