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
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
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
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
