American Museum of the Moving Image
Encyclopedia
For the former museum of the same name in London, please see Museum of the Moving Image (London).


The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in Astoria, Queens
Astoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...

 on the former site of the Kaufman Astoria Studios
Kaufman Astoria Studios
The Kaufman Astoria Studios is an historic movie studio located in the Astoria section of the New York City borough of Queens.-History:It was originally built by Famous Players-Lasky in 1920 to provide the company with a facility close to the Broadway theater district. Many features and short...

. The museum originally opened in 1988 as the American Museum of the Moving Image. The museum began a $67 million expansion in March 2008 and reopened in January 2011. The expansion was designed by architect Thomas Leeser.

About

The Museum of the Moving Image exists to expand public understanding and appreciation of the art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....

, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

, technique
Skill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...

 and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

 of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

, and digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...

 by collecting, preserving, and providing access to moving-image related artifacts via multimedia exhibitions and educational programming. The exhibits include significant audio/visual components designed to promote an understanding of the history of the industry and an understanding of how it has evolved. Panel discussions about current movies are frequently held at the museum. It is also home to one of the most significant collections of video games and gaming hardware. The museum's attendance has grown from 60,000 in 2000 to an expected figure of 120,000 in 2011.

Astoria Motion Picture and Television Center Foundation

The museum's history as the Astoria Motion Picture and Television Center Foundation traces its history to 1970, when the Foundation took control of the former Kaufman Studios in an effort to preserve the now-landmarked building which was home to a number of significant productions. The foundation's work was a success, revitalized the site and consumers' interest in the industry and plans were made to expand the consumer access to the studio in the form of a museum.

American Museum of the Moving Image

Following seven years of work, and at a cost of $15 million, the American Museum of the Moving Image opened on September 10, 1988, in the former East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...

 home of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...

 as the first museum in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 that was devoted solely to the art, history and technology of film, television and video. This was followed, days later, by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 museum of the same name. The New York theater, ultramodern by the standards of 1988, was equipped to present 70-millimeter, 35-millimeter, 16-millimeter and video formats and was one of only two sites in New York with the ability to present old nitrate prints. It also re-created moments from television and video history and allowed visitors the opportunity to watch television in a TV lounge from the early days of television.

Museum of the Moving Image

In 2005, it was among 406 New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...

.

In March 2008, the museum broke ground for a $65 million expansion that doubled the museum's size and added a new theater and educational space. While closed, the museum held programming off site, although the collection was still available to scholars.

The museum opened its redesigned and expanded building, designed by Leeser Architecture, on January 15, 2011.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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