During the Museum of the Moving Image’s annual gala in Astoria on Dec. 1, state Senator Michael Gianaris announced that he had secured $5 million in state funding to advance the museum’s educational work in film, television and digital media.
“The Museum of the Moving Image is a powerful space to experience the history and project the future of film, television, and digital media. It has appropriately made its home in Astoria, Queens – the core of New York’s film and television industry – for years,” Gianaris said. “I am so proud to announce this funding to support their educational mission and enhance access to the incredible exhibitions they have for all to enjoy for generations to come.”
The funding secured in the 2022-23 state budget will go toward situating educational tools at the core of the museum’s exhibition space and giving the greater public access to the museum’s media and game labs.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have the ongoing support of Senator Gianaris,” Museum of the Moving Image Executive Director Carl Goodman said. “We are enormously grateful to him for securing funding that will help take the Museum, its educational mission, and visitor experience to the next level.”
MoMI’s Digital Innovation Lab for Media and Games is a venue for free digital literacy classes, workshops and media design challenges, aimed at people of all ages and abilities. Participants learn to create their own digital games, short videos, apps, and digital artworks using mixed media, virtual media, and augmented reality, with opportunities to earn industry-standard badges in media and tech.
“Education lies at the heart of the museum’s mission and this major support from the state will provide us with a strong foundation as we look to the future,” added Ivan Lustig, Co-Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Museum of the Moving Image.
Honorees at this year’s MoMI Gala event included filmmaker Sarah Polley, Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras and two-time Emmy-nominated composer Michael Abels. The evening also included a tribute to late filmmaker and visual effects pioneer, Douglas Trumbull (2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Blade Runner) and a performance by The Harlem Quartet.
