Stetson University, along with 11 participating museums and galleries located in West Volusia County, will be holding the annual Smithsonian Museum Day event on Saturday, Sept. 28. This event gives the opportunity to promote cultural education in an interactive way that is more accessible than ever. Each of these participating museums will be open, free of charge, offering free tours, refreshments, as well as artistic, hands-on activities for children.

A shuttle will be available for free transportation to eight out of the 11 participating museums, including: Stetson University’s Gillespie Museum, Hand Art Center, and the Natural History Museum inside Sage Hall Science Center, African American Museum of the Arts, Florida Museum for Women Artists, Museum of Art, The Henry A. DeLand House Museum & The Robert M. Conrad Educational & Research Center, and The DeLand Memorial Hospital Museum. The shuttles will be running every 15 minutes all day long, giving guests plenty of time to explore and enjoy each museum/gallery.

The Gillespie Museum, located at 234 E. Michigan Ave., on Stetson’s campus, will be featuring a never-before-seen exhibit called, “A Passion for Collecting.” This exhibit portrays the legacy of T.B. & Nellie Gillespie. The Gillespie Museum will also be offering activities for children including a beading workshop with minerals and stones, Geo-BINGO, refreshments, and free tours. This particular museum, along with the Natural History Museum and the Hand Art Center, all located on Stetson’s campus, are offering MainStreet dollars in exchange for an online coupon that is available on the Smithsonian webpage: www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday.

Smithsonian Museum Day is a national event where museums and galleries from all over the country collaborate with their respective local museums and hold a similar celebration to the annual event that DeLand is hosting.

“It is a really nice way of letting the community know about some of our lesser known collections including those in the Natural History Museum inside Sage Hall. That collection is only a few years old,” said Melissa Gibbs, Stetson biology professor. “This is the perfect opportunity to culturally grow in an interactive way and explore new, local exhibitions.”

To find out more information on this event, download a free ticket, or view a map of the participating museums, visit MainStreet Art & Culture at macdeland.com.

by Courtney Allbee