NEWSLETTER
New exhibition Auriea Harvey: My Veins Are the Wires, My Body Is Your Keyboard opens Friday, February 2
Astoria, New York, January 30, 2024 — This February, Museum of the Moving Image will open a major new exhibition devoted to net-art pioneer and sculptor Auriea Harvey, a groundbreaking Black woman artist who transcends boundaries across media; continues with the screening series Snubbed 2: The Performances, featuring 30 films with great performances that were not nominated for Academy Awards; and welcomes filmmakers, from the Oscar-winning production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein to emerging directors and others.
In celebration of Black History Month, the Museum will be presenting Paul Robeson in The Emperor Jones (Feb. 3 & 4), Pam Grier in Jackie Brown (Feb. 23 & 24), Prince (also as a director) in Under the Cherry Moon (Feb. 11), Oprah Winfrey in Beloved (Feb. 11 & 17), Alfre Woodard in Chinonye Chukwu's Clemency (Feb. 10 & 11)—many of these as part of the Snubbed 2 series; and will co-host community partner Afrikan Poetry Theatre’s Black History Month Film Festival, featuring screenings and discussion with local Black filmmakers, on February 17.
During midwinter recess for NYC public schools, the Museum will be open daily, February 17–25, 12:00–6:00 p.m. and will present weekday matinees of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and The Heron with drop-in media-making activities in its Media Game Lab. At the start of recess, February 16–18, visitors to the Game Lab will be able to play video games about climate change created by autistic game designers from Tech Kids Unlimited, an organization that transforms the lives of neurodiverse students by teaching computer science thinking and technology skills. Matinee screenings and Media Game Lab access are included with Museum admission.
Additional events include the New York premiere of About a Teacher, a film written and directed by NYC public school teacher Hanan Harchol followed by a panel discussion featuring leaders in education, on February 10; and Winter Dreams of Hope, featuring a screening, concert, refreshments, and conversation presented with community partner Emerald Isle Immigration Center, on February 3.
MoMI’s robust February program also includes Science on Screen: Welcome to the Machine, featuring a discussion with artist David Levine, whose hologram-like sculpture Dissolution is currently on view at the Museum, before a screening of The Lawnmower Man; and more. A full schedule can be viewed online here and summarized below (note: schedule may change or be updated without notice).
EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHT
Auriea Harvey: My Veins Are the Wires, My Body Is Your Keyboard
Opening February 2, 2024
MoMI will present the first solo museum exhibition devoted to pioneering net-artist and sculptor Auriea Harvey, who has persistently reimagined and redefined the creative boundaries of networked technologies in a career spanning nearly four decades. The exhibition will feature more than 40 of Harvey’s works, including her groundbreaking net-based interactives, video games, and augmented-reality sculptures. Harvey possesses a remarkable sensitivity to how the digital revolution of the 1990s spawned a societal shift in the way humans connect. Her work consistently reflects the paradoxical power of computers to enable intimacy while interfering with corporeal contact and occupation of shared space. The exhibition will be on view through June 30. Organized by Associate Curator of Media Arts Regina Harsanyi. Digital Art Conservation by Dragan Espenschied/Rhizome. This exhibition is made possible through generous support from the Terra Foundation. The Museum is grateful to the exhibition’s in-kind partners, which include: 4thBin; bitforms gallery, NYC; and ITP NYU.
Press release | Exhibition page
Also on view: The Jim Henson Exhibition; Reflected Forms: Story and Character in the Films of Todd Haynes and Horrible Sites: Makeup and Production Design for The Exorcist, both as part of the Museum’s core exhibition Behind the Screen; Eva Davidova’s Global Mode >, an interactive installation, on view in the lobby through February 12; and David Levine’s hologram-like sculpture Dissolution, on view in the Amphitheater Gallery through March 1.
See all current exhibitions here.
FILM SERIES
Snubbed 2: The Performances
January 26–March 10
Following last year’s popular Snubbed series, which focused on films that should have received some attention from the Academy but ended up with zero nominations, this year the spotlight is on performers who were “snubbed.” Were these actors in an Oscar-unfriendly genre such as horror or comedy? Was the character extremely unlikable? Did the actor make it look too easy? In the lead up to the 2024 Oscar ceremony, revisit these overlooked great performances in the dark of the movie theater. The series features 30 films and includes stars never taken seriously enough to get nominated (Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Steve Martin), underappreciated workhorses who have yet to win (Michelle Pfeiffer, Amy Adams, Alfre Woodard), and performers whose iconic roles just weren’t Oscar bait (Anthony Perkins in Psycho, Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon).
Organized by Eric Hynes, Curator of Film; Edo Choi, Associate Curator of Film; and Reverse Shot co-editor Michael Koresky.
FILM HIGHLIGHTS & PERSONAL APPEARANCES
< types furiously > I’m in!
Friday, February 2, 6:00 p.m.
The Lawnmower Man + Autoextinction
Friday, February 2, 7:00 p.m.
Artist David Levine, whose Dissolution is on view at the Museum, will talk with film critic Danielle Burgos (Screen Slate, MUBI Notebook) and Curator of Science & Technology Sonia Epstein about the aesthetics and themes that underpin Dissolution and inspired the film series Science on Screen: Welcome to the Machine. Followed at 7:00 p.m. by a screening of 1992’s cyber-horror meltdown The Lawnmower Man, preceded by John Menick’s new film Autoextinction, introduced by Menick. Event info
All Jacked Up and Full of Worms
With Alex Phillips in person
Saturday, February 3, 6:00 p.m.
Two strangers fall in love while consuming hallucinogenic worms together. Their psychotic bender takes them on a downward spiral through the back alleys of Chicago and into the primordial ooze. Part of Disreputable Cinema. Event info
Six Degrees of Separation
With production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein in person
Sunday, February 4, 1:00 p.m.
The rare stage-to-screen adaptation that preserves the theatricality and language of the play while also expanding it to become a truly cinematic experience. The elegance, beauty, and sophistication of the apartment where most of the action takes place exemplify the qualities that make von Brandenstein’s work so special. Patrizia von Brandenstein is one of the most revered production designers in film, with an Academy Award for Amadeus and nominations for The Untouchables and Ragtime. Part of Art & Craft, organized by Curator-at-large David Schwartz. Event info
Bad Press
With director Joe Peeler in person
Sunday, February 4, 5:30 p.m.
In this spellbinding real-life tale of journalistic activism, filmmakers Peeler and Landsberry-Baker follow the struggle of reporter Angel Ellis as she organizes the Mvskoke Media and general populace to push through a constitutional amendment. Part of New Adventures in Nonfiction. Event info
A Henson Valentine
With Craig Shemin, Karen Falk, and Rollie Krewson in person
Saturday, February 10, 1:00 p.m.
Join MoMI for a special Valentine-themed event celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Muppet Show predecessor "The Muppets Valentine Show" featuring Mia Farrow. Series curator and President of The Jim Henson Legacy Craig Shemin will be joined by special guests, master puppet designer/builder Rollie Krewson, who worked on the project as an intern, and The Jim Henson Company’s Director of Archives Karen Falk, who will present a show-and-tell featuring rare items from the Henson Archives and Rollie’s personal collection. Plus, they will pay tribute to some of Kermit and Miss Piggy's most romantic moments. The program runs approx. 100 minutes. Part of the Museum’s monthly series Jim Henson’s World.
About a Teacher
Screening and panel discussion
Saturday, Feb 10, 5:00 p.m.
MoMI is pleased to present the New York premiere of About a Teacher, an intimate and inspiring drama that candidly follows the first three years of the filmmaker’s journey as a new inner-city public high school film teacher, inspired by director Hanan Harchol’s real-life experiences. The screening will be followed by a moderated panel discussion featuring leaders in the public school education field. Event info
ONGOING SERIES
MoMI MOVIEHOUSE
Under the Cherry Moon
Sunday, February 11, 1:00 p.m.
Dir. Prince. 1986, 100 mins. 35mm. With Prince, Jerome Benton, Kristin Scott Thomas, Steven Berkoff, Emmanuelle Sallet, Alexandra Stewart. Following the runaway success of Purple Rain, Prince teamed with the great cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (Goodfellas) and jazz keyboardist Clare Fischer to bring a vintage smoky flavor to this tongue-in-cheek musical drama about a piano bar gigolo in the French riviera who seduces and then falls for a caged-bird heiress (Thomas). Event info
DISREPUTABLE CINEMA
The Gods of Times Square
Sunday, February 11, 5:30 p.m.
Dir. Richard Sandler. 1999, 93 mins. DCP. Shot over six years, Legendary photographer Richard Sandler documents the radical transformation of “the Crossroads of the Universe” from a democratic, interracial home to free speech and free spirits into a sanitized, soulless corporate theme park. Event info
SCIENCE ON SCREEN: WELCOME TO THE MACHINE
The Lawnmower Man
Friday, February 2, 7:00 p.m.
A cyber-horror meltdown, the wild The Lawnmower Man stars Pierce Brosnan as virtual reality engineer Dr. Lawrence Angelo and Jeff Fahey as unwitting gardener Jobe Smith who becomes Dr. Angelo’s human guinea pig, who gains superpowers inside a VR game engine. Preceded by John Menick’s new film Autoextinction. Event info
SCIENCE ON SCREEN: WELCOME TO THE MACHINE
Alphaville
Friday, February 16, 6:00 p.m.
Johnny Mnemonic
Friday, February 16, 8:00 p.m.
The Museum presents back-to-back screenings of the French New Wave classic Alphaville (Dir. Jean-Luc Godard, 1965) and Johnny Mnemonic (Dir. Robert Longo, 1995). A discounted combo ticket is available for $20. Event info
ALWAYS ON SUNDAY: GREEK FILM SERIES
Dignity
Sunday, February 18, 3:00 p.m.
Dir. Dimitris Katsimiris. 2022. 73 mins. DCP. With Electra Gennata, Giorgos Ieronymakis, Giannis Kotsifas. In this riveting, emphatically theatrical domestic drama, family members gather to celebrate their ailing patriarch’s birthday. When the fraught question of who is to care for the aging father comes up, the party evolves into an intense confrontation. Event info
WORLD OF ANIMATION
The Boy and the Heron
February 19–23, 12:30 p.m. daily
Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. 2023, Japan. 120 mins. DCP. The legendary animator Miyazaki, who has captured the imaginations of children and adults the world over for decades with his boundlessly creative fantasy worlds (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro), returns after a decade’s hiatus with an extraordinary and eccentric tale of a young boy entering an alternate realm of existence to help change his real world. The Boy and the Heron follows teenager Mahito, who moves with his father to the countryside from Tokyo after his mother is killed in a fire during World War II. There, an irascible, talking heron guides the boy on a journey into a fantastical parallel universe, where he might be able to save his own future and make sense of his past. Note: Monday, February 19 and Wednesday, February 21 will be in the English-dubbed version. All other showings will be in Japanese with English subtitles. Event info
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Winter Dreams of Hope: Film Screening and Concert
Saturday, February 3, 4:00 p.m.
MoMI hosts an afternoon of film, music, and refreshments presented by community partner Emerald Isle Immigration Center, in collaboration with Access Health NYC, NAIF Art Studio, and NYC Care, to embrace hope in the midst of winter. The short film, Gotta Be Gotta Do, directed by Valeriya Fadeyeva, about brothers Bezalem and Tafari Lemma, first-generation Ethiopian American musicians who hail from Newark. Learn more and RSVP here.
Afrikan Poetry Theatre’s Black History Month Film Festival
Saturday, February 17, 4:00 p.m.
The Afrikan Poetry Theatre is a cultural organization that has brought educational programs and workshops to southeast Queens for decades. MoMI is pleased to partner with APT on this annual program which celebrates the achievements of local Black directors, writers, and producers. The films include Sequin (dir. Averi Israel), Joekeim Chemist (Mic’d) (dirs. Karen Tamanji Stein & Craig Williams), and others to be announced. Event info
ACCESS PROGRAMS
Access Mornings
Saturday, February 3, 11:00 a.m.
Offered the first Saturday of each month (through May 2024), free Access Mornings at MoMI are dedicated to families with children on the autism spectrum and give families an exclusive opportunity to explore exhibitions and participate in workshops before public Museum hours. Activities range from hands-on craft-making to digital video workshops facilitated by trained Museum educators and local puppeteers. To reduce overstimulation in the galleries the volume is reduced or turned off and videos unrelated to the program’s theme are kept off. A complimentary light breakfast is included. This program is funded by the Butler Foundation.
Event info | Free with RSVP
About Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) is the only institution in the United States that deals comprehensively with the art, technology, enjoyment, and social impact of film, television, and digital media. In its stunning facility in Astoria, New York, the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, and creative leaders; and education programs. It houses the nation’s largest collection of moving image artifacts and screens over 500 films annually. Its exhibitions—including the core exhibition Behind the Screen and The Jim Henson Exhibition—are noted for their integration of material objects, interactive experiences, and audiovisual presentations. For more information about the MoMI, visit movingimage.org
Press contacts:
Tomoko Kawamoto, tkawamoto@movingimage.org, 718 777 6830
Jayna Zelman, Rubenstein, jzelman@Rubenstein.com
PRESS IMAGES
MUSEUM INFORMATION
Hours: Thursday, 2:00–6:00 p.m. Friday, 2:00–8:00 p.m. Saturday–Sunday, 12:00–6:00 p.m. Plus holiday hours.
General Museum Admission: $20 adults, $12 senior citizens (ages 65+) and students (ages 18+) with ID, $10 youth (ages 3–17). Children under 3 and Museum members are admitted free. General admission is free every Thursday, 2:00–6:00 p.m.
Address: 36-01 35 Avenue (at 37 Street), Astoria (Queens), NY, 11106
Subway: R to Steinway Street. W (weekdays only) or N to 36 Ave.
Program Information: Telephone: 718 777 6888; Website: movingimage.org
Membership: movingimage.org/join-and-support/become-a-member or 718 777 6877
Film Screenings: Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays, and as scheduled. Unless noted, tickets are $15 adults / $11 students and seniors / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free or discounted for Museum members. Advance online purchase is recommended.
Face masks are welcome inside the building and during screenings, but not required.
Please review all visitor safety guidelines here.
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Museum of the Moving Image is housed in a building owned by the City of New York and has received significant support from the following public agencies: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; New York City Council; New York City Economic Development Corporation; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; Institute of Museum and Library Services; National Endowment for the Humanities; National Endowment for the Arts; and Natural Heritage Trust (administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation). For more information, please visit movingimage.org.
Pictured: Prince in Under the Cherry Moon (courtesy of Warner Bros.) | Press gallery.