The only museum in the nation dedicated to showcasing the arts, history, and technology of movies, television, and digital media, the Museum of the Moving Image is certainly one of New York City’s coolest hidden gems. Tucked in the folds of Astoria in Queens, the fascinating space is jam-packed with hands-on, family-friendly activities and exhibits year-round. If it’s the first time you’re hearing about this wondrous place where grown-ups and kids alike can frolic and play, set aside an afternoon to pay a visit long overdue!
Behind the Screen
The Museum’s core exhibition, the unique, highly interactive showcase occupies two floors and features 1,400 artifacts from the Museum’s vast collection of moving image memorabilia, from old-fashioned production tools like cameras and projectors, to licensed merchandise such as lunchboxes, dolls, and board games.
The exhibit invites visitors to try their hands at an assortment of playable old-school video and console games, including Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Super Mario Bros., and marvel at a wide array of iconic movie and TV ephemera (there’s a Star Wars Yoda puppet, some sweaters from The Cosby Show, and costumes and makeup pulled from the set of Mrs. Doubtfire, all on display!).
Guests can also make personalized flipbooks to take home, create email-able stop-motion clips, and dub their voices into scenes of famous movies and TV shows (feel like giving Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz a funny accent, or Will Smith’s character in Independence Day a silly lisp? Have at it!).
Jim Campbell: Rhythms of Perception Art Exhibit
Visitors of all ages are sure to appreciate the Museum’s new art exhibition, which features a bevy of mind-blowing artistic experiments created by Jim Campbell, known mainly for his skills in transforming technology into art.
Open now through mid-June, the exhibit boasts over 20 of Campbell’s works, and highlights the diverse nature of his sprawling career. Among the pieces on view is an installation from his iconic series ‘Exploded View,’ in which moving images such as birds, runners, and commuters only become apparent from a particular vantage point. Also on display is a large-scale grid of LEDs depicting Campbell’s personal home movies, along with an exciting new work: a never-before-seen digital self-portrait.
Family-Friendly Screenings and Tut’s Fever
The Museum offers daily screenings of a variety of classic films and TV shows, the majority of which are family-friendly. It boasts three screening areas: the Redstone Theater, used mainly to present weekend and special event screenings; The Bartos, a much smaller (68-seat) screening room that acts as a secondary theater; and, last but certainly not least, Tut’s Fever Movie Palace—arguably the Museum’s coolest screening space. A remarkable work of art crafted by Red Grooms and Lysiane Luong, Tut’s Fever awesomely evokes an Egyptian-themed cinema from the 1920s and 30s.
Now that we’ve mentioned it, The Palace is presently screening Spencer Gordon Bennet’s 1950 sequel to the ever-popular Superman serial, starring Kirk Alyn as the beloved comic book hero. Pop in on a Saturday or Sunday now through May 9th at 1:00, 2:00, or 3:30pm to catch the thrilling flick, or on weekdays (Wednesday through Friday) at 2:00pm. Teeming with nail-biting action shots, it’s a movie all adventure lovers are sure to enjoy!
The Drop-In Studio
On Saturdays, young ones can casually stop by the Museum’s Drop-In Studio and unleash their creative sides at sessions held by the Museum’s educators. Kids seven and up can create cool projects like thaumatropes (hand-drawn optical toys), short animations, videogames, and flipbooks.
“It’s a hands-on space where they can explore some of the ideas that are introduced in the galleries and take them a little bit further,” says Chris Wisniewski, the Museum’s deputy director for education. The Studio also offers more formal workshops during school breaks (on weekdays between April 14th and 22nd, ‘Master Builder’ stop-motion animation workshops will be held at 1:00pm and 3:30pm, immediately following a matinee screening of The Lego Movie in 3D!).
Looking Ahead: Summer Media Camps
Every summer the Museum offers media camps that grant kids ages 9 through 13 the opportunity to become media creators, and let their imaginations really run wild! Choose from a variety of courses in moviemaking, animation, and videogame design, including ‘Lights, Camera, Action!,‘ in which campers collaborate and write, direct, and perform a silent movie); ‘Indie Game Makers,’ which gives kids the chance to work with professional game developers; and ‘Magic in Motion,’ which introduces enrollees to the wonders of stop-motion animation.
“[Campers] work with teaching artists and instructors here at the museum, and they make their own videos, animated movies, and video games in specialized workshops that really allow them to immerse themselves in the creative process of making moving images,” says Wisniewski. “It’s about giving [them] the insight into how moving images are made, and all of the different choices that go into making a movie, or an animated short, or a videogame.”
The exciting educational experience culminates in a spectacular show-and-tell at the end of each week-long session, during which kids can proudly present the fruits of their labor to their parents and fellow campers!
