Exploring the Museum of the Moving Image: A Beacon of Digital Literacy and Cultural Inclusion in NYC

Astoria has erupted into one of New York City’s most popular—and expensive—neighborhoods but, like any one of them, there are treasures in store for those who know where to look.

Take a stroll down 35th Avenue and you’ll bump right into the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), one of the prizes of my adolescence for which I am forever grateful. This extensive and thoroughly curated media museum is a delight for anyone who appreciates art, history, technique and technology of film, television, and digital media. It prizes itself as “the only museum in the U.S. that explores the central technology of the present moment. “

Still, the museum offers its visitors opportunities to ponder our past, present, and future. Consider its position as “a place where we can all make sense of the forces and experiences that create our shared reality.”

Additionally, think about the following statement, published on MoMI’s official website:

“Museum of the Moving Image serves as a bridge to connect diverse communities to the moving image, in all its forms, with the goal of together building a more equitable and inclusive cultural future. MoMI strives to be welcoming to everyone who passes through our doors, with programs, exhibitions, and a staff that reflect the diversity of our community. MoMI’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is informed by an anti-oppressive, intersectional, international, and community-centered approach to all that we do. A ubiquitous and powerful form of creative expression and communication, the moving image can serve to enliven, uplift, and build a deeper understanding of ourselves and one another.”

That’s an arresting point during a time when media freedom continues to weather attacks from figures within the far-right movement who have pledged to curtail it. The work of foreign correspondents is dependent on the preservation of this freedom. Moreover, the work of our organization, so vital to the effectiveness of the foreign press, is inextricably linked to its sanctity.

In this respect, it’s all the more notable that MoMI is a center dedicated to digital literacy, a responsible steward in an age tainted by the pernicious spread of misinformation and disinformation. These efforts have significantly informed my own work as a press freedom advocate. While I’ve always been naturally curious—a trait that undoubtedly endeared me to this line of work—I could not have known as a teenager just how much MoMI would impact my personal commitment to press and media freedom principles.

In a piece I wrote for our website in 2021, I detailed just a few of the consequences of living in a society with declining levels of media literacy, especially when more and more Americans are relying on social media for their news. My article, largely a response to a 2020 Pew Research Center survey that found roughly 53% of Americans rely on social media platforms like Facebook for their news despite holding unfavorable opinions toward social media platforms overall, noted that these conditions contributed to a vacuum that allowed COVID-19-related misinformation to spread unchecked. It’s impossible not to wonder just how many lives could have been saved had the United States cultivated a healthier information environment.

The educational programming at MoMI reflects a commitment to fostering such an environment, particularly among the young. There are talks, workshops, and screenings aimed at children, teenagers, and families, engaging them even in out-of-school youth programs. As a teenager, I once described MoMI as “the YMCA for the cinematic arts” and in a way it is, offering a wealth of opportunities that, much like “the Y,” significantly better the lives of the local communities, particularly those members who fall within historically marginalized groups.

Teens and tweens, for instance, can participate in media game labs that afford them the opportunity to “experiment with new tools while solving design challenges.” Those who join the Teen Council can “help shape the Museum’s teen programs offerings, and take a leadership role in the planning of a large-scale Teen Design Jam,” and learn the ins and outs of “working in an arts and cultural organization, meet museum professionals, and gain real-world experience in event-planning, outreach, and project management.” Parents: If you weren’t aware of this, now you are.

The museum is one of New York City’s most worthwhile resources. Spending time there is an experience I recommend to all. Many of you, as I did, have not had the privilege of attending Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, one of the city’s celebrated performing arts schools. While I can freely admit that high school is a place I’d never go back to again, there’s no doubt about how much I benefited attending a school conveniently located across the street from what, to my adolescent film buff eyes, offered treasures beyond my wildest dreams.