Portsmouth Museums Join Smithsonian Magazine’s Ninth Annual Museum Day Live!

Sept. 20, 2013 - PRLog -- All four of the Portsmouth Museums: The Children’s Museum of Virginia, The Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center, The Naval Shipyard Museum, and The Lightship are participating in the Smithsonian Magazine’s ninth annual Museum Day Live! A nationwide event, Museum Day Live!, offers free admission to visitors presenting a Museum Day Live! ticket at a participating museum or cultural institution. Visitors who present the Museum Day Live! ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues for one day only. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address.

Inclusive by design, the event represents Smithsonian’s commitment to make learning and the spread of knowledge accessible to everyone, giving museums across all 50 states the opportunity to emulate the admission policy of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. Last year’s event drew over 400,000 participants, and this year’s event expects record-high participation.

About the Museums

At the Children's Museum of Virginia visitors of all ages can use their imaginations to build sculptures, towers, planes,  and more (without any glue or connector)  using identical wooden construction blocks measuring 1/4 inch thick,  3/4 inch wide,  and 4/ 1/2 inches long, from the popular KEVA Planks exhibit. This exhibit will make periodic returns to the Museum’s Changing Exhibit Gallery to challenge the imagination and skill of our visitors – children and adults alike. It will be on view until October  6th.

The Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center is currently displaying The Painter's Journey, paintings about the journey and act of creation by three featured artists, Karen Blair, Delmon Hall IV, and Rob Vanderzee. Ten new sculptures are also on view in the historic courtyard for their eighth annual juried 2013 Outdoor Sculpture. These exhibits continue through October 13th. Golden Jubilee, Sumi-e Society of America features 120 juried works from paintings and caligraphy from across the nation, in celebration of the organization's 50th anniversary. This exhibit runs through October 20th.

The Naval Shipyard Museum and The Lightship PORTSMOUTH offer fascinating military artifacts, uniforms, ship models and exhibits interpreting 18^th, 19^th and 20^th century life in Portsmouth.

The Museum Day Live! ticket is available to download at  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/ and must be presented for admission. Visitors who present the Museum Day Live! ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues for one day only. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. For more information about Museum Day Live! 2013 and a list of participating museums and cultural institutions, please visit http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

About Smithsonian Media

Smithsonian Media comprises of its flagship publication, Smithsonian magazine, as well as Air & Space, goSmithsonian, Smithsonian Media Digital Network, and the Smithsonian Channel. Smithsonian Media is a division of Smithsonian Enterprises, the revenue-generating business unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum and research complex consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. Approximately 30 million people from around the world visit the museums annually.