Masks and vaccinations are recommended. Plan your visit
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.
Thursday, November 17, 2022–Sunday, January 29, 2023
The dimmed atmosphere of the microcinema sets the perfect scene to luxuriate in these abstract, transportive, and luminescent motion pictures.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019 • 7:30 p.m.
Pete and his wife, Toshi Seeger, shared an interest in film as an expressive medium. Beginning in the mid-1950s, they documented on film the music, dance, games, and occupational lore of the many places they visited around the world. Join us for a selection of these films.
Saturday, May 23–Monday, September 2, 2019
What are the formative experiences and encounters that can root a person's identity? In this collection of short films, the cinematic lens reveals essential and personal stories from a range of people.
Saturday, May 18, 2019 • 10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Join us for the inaugural MAX (Media, Arts, Exploration) Festival as we celebrate humanity’s modern frontier: space. Illuminating scientific exploration, the festival features artists exploring the new space age.
Friday, May 17, 2019 • 8:00 p.m.
When the moon passed between the Sun and the Earth on August 21, 2017, it didn't make a sound—but Exploratorium composer Wayne Grim and the Kronos Quartet turned the total solar eclipse into a piece of music unlike any other using sonified data. The Kronos Quartet will reprise the performance.
Friday, May 17, 2019 • 10:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Join us for the inaugural MAX (Media, Arts, Exploration) Festival as we celebrate humanity’s modern frontier: space. Illuminating scientific exploration, the festival features artists exploring the new space age.
Saturday, April 27, 2019 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.
Explore the many forms shadows can take. Watch shadows stretch, intersect, multiply, and warp throughout the day.
Thursday, April 11– Thursday, May 22, 2019
Offering a glimpse into the overwhelming majesty of the natural world and crafted from over a decade of video footage, Ice Hours features stunning views of Antarctic landscapes and the surrounding ocean set to an original score.
Saturday, March 23, 2019 • 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.
Explore the many forms shadows can take. Watch shadows stretch, intersect, multiply, and warp throughout the day.
Saturday, March 9, 2019 • 2:00 p.m.
Explore the many forms shadows can take. Watch shadows stretch, intersect, multiply, and warp throughout the day.
Friday, March 1–Sunday, April 28, 2019
In Silhouette invites you to experience remarkably complex and inventive works of shadow play. Upon entering the darkened Black Box, you encounter what appear to be mundane blank surfaces. However, hidden within each piece are unforeseen images that are revealed only under a flashlight’s beam.
Sunday, February 24, 2019 • Noon, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.
Crossing traditions of dancing images, abstract art, and minimalism, the Punto y Raya festival highlights eye-catching animations from around the world. Catch a 30-minute all-ages screening and at 3:00 p.m. watch the complete program of the 18 best films of the 2018 festival.
Saturday, February 23, 2019 • Noon, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.
Crossing traditions of dancing images, abstract art, and minimalism, the Punto y Raya festival highlights eye-catching animations from around the world. Catch a 30-minute all-ages screening and at 3:00 p.m. watch the complete program of the 18 best films of the 2018 festival.