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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.

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Upcoming Events

There's always something interesting happening here—check out our ongoing events.

Past Events
The Residents and Sewn Scenarios

Thursday, March 30, 2017 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.

Join us for a live performance by The Residents and a screening of Rushing Like a Banshee by John Sanborn. And watch sewing artist Paul Nosa embroider your ideas on fabric at Sewn Scenarios. Crawl through our pitch-black Tactile Dome, play with hands-on exhibits, experience Explainer-led demonstrations, and grab dinner and drinks by the Bay.
Saturday Cinema: Obscurus Projectum

Saturday, March 25, 2017 • 11:00 a.m–2:00 p.m.

Obscurus Projectum reimagines the multipurpose theatrical setting of the Exploratorium's Kanbar Forum as a large-scale camera obscura, drawing cinematic inspiration from a window overlooking the San Francisco Bay.
Expanded Cinema Selections from the Canyon Collection

Saturday, March 11, 2017 • 4:30 p.m.

Explore Canyon Cinema's fascinating collection of expanded cinema works. From films that create visual conversations through multiple projectors to works that forgo the traditional movie screen entirely, each selection radically reimagines the language of cinema.
Expanded Cinema Workshop with Alex MacKenzie

Saturday, March 11, 2017 • Noon–4:00 p.m.

Participants will learn how to work with 16mm projection devices and consider ways to extend their potential and re-purpose their function. Examine the elements of projection, discuss artists' works, and try out various techniques yourself.
Alex MacKenzie: Apparitions

Friday, March 10, 2017 • 7:00 p.m.

Join Vancouver-based media artist Alex MacKenzie for a presentation of Apparitions (2016), an expanded cinema work exploring the transitional space between image and abstraction, and nature and culture.
Extended Cinemas

Thursday, March 2, 2017 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.

Listen, peer, touch, and interact as Exploratorium Cinema Arts takes over museum spaces to provide experiences—both on and off the screen—created by artists and filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond. 

Saturday Cinema

Saturday, February 25, 2017 • 1:00 and 2:00 p.m.

Made in 1974 to promote the museum, Exploratorium uses alluring imagery, evocative sound design, and carefully selected conversations to provide a phenomenal and immersive sense of place.
In the Balance, Cinema Arts, and Everything Matters

Thursday, February 16, 2017 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.

Join Barbara Hammer for an evening of transmuted cinema, where images break through the screen in unexpected shapes. Explore the impact of neuroscience on a landmark case at In the Balance.  Or get a taste of potassium at Everything Matters with potato-avocado croquettes prepared by SeaGlass chef Nate Campbell and a stirring presentation by Exploratorium scientist and host Ron Hipschman.

Saturday Cinema: Glimpses of Love from StoryCorps

Saturday, February 11, 2017 • 2:00 p.m.

Join us for this program drawn from StoryCorps’ animation series, featuring family members’ affection for—and struggles with—one other; unexpected, life-changing friendships; and several of StoryCorps’ most beloved interviews.
Members-Only Saturday Cinema: Glimpses of Love from StoryCorps

Saturday, February 11, 2017 • Noon

Join us for this program drawn from StoryCorps’ animation series, featuring family members’ affection for—and struggles with—one other; unexpected, life-changing friendships; and several of StoryCorps’ most beloved interviews.

Saturday Cinema: Kino Kinetics
Saturday Cinema: Kino Kinetics

Saturday, January 21, 2017 • 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 p.m.

In conjunction with the temporary exhibition Curious Contraptions, this whimsical program of expressive short films explores the cinematic and kinetic realms of tinkering.  

Mechanical Melodies
Cinema Arts: Mechanical Melodies

Thursday, January 19, 2017 • 7:30 p.m.

The Musical Art Quintet will play accompaniment to a program of silent films from the early days of cinema, featuring mechanical wonders and inspired inventions. 

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