Academy Museum of Motion Pictures explained

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Logo Upright:0.5
Collection Size:over 13 million objects
Established:2021
Location:6067 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
United States
Type:Motion picture history
Owner:Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Architect:Renzo Piano
Kulapat Yantrasast
Publictransit: Wilshire/Fairfax (2025)
20 720

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is a film museum opened in 2021 located in Los Angeles, California. The first large-scale museum of its kind in the United States,[1] [2] it houses more than 13 million objects, and is dedicated to the history, science, and cultural impact of the film industry.

The museum is located in the historic May Company Building at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue,[3] part of Museum Row on the Miracle Mile. It is overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and administers the Academy's archives.

History

Originally expected to open in 2020, its completion and opening was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum eventually opened to selected celebrity guests on September 25, 2021,[4] and to the public on September 30.[5] [6]

Soon after its opening in September 2021, the museum attracted criticism for a perceived lack of focus on Jewish industry pioneers such as Carl Laemmle and Jack Warner, as first reported by Sharon Rosen Leib in The Forward.[7] [8] Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt expressed his disappointment, stating "I would’ve hoped that any honest historical assessment of the motion picture industry — its origins, its development, its growth — would include the role that Jews played in building the industry from the ground up". Rolling Stone, Bill Maher and Bari Weiss also raised the issue.[9] [10] [11] In January 2022, the Academy Museum announced plans to create a permanent exhibit dedicated to Jewish industry pioneers.[12]

On July 14, 2022, the museum voluntarily recognized Academy Museum Workers United as the bargaining representative for 160 of its employees.[13]

Design

The design of the museum was overseen by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The exterior of the May Company building, dedicated as the Saban Building following a $50 million donation from Cheryl and Haim Saban,[14] was refurbished with new limestone, as well as new gold leaf tiles for its corner "cylinder".[15]

The Saban Building's lobby includes two exhibit areas, the Spielberg Family Gallery and the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery.[16] [17] [18] The Shirley Temple Education Studio will be devoted to workshops on filmmaking, and include a collection of items and memorabilia from Shirley Temple's career.[19]

A spherical structure was built as an extension of the main Saban Building, connected via skyways, which features the glass-domed Dolby Family Terrace. The museum features two theater halls that will be used for film screenings, programming, and other special events; the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater in the Sphere, and the smaller, 288-seat Ted Mann Theater in the lower level of the Saban Building.[20] [21]

Academy Museum Gala

Academy Museum Gala is conducted every year to raise funds by public display of cinematic experience that includes showing filmmaking process in a raw form, or showing history of cinema.

Academy Museum Gala 2023 has been the third Gala in a row. This year Academy has managed to raise funds of $10 million. This year Academy Museum gala honored Meryl Streep, Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey.

Collections

The Academy holds more than 13 million objects including costumes, costume sketches, film reels, posters, props, and screenplays dating back to 1927.[3] In May 2020, the museum purchased the May Queen dress worn by Florence Pugh in Midsommar (2019) for $65,000, as part of a charity auction held by A24 to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts.[22]

Some key objects in the Museum's collection include:

Exhibitions

The second and third floors of the museum will feature the opening exhibition "Stories of Cinema".[25] The inaugural temporary collection of the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery was devoted to Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.[26] The exhibition opened on September 30, 2021, and was on view until June 5, 2022. This was the first time Miyazaki’s work was featured in a major retrospective in the United States. The collection also displayed pieces on public view for the first time outside of Japan.[27]

The 11,000-square-foot exhibition features more than 300 objects, including original image boards, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds, posters, and cels. The exhibition’s curators, Jessica Niebel and assistant curator J. Raúl Guzmán worked with Studio Ghibli and the Ghibli Museum in Japan to gather all the materials. There are interactive installations displayed throughout the exhibit, the “Mother Tree,” Skyview, and Magical Forest, to name a few, each inspired by a different Miyazaki Film.[28]

Following that will be an exploration of the history of Black cinema to 1971.

Galleries in the museum will be dedicated to a variety of topics. Inaugural galleries covered:[3]

An area featuring Oscar statuettes will be dedicated to historic Oscar winners, including Ang Lee, Barry Jenkins, Sidney Poitier, and Buffy Sainte-Marie.

A "largely uncritical" exhibit on the history of the film industry, slated to be called "Where Dreams Are Made: A Journey Inside the Movies", was scrapped by Kramer to be replaced with a more "complex, complete" exhibit.[3]

In May 2024, the museum opened its first permanent exhibition, "Hollywoodland: Jewish Founders and the Making of a Movie Capital".[29]

Board of trustees

The museum's initial board of trustees included:

Film premieres

The museum is also a site for Los Angeles premieres of new films.[30] [31] Films that have held premieres here include:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: December 18, 2020 . Amid Covid-19 adjustments, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles delays opening by five months . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201218202722/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/amid-covid-19-adjustments-academy-museum-of-motion-pictures-in-los-angeles-delays-opening-by-five-months . December 18, 2020 . 2021-05-10 . . en.
  2. Web site: Miranda . Carolina . 2020-06-15 . Citing 'devastating pandemic,' Academy Museum once again delays opening — to April 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200615195313/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-06-15/academy-museum-of-motion-pictures-delays-again-until-april-2021 . June 15, 2020 . 2021-05-20 . Los Angeles Times.
  3. News: Pogrebin . Robin . Movie Museum Rethinks Exhibitions in Response to a Changing World . 18 June 2021 . . June 6, 2021.
  4. Inside an Unforgettable Night at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala . . Adam . Rathe . September 27, 2021 . 2021-10-20.
  5. Web site: 2021-03-11 . Academy Museum will roll out a digital red carpet before the Oscars . live . 2021-05-20 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . https://web.archive.org/web/20210311034155/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-03-10/academy-museum-opening-preview-tour-oscars . March 11, 2021.
  6. News: Grand Opening Of Long-Awaited Academy Museum Arrives Thursday . . September 30, 2021 . 2021-10-20.
  7. News: Rosen Leib . Sharon . Jews built Hollywood. So why is their history erased from the Academy's new museum? . The Forward.
  8. Web site: Rosen Leib . Sharon . 2021-10-14 . The new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles neglects Hollywood's Jewish founders . 2022-05-14 . The Forward . en.
  9. Siegel . Tatiana . January 14, 2022 . 'Where Are the Jews?': Scandal Erupts at the Academy Museum . 23 January 2022 . Rolling Stone.
  10. Web site: Absence of Jewish legacy at LA's Academy Museum of Motion Pictures spurs outcry . 23 January 2022 . The Times of Israel.
  11. Web site: Haring . Bruce . January 22, 2022 . Bill Maher's 'Real Time' Talks Covid-19, Crime, And A Gay Marriage Between Biden And Obama In His Return From Break . 23 January 2022 . Deadline.
  12. Web site: 2022-01-28 . Outrage from donors pushed Academy decision . 2024-05-05 . The Forward . en.
  13. Web site: Robb . David . 2022-07-14 . Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures Voluntarily Recognizes Union To Represent Its Workers . 2022-08-14 . Deadline . en-US.
  14. News: Rottenberg . Josh . September 27, 2017 . $50 million gift from Cheryl and Haim Saban gives Motion Picture Academy museum a major boost . .
  15. Web site: 2021-03-10 . Renzo Piano completes Academy Museum of Motion Pictures . 2021-05-20 . Dezeen . en.
  16. Web site: Kilday . Gregg . 2013-11-19 . Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg Each Donate $10 Million to Academy Museum . 2021-05-20 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  17. Web site: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures offers up The Matrix, Dorothy and Pedro Almodóvar . live . 2021-05-10 . The Art Newspaper . April 6, 2020 . en . https://web.archive.org/web/20200411224320/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/blog/academy-museum-of-motion-pictures-offers-up-the-matrix-dorothy-and-pedro-almodovar . April 11, 2020.
  18. Web site: 2020-02-07 . Academy Museum nears completion and gives a sneak peek inside . 2021-05-10 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  19. Web site: Gray . Tim . 2015-10-08 . Shirley Temple Family Gives $5 Million to Academy Museum . 2021-05-10 . Variety . en-US.
  20. Web site: Bart . Peter . 2020-02-08 . Academy Museum Unveils New Theater As It Nears Fundraising Goal . 2021-05-10 . Deadline . en-US.
  21. Web site: Rus . Mayer . Architect Renzo Piano Gives An Inside Look at the Forthcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles . 2021-05-10 . Architectural Digest . January 20, 2019 . en-US.
  22. Web site: Rubin . Rebecca . Rico . Klaritza . 2020-05-19 . Academy Wins Bid for 'Midsommar' May Queen Dress From A24 Charity Auction (EXCLUSIVE) . 2021-05-10 . Variety . en-US.
  23. Web site: 2019-10-18 . Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures Announces Acquisition Of Bela Lugosi's Iconic Cape From Dracula . 2021-08-17 . Oscars.org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. en.
  24. News: Bruce, the last 'Jaws' shark, docks at the Academy Museum . Bahr . Lindsey . . . November 23, 2020 . November 24, 2020 . December 2, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201202051922/https://oanow.com/news/national/bruce-the-last-jaws-shark-docks-at-the-academy-museum/article_465a4404-9f17-597a-9085-3b0a47a38aec.html . dead.
  25. Web site: 2020-04-06 . What You'll Find At The Academy Museum When We Can Go To Museums Again . 2021-05-10 . LAist . en.
  26. News: Barnes . Brooks . 2018-12-04 . Film Academy Museum, Yet to Open, Reveals Inaugural Exhibitions . en-US . The New York Times . 2021-05-10 . 0362-4331.
  27. Web site: Academy Museum . 2022-10-25 . www.academymuseum.org.
  28. News: You can now enter Hayao Miyazaki's enchanting animated world at the Academy Museum . en . NPR.org . 2022-10-25.
  29. Web site: Cieply . Michael . 2024-05-05 . Michael Cieply: Two Weeks Out, The Academy Museum Preps A Cautious But Correct ‘Hollywoodland’ Opening . 2024-05-05 . Deadline . en-US.
  30. News: Academy Museum's Inaugural Film Premiere Will Be Focus Features' 'Last Night In Soho' . Anthony . D'Alessandro . October 8, 2021 . Deadline Hollywood.
  31. Robert Pattinson, H.E.R. and More at the Academy Museum Premiere Party . Marc . Malkin . September 30, 2021 . Variety.
  32. Web site: Chuba . Kirsten . 2022-11-18 . Events of the Week: ‘Disenchanted,’ ‘Glass Onion’ and More . 2024-08-01 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  33. Web site: Delaney . Jillian . 2023-06-09 . ‘Elemental’ premiere in Los Angeles, Calif. . 2024-08-01 . New York Daily News . en-US.
  34. Web site: Chuba . Kirsten . 2023-11-17 . ‘May December’ Team Weighs in on Film’s Real-Life Comparisons: “This Is Not the Story of Mary Kay Letourneau” . 2024-08-01 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  35. Web site: Bradley Cooper joined by daughter and Lady Gaga at 'Maestro' premiere . 2024-08-01 . ABC News . en.
  36. Web site: 2023-12-07 . 'The Color Purple' movie premiere in L.A. . 2024-08-01 . New York Daily News . en-US.
  37. Web site: Bennett . Jessica . 2024-01-08 . JAY-Z, Dave Chappelle, And More Attend ‘The Book Of Clarence’ Premiere And Afterparty . 2024-08-01 . VIBE.com . en-US.
  38. Web site: 2024-04-03 . 'Civil War' movie premiere in L.A. . 2024-08-01 . New York Daily News . en-US.

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