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The Cinema Arts Program

Approaching movies as an active viewing experience, staff in the Cinema Arts Program view the projection screen as a portal to investigation. We engage with filmmakers who create works that inspire the imagination and instigate conversation. Animation, documentary, poetic observations, and abstract visuals serve a broad spectrum of curious audiences while blending the methods and aesthetics of artists and scientists. Through our programming, we aim to provide an opportunity for visitors to explore the compelling people, places, and ideas that extend through the museum and beyond. Our collection of films and events offer a rich resource for public audiences, and also provide an important research collection for both our teaching programs and exhibit development teams.

Upcoming Events

Colorful soap film
Something Wonderful . . .

Thursday, July 1–Sunday, October 31, 2021

Visual delights, ingenious craft, and luminous phenomena. Something wonderful awaits you in this collection of artist-made films.

Past Events
Exploratorium Fog Festival

Saturday, September 28, 2013 | 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

Interspatial: E.A.T., Cybernetic Serendipity, and the Future of Creative Collaboration

Saturday, September 21, 2013
10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Symposium
7:00–8:30 p.m. Screening and Performance including Collusion by Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst

This day-long symposium focused on architectural and metaphorical conceptions of space.
Off the Screen: Computations, Animations

Thursday, September 19, 2013 | 8:30 p.m.

Celebrating the tradition of filmmakers using computer technology to shape the cinematic experience.
Saturday Cinema: Chromatic Cinema

Saturday, September 14, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Experience a kaleidoscope of color on the big screen. These dynamic shorts pop, dance, and spin through the color wheel—visualizing the unseen, exploring the expanses of our visual depth, and offering subtle insight into just how colors are made.
Off the Screen: Science as Cinema, Science as Photograph

Wednesday, September 25, 2013 | 7:00 p.m.

Ukichiro Nakaya and Iwanami Films
Saturday Cinema: Learning with the Lights Out

Saturday, September 7, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Saturday Cinema: One Click at a Time

Saturday, August 24, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Celebrate the essence of film—stop motion animation.
Experiments in Terrace: Seasonal Shifts

Wednesday, August 21, 2013 | 8:30 p.m.

Saturday Cinema: Trash

Saturday, August 17, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Trash can be a treasure! This selection of films showcases creative individuals re-purposing discarded materials to create valuable objects of art and diversion.
Saturday Cinema: Reflections and Light

Saturday, August 10, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Light always carries information in the form of images, and reflections, in some fashion, always mirror those images. This film program explores the physical and metaphorical potential of this essential jumping-off point.
Saturday Cinema: Geometry in Motion

Saturday, August 3, 2013 | 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Animations and handcrafted masterpieces explore the limitless potential of geometry with kaleidoscopic transformations, dancing patterns, dramatic narratives, and hypnotic shifts in space.
Films by the Fire

Saturday, July 20th, 2013 | 8:30 p.m.

The final night of Harrell Fletcher's expedition to Mount Diablo will include a gathering around the movie screen at base camp.

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