Leeser Architecture to Present Visionary Design Integrating Architecture, Digital Technology, and the Art of the Moving Image...
On Thursday, February 10, 2005, Museum of the Moving Image will unveil the design for a major renovation and expansion of its facility in Astoria, New York. A press conference and will be held at the Regency Room of the Regency Hotel at Park Avenue and 61st Street beginning promptly at 4:00 p.m.

Museum Director Rochelle Slovin and Chairman of the Museum Board of Trustees, Herbert S. Schlosser, will introduce the architect, Thomas Leeser, and the design team, which includes graphic design firm 2x4, lighting design firm L'Observatoire International, acoustical consultants Jaffe Holden Acoustics, and audio/video systems experts Scharff Weisberg.

The expansion will nearly double the size of the Museum and will feature an outdoor amphitheater, new digital media galleries, and a dedicated education center, as well as a new 74-seat screening room plus complete renovation of the existing 200-seat Riklis Theater; a new lobby, Museum shop, and café; and a dramatically enhanced street presence.

Leeser's innovative design features an advanced electronic infrastructure to permit the integration of moving image media throughout the building. The expansion and renovation will enable the Museum to continue to greatly advance its pioneering work in the presentation of moving images that examine the intersection of art, technology and culture.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2005, and will be built in phases to allow the Museum to remain open throughout the building process, scheduled for completion in 2008. The expansion is budgeted at a cost of $25 million.

Museum of the Moving Image is the only museum of its kind in the United States. Its exhibitions are noted for the integration of material objects in conjunction with computer-based interactive experiences and audio-visual presentations. It houses the nation's largest collection of moving image artifacts, screens hundreds of films annually, and offers education programs to thousands of New York City students and teachers.

Please RSVP to Marjorie Sweeney or Tomoko Kawamoto at the Museum's press office at (718) 784-4520, extension 225 or by email at msweeney@movingimage.us

Written and visual materials will be distributed at the event.