Hillstrom Museum of Art to Participate in Museum Day

On Saturday, Sept. 26, the Hillstrom Museum of Art at Gustavus Adolphus College will participate in the fifth annual Museum Day, presented by Smithsonian magazine.

A celebration of culture, learning, and the dissemination of knowledge, Smithsonian’s Museum Day reflects the spirit of the magazine. The program emulates the free-admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, D.C.-based museums. Participating museums that usually charge an entrance free will be open free of charge to those who present a free admission card that can be printed off Smithsonian’s website, smithsonian.com. The Hillstrom Museum of Art is always free and open to the public.

“The Hillstrom Museum of Art is pleased to participate in Smithsonian’s Museum Day,” Museum director Donald Myers said. “Free admission has always been an aspect of the Museum’s public service. Museums are widely considered to be among the most trusted public institutions, and the cultural experience that they provide should be easily available to all.”

Three exhibitions will be on view at the Hillstrom Museum of Art on Museum Day. These include Winds of Inspiration, Winds of Change, featuring works exploring wind turbines by invited artists from across the state and from the local St. Peter/Mankato area; Cuadros  from Pamplona Alta, Textile Pictures by Women of Peru; and FOCUS IN/ON: Birger Sandzen’s Dry Creek Bed Kansas, which considers the 1912 oil painting by Swedish-American artist Sandzen (1871-1954), in an essay, co-written by geology professor James Welsh and Museum director Donald Myers, that explores Sandzen’s career and geology of western Kansas where he worked, including the important Ogallala Aquifer, one of the world’s largest.

Last year, upwards of 200,000 people attended Museum Day, with all 50 states and Puerto Rico represented by more than 900 participating museums, including 84 Smithsonian affiliate museums. This year, the magazine expects to attract more than 1,000 museums.

Visit smithsonian.com/museumday for further information, including listings and links to participating museums, and a preview of works on view on Museum Day at the Hillstrom Museum of Art.