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 2023 included cinema of sensations: the never-ending screen of val del omar, which brought the immersive, multisensory visions of the famed filmmaker and artist to u.s. Audiences for the first time; living with the walking dead, which explored the origins, production, fandom, and impact of the walking dead, one of the most watched shows in the history of cable television; and the return of marvels of media, presented in conjunction with a festival and awards ceremony, that celebrated the artistry of filmmakers, writers, and animators on the autism spectrum. 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 curriculum-based educational experiences to more than 70,000 students each year, as well as an array of dynamic, engaging 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. In partnership with local high schools, Museum educators bring the latest in digital technology to students in their classrooms. Through collaborations and partnerships, the Museum engages with local residents, businesses, and community organizations to create diverse programming, and the neighborhood council provides new voices to participate in decision-making processes at the Museum. Special family programs included a day of the dead festival featuring live performances and a juneteenth weekend with media-making activities celebrating black identity and heritage.

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 2023 included the annual see it big, focusing on extended cuts of classic films, giving audiences the rare chance to theatrically experience alternate cuts of some of our most beloved films; noriaki tsuchimoto, the first major u.s. retrospective of the japanese documentary filmmaker; and the first look festival, an annual showcase of 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.