Museum of the Moving Image

Exhibitions and the collection:the Museum presents an ambitious slate of large- and small-scale permanent and changing exhibitions and video and art installations. the Museum's core exhibition, behind the screen, immerses visitors in the creative process of making Moving images. It features over 1,400 artifacts, from nineteenth-century optical toys to video games, as well as an array of interactive experiences, audiovisual material, and artworks. the jim henson exhibition explores the groundbreaking vision and transformative cultural impact of the beloved American artist, featuring a broad range of objects and materials including puppets, storyboards and character sketches, and moving-image media documenting his experimental film projects. Changing exhibitions during fiscal year 2024 included my veins are the wires, my body is your keyboard, the first major survey of the work of pioneering net-artist and sculptor auriea harvey; and horrible sites: makeup and production design for the exorcist. the Museum maintains the nation's largest and most comprehensive collection of artifacts relating to the art, history, and technology of the Moving Image. With approximately 130,000 artifacts, the collection, which includes costumes, licensed merchandise, technical apparatus, movie theater furnishings, and video and computer games, spans from the silent film era to today's world of digital media creation.

Education and community engagementthe Museum provides educational experiences to more than 70,000 students each year, as well as an array of dynamic and multi-lingual tours, talks, workshops, and screenings for children, teens, families, adults, and seniors. In-person and virtual workshops range from film appreciation and world-building with video games to science-fiction cinema, hands-on media making and puppetry for the screen. Game lab offers a dynamic space for visitors of all ages to experiment with the latest in digital technology to create games and animations. Digital game design intensives and summer media camps, led by professional filmmakers and game designers, provide teens and tweens with the opportunity to collaborate in the creation of digital media. the annual teen council program continued to serve as a job development program for teens interested in the media arts, with council members curating and programming public events for youth. In partnership with local high schools, Museum educators bring the latest in digital technology to students in their classrooms. In may 2024, the Museum premiered a new space, open worlds, a 15,500 square-foot, wi-fi-enabled, free community resource for visitors to convene, find creative inspiration, and experience new media technologies. Free programs presented as part of open worlds included artists talks focusing on the craft of the Moving Image, puppeteering workshops, and a celebration of juneteenth featuring live music and dance.

Screenings, events, and online projects:each year the Museum screens more than 500 films, presenting a panoramic view of the Moving Image, with live music for silent films, restored prints from the world's leading archives, and new films from the international festival circuit, the Museum's screening program provides a state-of-the-art, immersive viewing experience for visitors. Programs in fiscal year 2024 included the second annual version of snubbed, focusing on legendary film performances that went unrecognized by the academy awards; extended cuts of classic films, giving audiences the rare chance to theatrically experience alternate cuts of some of our most beloved films, and the 13th annual first look festival, showcasing adventurous new cinema from around the world. the Museum's website, movingimage.org, is a repository of Moving Image related material and lore and features the online journals reverse shot and sloan science & film, which continue to publish works exploring the past, present, and future of the Moving Image, and the intersection of science and cinema, respectively.