Open Worlds at the Museum of the Moving Image

Open Worlds is a new initiative of the Museum of the Moving Image, an accessible, 15,500-square-foot, climate-controlled, WiFi-enabled community resource for visitors of all ages looking to convene, find creative inspiration, learn about and experience new media technologies, or participate in many diverse programming selections.

Boasting one of the largest free community spaces in Queens, MoMI will make Open Worlds available during all operating hours through October. Its offerings will include a wide range of free community and technology-focused programming spanning themes of content creation, Pride, accessibility, science on screen, special effects, video gaming, and much more.

All programs are free and unless noted do not require prior registration.

Upcoming Events

Open Worlds Opening Day
Saturday, May 18th, 4-9pm
Special for today: 3:00–6:00 p.m. free admission to the whole Museum!
Join MoMI for the opening day festivities of Open Worlds! DJ Stretch Armstrong will kick off the party alongside an installation by artist Joshua Davis on the Schlosser Media Wall. Take a break in the Fox Amphitheater with an educator-led Virtual Reality experience.

Live Code: Real-Time Visual Music Since the 1980s
Sunday, May 19th, 1-2pm
Featuring: Char Stiles, Roxanne Harris, Anton Marini (vade), and Nick Montfort, moderated by Associate Curator of Media Arts Regina Harsanyi

The rich art history of visual music spans more than a century. The mid-1980s saw the emergence of a new chapter—artists generating music and visuals through live, often real-time programming. As live coding practices gained momentum, the algorave scene flourished: in these entrancing process performances artists create both music and visuals with the code often unfurling on the screen for all to see. Don’t miss this panel, part of Open Worlds opening weekend, featuring artists and subject experts who will share insights into the groundbreaking artwork, software, and events that have shaped live code practices.

Summer Blockbuster Movie Trivia
Friday, May 24th, 6:30–8:30pm
Movie Trivia NYC leads a trivia night dedicated to a Memorial Day weekend tradition: summer blockbuster season kick-off! Space may be limited, so arrive early to secure a good spot and lead your team to victory and prizes. Limit 50 participants, up to 6 people per team.

Puppeteering at MoMI
Saturday, June 8th, 1-4pm
Puppeteer Brian T. Carson leads a puppeteering workshop exploring the fundamentals of the art form, open to all ages and skill levels.

Henson Music in the Courtyard
Saturday, June 8th, 2-4pm
Enjoy a performance of instrumental music from films that have captured the hearts of audiences for decades. From beloved classics like “The Rainbow Connection” to the playful and poignant melodies of The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock, the John Koozin Trio pays homage to the creativity and joy that Henson’s work has brought to the world.

Celebrate Juneteenth at MoMI
Wednesday, June 19th
In celebration of Juneteenth, a holiday which commemorates the official end of slavery, and which originated in Galveston, Texas, we will honor Juneteenth’s origins and celebrate Black Texan culture with a day of programming including a museum tour, music, film screening, talk, and dance performances led by Edge School of the Arts with LIFE Camp drummers in partnership with Eagle Academy.

Adapting the Moving Image with Brent Black
Saturday, June 22nd, 1:30pm
Wondering how artists create their work on screen? Join writer, composer, and performer Brent Black (aka Brentalfloss) to discuss adapting his own work for YouTube as well as adapting The Wrath of Khan into an Off-Broadway musical. Black is a comedian, musician, game developer, and entertainer. He’s best known for his YouTube parody music channel Brentalfloss, and as a songwriter with a background in musical theater, he wrote the music/lyrics/book of Khan!!! The Musical!, a Star Trek parody musical which had a critically acclaimed and sold-out Off-Broadway run in the spring of 2023.

Everything by Valerie Green/Dance Entropy
Sunday, June 23rd, 3–4pm in the Kaufman Courtyard
In celebration of the summer solstice, Everything is a dance performance installation evoking the ever-expanding universe, transforming the performance space into a constellation of stars and human bodies in various states of formation and explosion. Inspired by astrophotography, string theory, interconnectivity and meditations on space and time, the new dance work, conceived and directed by Valerie Green, weaves together a visual, physical, and emotional translation of the cosmos.

Founded in 1998, Valerie Green/Dance Entropy believes in humanizing movement, both in Ms. Green’s critically acclaimed choreographic work and the company’s mission to plant creative seeds in communities across the world. Intersecting mortal and transcendent, sensual and sophisticated, visceral and self-aware, VG/DE invites the artist, the audience—the human—into a compelling, physical experience. Based out of its home studio, Green Space in Queens, VG/DE combines performance and specialized outreach programs to inspire communities in cultural institutions throughout the world.

More than Meets the Eye
Friday, June 28th & Saturday, June 29th
MoMI opens its doors for a series of free events that bring into conversation mycologists, biologists, and neuroscientists alongside light artists, musicians, and filmmakers, exploring how the tools of science and cinema can reveal more of the world than is visible to the naked eye. This program is supported by the Simons Foundation.

More events will be added as they are confirmed. Find them below!