Moving Images
Hollywood History Stands Alone In Astoria
 Inside Tuts Gallery at the museum. |
By Jennifer Polland
There is nothing in all of New York City quite like Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image – in fact, there isn’t anything quite like it in all of the United States. Almost two decades after opening, the Museum of the Moving Image is still a unique species. This one comprehensive facility incorporates all elements of the moving image: film, television, video games, and online media.
David Schwartz, the chief curator of the Museum since it opened in 1988, has seen the evolution of the moving image, and has helped the Museum keep up with the emerging forms of media.
“We’re a unique kind of museum,” said Schwartz. “There are other places in New York that show film – the Museum of Modern Art has a very important film program – but we are the only museum where the programs are combined with galleries and exhibitions. We are the only museum that is devoted to film, television and digital media.”
More Than Movies
The Museum’s core exhibition, “Behind the Screen,” delves into the history of the moving image by presenting a mix of historical artifacts (like cameras and film reels), props (like costumes and make-up), video clips, commissioned art works, interviews and interactive exhibits. It surpasses any other museum because it focuses on far more than just film or television or video games; it embraces them all.
“We understand the moving image as a big story that includes film and television and digital media,” Schwartz said. “We opened in 1988, and back then I think the name was ahead of its time. A lot of people thought we should have called it the museum of film and television, but in time different forms of media emerged, and we weren’t limited by just film or television. The digital revolution has really blurred the boundaries between the different forms of moving images, and that is something we explore in the galleries.”
|
 The Living Room Candidate focuses on political commercials.
|
The Museum of the Moving Image was reportedly the first museum to begin collecting video games – a burgeoning multi-million-dollar industry today – and is still one of the only major museums in America to devote gallery spaces to the digital art form. “Digital Play,” a current exhibition, juxtaposes classic arcade games with current arcade-style games. Here, a classic Star Wars video game looks antiquated sitting next to Star Wars Battle Front II, a high-tech modern video game. But the video games are not cordoned-off exhibitions to be admired from afar: users are invited to experience the games first-hand.
“In presenting the new forms of media, we use new forms of technology in the way we design the exhibitions,” Schwartz said. “A lot of what people love is the interactive exhibits. I think the mix of artifacts and artworks and video clips takes advantage of the new technology. We try to be as advanced with new technology as the subject matter is.”
In addition to the hands-on video games, the Museum is equipped with interactive exhibits which encourage museum-goers to create their own video animations or dub a classic movie, like “My Fair Lady” in their own voices.
Beyond Its Borders
The Museum of the Moving Image receives about 90,000 visitors each year, but it has figured out a way to reach a larger global community: the internet. The Museum is building a database of its extensive collection of artifacts online at www.movingimage.us. Currently, about 1,000 artifacts have been photographed and catalogued online. The Museum has a collection of about 125,000 artifacts and is undergoing plans to meticulously catalogue each artifact online in the upcoming years.
“This is a physical space and we can’t fit everything in the museum,” Schwartz said. “So, we are putting a lot of our collection online for people to see.”
The Web site is turning into a full-blown cultural destination. In addition to the burgeoning online catalogue, the Museum presents exhibitions that are exclusive to the website. “The Living Room Candidate,” for example, is an online exhibition that takes a close look at television advertising as a political campaign tool. Visitors can watch TV commercials supporting presidential candidates – like JFK and Eisenhower – from the past 50 years.
 Inside Digital Play, which opened in 2006.
|
The Museum’s comprehensive use of the internet shows the Museum of the Moving Image to be a precocious and clever institution. Like the evolving forms of digital media that it presents, the Museum has successfully transitioned into the digital age. But, Schwartz said, despite the Web site’s success, it is crucial that the Museum not underestimate the importance of experiencing the museum in person.
“As more and more is happening with the internet, we always remember the importance of actually coming to the museum and seeing an exhibition,” Schwartz said. “So that is pretty critical in terms of the program. You can get most films on DVD today, but the live experience of seeing a film in its original format in a theater is really important, and nothing matches that.”
Film’s Natural State
When the Museum screens a film, it tries to foster a unique environment for the viewers. The films are presented in their original formats to recreate the experience of viewing a film as it was when it first came out. So a silent film would have live music accompaniment, for example. In November, the Museum will present a series on Technicolor films called Glorious Technicolor!, which will screen films, naturally, in Technicolor.
“When we prepare programs, we always pay attention to what else is happening in the city,” Schwartz said. “We try to have our own particular mix of films, moving between classic work and new work. We don’t have a collection, so when we show a film, we often bring it in from another source, but we always try to get the best quality film in its original format.”
The Museum frequently invites filmmakers and actors to many of its screenings, which are then followed by discussions. Some of the past guests have included Michael Moore, Forest Whitaker and Robert Altman. Later, the discussions are posted online in an exhibition called the Pinewood Dialogues. Schwartz believes that this is another feature which distinguishes the Museum of the Moving Image from other institutions of its kind.
“You always have to give people something that they won’t get at home,” Schwartz added.
The Museum of the Moving Image is currently preparing for a massive expansion that will render more gallery space, a new education center, a library, courtyard, cafeteria, and a state-of-the-art 270-seat theater. Construction is expected to begin by the end of this year and be completed by fall 2009.
“I think when we expand, we’ll be able to serve more people and be more of a destination,” Schwartz said. “The new galleries will allow us to have more flexibility and variety in our exhibitions which will make people want to come back more often. Also, as production gets more digital in the future, I think the exhibitions will reflect that. The Museum of the Moving Image always has to stay on top of new technology, and the expansion will allow us to that.”
For more information on the Museum of the Moving Image, call (718) 784-4520 or visit www.movingimage.us.
Right InThe Heart
Museum Goes Outdoors To Bring Art To Life
Shaun El C. Leonardo in action. |
By Juliet Werner
The Queens Museum of Art, under the leadership of Executive Director Tom Finkelpearl, has extended its hand again and again to its neighbors. This summer, as part of the Heart of Corona initiative, QMA commissioned four art pieces now on display just blocks away from the museum’s doors.
“Corona Plaza, Center of Everywhere: Four Site-Specific Projects,” which opened on June 10 and will run through Oct. 14, features works by artists Hector Canonge, Stephanie Diamond, Shaun El C. Leonardo and Xaviera Simmons, and seeks to further engage the public in the arts while raising awareness about social issues that are highly relevant in the immigrant community.
Stimulate The Community
According to QMA’s Web site, the Heart of Corona initiative aims to “improve the health of community residents; beautify the neighborhood; and activate public spaces in the area thereby enhancing the environment for visitors, residents and merchants alike.”
Stephanie Diamond’s cookbook entitled “This is What I Eat” addresses this first objective. Formatted to look like a circular, it contains recipes and photographs from Corona residents. Those who pick it up in the plaza’s grocery stores and newspaper bins regularly mistake it for an advertisement.
Curator Herb Tam, who has received feedback from participating business owners, said, “People don’t always realize it’s art,” adding that this “surprise reaction” is desirable.
Tam took artists on site visits before asking them to commit to the project and explained to them that “it’s not going to be a place where you can plop down a big sculpture.”
For his piece “Dystopic Walls,” Hector Canonge built a wall inside Western Union. As patrons enter the bank they see images evocative of their homeland projected onto the “border wall,” and then as they exit, images of Americans appear.
Tam said that although the art isn’t public, it’s accessible to anybody who uses these businesses. Still, he’d like to apply for the use of public space for next year’s “Center of Everywhere.”
Lucha Libre?
Whereas the majority of art is on display throughout the business day, Shaun El C. Leonardo’s performance piece has a limited run. On Sept. 15, the Forest Hills-born artist will reprise his role as a Mexican wrestler and continue his battle against, what he calls, the “invisible opponent.”
Leonardo has been appearing as this costumed character at restaurants and stores throughout the summer in order to hype “El Conquistador vs. The Invisible Man,” a 10-40 minute long wrestling match.
“I wanted to leave it on top when it was still fresh and impactful,” Leonardo said of his decision to retire the character a year ago. “Also there were physical risks. I quite literally said I can do this if I get to wrestle in Queens.”
Although the piece was inspired by Leonardo’s own struggle to come to terms with the masculine standard promoted by society, he hopes his audience will interpret this version as representative of the Mexican community’s attempt to navigate American society and culture.
“What will actually happen – I have no idea,” he admitted, adding, “I don’t care if any art-world figures come out. For me it’s for a sense of closure…and the neighborhood.”
A Part Of Something
The final work, on display at the Tacos Mexico on 102nd St., features the photography of Xaviera Simmons. Alfredo, the restaurant manager and owner’s son, serves as QMA’s ambassador, regularly explaining to customers that the piece captures what Corona must have looked like in the past.
“I dont know if it’s true or not,” he said. “But that’s what I’ve been telling people.”
Alfredo recalls the day that QMA approached him about the project. He agreed almost immediately.
“They weren’t charging anything; I didn’t have to buy anything. All I had to do is give them some space,” he explained. “They said other people were doing it and I wanted to be part of something.”
A Garden Treasure
Socrates Sculpture Park Gives Context To Art
By Brian M. Rafferty
Not all great art needs to be tucked away for only a select few to see. Besides, the context of a location often has a profound effect on the viewer’s interpretation of the piece.
Then what better a setting than outdoors, where art is exposed to an ever-changing backdrop, where seasons influence moods, where sun, rain, snow and wind can give the same piece a different life on any given day.
One such place where that can be found is at the intersection of Broadway and Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City. It is open 365 days a year from dawn to dusk. Throughout the year – especially in good weather – there are special events, such as concerts, film screenings and parties where people are encouraged to let a little bit of the context of the location affect their moods in other ways.
Check it out; you’re sure to enjoy it.
 Socrates joined with the Museum of the Moving Image for the annual Outdoor Film Festival
|
|
 Artists move in the centerpiece for an exhibit titled Shark
|
|
 What would you do if you came across a wall in the middle of a park
|
|
The wind changes the context of this piece
|
A Play on nature is made with electrical parts |
