Stewart became president and director of the Academy Museum in August 2022 / Photo: Ye Rin Mok
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles is running a major exhibition exploring the achievements and challenges of Black filmmakers in the US from the advent of cinema until the early 1970s.
Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971 has been extended until July 2023, and includes rarely seen excerpts of films, documentaries and newsreels, as well as photographs, costumes, props and posters. It also features contemporary artworks referencing the impact of the legacy of Black filmmaking and AR elements designed for the exhibition.
“This landmark exhibition seeks to restore lost chapters of American film history as it elevates the contributions of Black artists to present a more inclusive story,” says Academy Museum director and president Jacqueline Stewart.
“We’re incredibly proud to present Regeneration, an exhibition that demonstrates how the Academy Museum shares new scholarships, offers a more expansive vision of American film history, and encourages public dialogue about the past and present of film as an art form and a social force.”
Diversity of museum visitors Recent research carried about by the Academy Museum showed that it attracted more than 700,000 visitors in its first year, with 50 per cent under the age of 40 and 50 per cent self-identifying as being from under-represented ethnic and racial communities.
Speaking to New York Amsterdam News, Stewart said of the research: “We felt we were doing something right. We’re a brand-new museum, so we can see across the field how older museums have really been trying to figure out how they can be more inclusive in ways to reach out to LA’s diverse population — they had to go back and re-tool themselves.
“We had the opportunity to open with this mandate, and to think very carefully how our collections, how our exhibitions are reflective of the diversity of the global community. I think that matters to people.”
Stewart was appointed director and president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in August 2022, shortly before the first anniversary of the Renzo Piano-designed museum. A leading scholar, curator, and public educator on cinema, she had previously been appointed as chief artistic and programming officer of the museum in 2020.
“Our ambition in opening the Academy Museum was to give Los Angeles and the world an unprecedented institution for understanding and appreciating the history and culture of cinema, in all its artistic glory and all its power to influence and reflect society,” says Stewart.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Editor's letter: The power of stories
We think we understand the value of storytelling, but do we really? It’s important to be clear on what it contributes to our industry, says Magali Robathan
People: Simon Daniels
The director of the Handel & Hendrix in London attraction on the £3m revamp aiming to bring visitors closer to the musicians
People: Jacqueline Stewart
The president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on honouring the stars of Black cinema
Interview: Tom Lochtefeld
The ‘father of artificial surf parks’ changed the industry with his pioneering sheet waves. Now he’s back to shake things up again with new deep water wave technology
Talking point: Storytime
How can we use the power of story to connect to guests and create better attractions? We ask the experts
Interview: Brian Zimmerman
The world’s fifth biggest zoo closed its doors in September 2022. We go behind the scenes of the Bristol Zoological Society to find out what happens next
Sponsored: No matter the venue aquatic play delivers
Aquatic play helps keep kids happy,
resulting in higher spend from families.
WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some
of the attractions using aquatic play to
bring in more visitors and increase spend
Science centre: Eureka!
How the new science centre consulted with young people and industry to bring a quirky sense of fun to STEAM
Museums: New museums
From a Bangalore photography and art museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we review some exciting openings for 2023
Marketing: Screaming for screening
With its edgy brand and young visitor base, Merlin’s London Dungeon was a natural choice for an innovative marketing campaign aiming to take the stigma out of STI testing
Research: On the right track
After a rollercoaster ride, US theme parks are bouncing back, with opportunities for growth driven by gaming IPs, says Mintel
Visitor centre: Fish tale
A floating visitor attraction in Norway has been designed to promote fish farming, as Magali Robathan discovered
Stewart became president and director of the Academy Museum in August 2022 / Photo: Ye Rin Mok
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles is running a major exhibition exploring the achievements and challenges of Black filmmakers in the US from the advent of cinema until the early 1970s.
Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971 has been extended until July 2023, and includes rarely seen excerpts of films, documentaries and newsreels, as well as photographs, costumes, props and posters. It also features contemporary artworks referencing the impact of the legacy of Black filmmaking and AR elements designed for the exhibition.
“This landmark exhibition seeks to restore lost chapters of American film history as it elevates the contributions of Black artists to present a more inclusive story,” says Academy Museum director and president Jacqueline Stewart.
“We’re incredibly proud to present Regeneration, an exhibition that demonstrates how the Academy Museum shares new scholarships, offers a more expansive vision of American film history, and encourages public dialogue about the past and present of film as an art form and a social force.”
Diversity of museum visitors Recent research carried about by the Academy Museum showed that it attracted more than 700,000 visitors in its first year, with 50 per cent under the age of 40 and 50 per cent self-identifying as being from under-represented ethnic and racial communities.
Speaking to New York Amsterdam News, Stewart said of the research: “We felt we were doing something right. We’re a brand-new museum, so we can see across the field how older museums have really been trying to figure out how they can be more inclusive in ways to reach out to LA’s diverse population — they had to go back and re-tool themselves.
“We had the opportunity to open with this mandate, and to think very carefully how our collections, how our exhibitions are reflective of the diversity of the global community. I think that matters to people.”
Stewart was appointed director and president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in August 2022, shortly before the first anniversary of the Renzo Piano-designed museum. A leading scholar, curator, and public educator on cinema, she had previously been appointed as chief artistic and programming officer of the museum in 2020.
“Our ambition in opening the Academy Museum was to give Los Angeles and the world an unprecedented institution for understanding and appreciating the history and culture of cinema, in all its artistic glory and all its power to influence and reflect society,” says Stewart.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 1
Editor's letter: The power of stories
We think we understand the value of storytelling, but do we really? It’s important to be clear on what it contributes to our industry, says Magali Robathan
People: Simon Daniels
The director of the Handel & Hendrix in London attraction on the £3m revamp aiming to bring visitors closer to the musicians
People: Jacqueline Stewart
The president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on honouring the stars of Black cinema
Interview: Tom Lochtefeld
The ‘father of artificial surf parks’ changed the industry with his pioneering sheet waves. Now he’s back to shake things up again with new deep water wave technology
Talking point: Storytime
How can we use the power of story to connect to guests and create better attractions? We ask the experts
Interview: Brian Zimmerman
The world’s fifth biggest zoo closed its doors in September 2022. We go behind the scenes of the Bristol Zoological Society to find out what happens next
Sponsored: No matter the venue aquatic play delivers
Aquatic play helps keep kids happy,
resulting in higher spend from families.
WhiteWater’s Cassidy Newman shares some
of the attractions using aquatic play to
bring in more visitors and increase spend
Science centre: Eureka!
How the new science centre consulted with young people and industry to bring a quirky sense of fun to STEAM
Museums: New museums
From a Bangalore photography and art museum to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, we review some exciting openings for 2023
Marketing: Screaming for screening
With its edgy brand and young visitor base, Merlin’s London Dungeon was a natural choice for an innovative marketing campaign aiming to take the stigma out of STI testing
Research: On the right track
After a rollercoaster ride, US theme parks are bouncing back, with opportunities for growth driven by gaming IPs, says Mintel
Visitor centre: Fish tale
A floating visitor attraction in Norway has been designed to promote fish farming, as Magali Robathan discovered
London Museum will open four new food and drink destinations when it launches its new home
at Smithfield on 28 November, making hospitality a central part of the visitor experience at one
of the capital's biggest cultural openings of the year.
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
