The Rhode Island Historical Society will offer free admission to the John Brown House Museum and Museum of Work and Culture on Saturday, Sept. 18, as part of Smithsonian Magazine’s 17th annual 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.

The annual event allows museums, zoos, and cultural centers from all 50 states to emulate the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington facilities, which offer free admission every day. This year’s event is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company.

With many public spaces being shut down for a year or more, Museum Day 2021 celebrates the reopening of museums after long closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme, “Experience America,” represents the return to, and resurgence of, our country’s diverse cultural experiences, in the safest possible way. While tickets will be free of charge, participating museums will have safety precautions in place for this year’s event so guests can safely and comfortably enjoy their experience.

In addition, the Museum of Work & Culture will present the Smithsonian and the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s “Picturing Women Inventors,” a poster exhibition that explores the inventions of 19 highly accomplished American women. Also on display within this exhibition will be “Rhode Island Women Create,” a snapshot of the historical accomplishments of Rhode Island women in the arts and sciences, using objects drawn from the Rhode Island Historical Society’s collections. Both exhibits draw attention to the often-overlooked innovations that have been directly contributed by women.

Museum Day tickets are available for download at Smithsonianmag.com/MuseumDay. Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues on Sept. 18. One ticket is permitted per email address. A list of participating museums, which will be continually updated as more museums continue to register, can be found at www.Smithsonianmag.com/MuseumDay.