There's a place in New York City that feels like a portal to a different, alternate reality. A place where you can go and discover the joy of learning nearly everything about the development of movies, television, and anything else having to do with images that move.
This great place is the Museum of the Moving Image, located in Astoria, Queens. As of now, to my knowledge, it's the only museum in the United States, dedicated to the history, invention, art, design, technology and evolution of what we call movies and videos.
I first went to this place years ago, when it was just the ambitious dream of its founders. As I remember -- it was small and cramped, but had great exhibits. The collections of costumes, props, photos, and assorted memorabilia from movies and television's early days took you back to those early days of what is now a huge business.
After plenty of fundraisers they renovated the place, and what a grand place it is! The architecture is very modern and makes use of natural light. But the best is the way the exhibits are presented. It's all interactive, and the way it presents the technology, history and how the art of the moving image has evolved, is very innovative.
When a group of us went there last summer, it was fun to interact with the Muppets exhibition. They also had a recreation of an old time movie "palace". We just loved the amazing collection they had of classic movies costumes and props, and a wall with photos of old and new stars and asked if you could identify them. The section on Star Wars alone, kept us so fascinated, that we had to be told to move on, so that others could enjoy it.
But the best part -- were the interactive exhibit that let you experience the different aspects of making a movie: like sound editing, adding music, editing the different scenes, adding sound effects, dubbing voices, and so many fun things that honestly, we had to force ourselves to finally go out.
The gift shop has such a varied and eclectic collection that I had to control my money so that I wouldn't buy half of the store. Every time I go there they have different themes and exhibitions, and did I mention that they have this screening room where they play the classic movies?
If you want to be transported to the way things used to be and yet feel like you are at the cutting edge of tomorrow, this is one place that is worth a visit.
