September 11, 2019 – (Key West, FL). Key West Art & Historical Society joins Smithsonian Magazine’s 15th Annual Museum Day with free admission to Custom House Museum
Key West Art & Historical Societywill open the Custom House Museum located at 281 Front Street, free of charge to all Museum Day ticket holders on Saturday September 21, 2019 as part of SmithsonianMagazine’s 15thannual Museum Day, a national celebration of boundless curiosity in which participating museums emulate the free admission policy at the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington D.C.-based museums.
Museum Day represents a nationwide commitment to access, equity and inclusion. Over 450,000 tickets were downloaded for last year’s event, and Museum Day 2019 is expected to attract more museumgoers than ever before.
“Museums need to embrace a culture of accessibility and the Key West Art & Historical Society wants to promote equal access by participating in the Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day,” says Society Curator Cori Convertito, Ph.D.
Listed in TripAdvisor’s “The 10 Best Museums in Key West,” the Custom House Museum celebrates the arts, history, and culture of the island through its ongoing exhibits, programs, and events. It is the island city’s iconic four-story architectural “crown jewel” and one of the finest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the U.S.
Permanent exhibits include Guy Harvey’s “The Old Man and The Sea,” 59 original pen-and-ink drawings inspired by Hemingway’s novel of the same name created by internationally acclaimed artist and conservationist Guy Harvey when he was a teenager; “Tennessee Williams – The Playwright and the Painter” which showcases 15 paintings created by the former Key West resident and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright; and “Overseas to the Keys: Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railway” which celebrates the incredible engineering feat that joined Key West to mainland Florida. Additionally, visitors can peruse WPA art and works of folk artist Mario Sanchez.
New exhibits include “Surroundings: Watercolors by Martha Watson Sauer,” whichpays tribute to more than half a century of the artist’s plein air paintings and incorporates her personal effects and sketchbooks, and “The Restless Eye: The Visions of Olga Manosalvas,” a dazzling amalgam of acrylics, oils, embroidery, and found objects where viewers can peek into her sense of memory and meditative realm of ritual.
Museum Day tickets are available for download at smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-2019/key-west-museum-of-art history/tickets. Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues on September 21, 2019. One ticket is permitted per email address. A list of participating museums, which will be continually updated, can be found at Smithsonian.com/museumday/search. For more information about Museum Day, please visit Smithsonian.com/museumday. For more information about the Custom House Museum, contact Cori Convertito at 305-295-6616 x112 or cconvertitofarrar@kwahs.org, or visit kwahs.org. Your Museums. Your Community. It Takes an Island.
IMAGE: Fans of art and history are invited to download a ticket for free entry to the Custom House Museum in Key West on Saturday September 21, as part of Smithsonian Magazine’s 15thannual national Museum Day celebration.