The following piece is written by Garrett Hoppin on his experience visiting the Gibbes Museum in Charleston, SC, part of the the Blue Star Museums Program.
Living in Washington DC has taught me many lessons, one of them being that during the summer months, after a day of sweating through outdoor monuments and various exhibits looking for a place to escape the heat, an air-conditioned museum is your best friend. And now, thanks to the Blue Star Museums Initiative that opens up over 850 museums nationwide to military families between Memorial Day and Labor Day, there is no cost involved. In my opinion, this program, by Blue Star Families and the National Endowment for the Arts, is one of the greatest things to come along for military families in a long time.
When I heard that my mom and I would be going to Charleston, SC for a Blue Star Museum event, honestly, all I could think about was the weather. It has been in the 100s lately in DC, so I imagined that it could only be hotter down South. I was right. We rolled into Charleston and it was a crazy 102 degrees. Mom started talking about all the sightseeing we were going to be doing (all outdoors) and I began looking for a museum, dreaming of cold air. Thankfully, we were in town to attend an event at the Gibbes Museum, one of the 800+ museums taking part in the Blue Star Museums program.
The morning of the event, it was ridiculously hot, so it was a relief to escape into the museum. We were joined by two members of the Army Wives cast as well as NEA staff, a professor from the College of Charleston and other Blue Star Family members. They actually opened the museum early for us and we were treated to a private tour by the curator. Just a note, if you’re interested in going to the Gibbes, make sure to go when a docent is available. The docents are incredible; you can tell that they have a passion for what they do and they have a deep knowledge of Charleston’s history.
From the road, the Gibbes Museum looks like a very ornate house, but in reality it is so much more. From the Dome on the second floor to the history of Charleston told through the art, it was a great way to spend the morning. One of the most amazing exhibits was probably the miniature portraits. If you haven’t seen them before and wonder what the heck I am talking about, they are literally tiny portraits of people who are so precise it’s easy to understand how some of the artists actually went blind over time from painting them. The intent was for their loved ones to keep the pictures with them so that whenever they were separated they would have a memento to remind them of home. As our tour guide noted, the closest modern day comparison would have to be Facebook!
In addition to the great tour, one of the morning’s highlights was being joined by Brian McNamara and Terry Serpico (to those of you who are Army Wives fans, General Michael Holden and Lt Colonel Frank Sherwood respectively) from the Lifetime show, Army Wives. I got a chance to interview both of them and learn more about their experiences working on the show. Mr. McNamara said that out of the many roles that he has played, it is definitely one of his favorites due to the fact that he has the chance to channel his brother who is a retired Navy captain. When asked how he prepares for his role, he merely rolled back his shoulders and stood up a bit straighter, commenting that his authoritative posture is a big part of his character. Mr. Serpico likes to emulate his father who is a retired Army Colonel. When asked how he gets into character once the cameras are rolling, he simply said that his father was a hard core Army officer, so he plays his character the same way. It was great to have a chance to talk to both of them and find out their ties to the military. And what a great surprise to find out how really down-to-earth they are.
Needless to say, I enjoyed my time at the Gibbes Museum and learned so much. Since the Blue Star Museum program has over 850 participating museums, I will definitely be visiting plenty more before the program ends Labor Day.
I hope that as many military families can take advantage of the opportunity that I had today (don’t forget, the program ends Labor Day). The Gibbes Museum (for those of you that live in the area) is a great place to start, and for those of you with kids, they even have a scavenger hunt. If you want to know if kids would enjoy it, we have first-hand knowledge because Mr. McNamara’s son, Tyler was kept busy with the game and had an amazing time. Make sure to take advantage of this great opportunity! Keep checking in with the blogs for other peoples’ experiences!
-Garrett Hoppin
Editor’s Note: Blue Star Museums is a partnership between Blue Star Families, a military family support organization by military families for military families, and the National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency supporting artists and arts organizations and bringing the arts to all Americans. It’s available through over 850 participating museums, which generously offer free admission to all military families (all branches, including National Guard and Reserve). The program runs from Memorial Day, May 31, 2010, through Labor Day, September 6, 2010. For more information about the program and to see an interactive map of all participating museums nationwide, please visit www.bluestarfam.org. It is offered as a gesture of appreciation for all that military families do for our nation.