Festschrift for an Archive

The largest and most active of its kind, MoMA’s Film Still Archive was closed down when the museum embarked on a $650 million expansion and renovation. Even the protests of Martin Scorsese, the New York Film Critics' Circle, and university film departments could not prevent this immense resource from being put in cold storage in rural Pennsylvania. Mary Corliss, the associate curator who managed the archive for 34 years, was laid off in the wake of her leadership role in the MoMA strike of 2000. She took her case to court.
In a Farockian manner, Simon’s institutional critique appeals to our sense of history and offers us the opportunity to judge for ourselves. This archiving of an archive is both a book and an exhibition, including an interview with Corliss, legal texts and vintage film stills depicting people at work, uniting labour and cinema. Thu 24-Sun 3, 12:00-18:00, free admission, PrintRoom