Warren brought the MIT Museum into existence in 1971 and fortunately had the opportunity to visit the museum in our beautiful new location in Kendall Square. Warren’s vision to share the extraordinary intellectual resources of MIT with a broad and diverse public and draw people into new kinds of conversations about the future of technology will continue to inspire all of us at the MIT Museum for many years to come.
You can learn more about Warren Seamans's founding of the MIT Museum in this <a href="https://arts.mit.edu/mit-collects-part-1/">interview</a> published by MIT's Center for Art, Science, and Technology (CAST), and in the below video where Seamans reflects on the work of Harold "Doc" Edgerton.

Honoring the life of MIT Museum’s Founding Director Warren Seamans, who passed away in October 2024.

Honoring the life of MIT Museum's Founding Director Warren Seamans

Four projects address critical issues about Outer Space from an artistic point of view

Cambridge, MA, September 5, 2024 – The MIT Museum announces the new exhibition Cosmograph: Speculative Fictions for the New Space Age by DESIGN EARTH, offering an artistic perspective on challenging issues in an era where outer space is both a frontier for human exploration and a new territory for exploitation and development by private enterprise. Exquisite large drawings and miniature 3D printed sculptures created by the artists present speculative visions of the future, which are contextualized by historical objects, such as rocket models from the MIT Museum's collection and a meteorite from a private collection. Cosmograph includes four of DESIGN EARTH's projects that deploy the imaginative powers of science fiction to both critique legacy technologies and tell new stories about our potential relationship with the cosmos. 
This new exhibition is on view starting September 20, 2024 through Spring 2025 in the Martin J. (1959) and Eleanor C. Gruber Gallery of the MIT Museum. It is organized and presented at the MIT Museum in collaboration with the MIT Center for Art, Science &amp; Technology (CAST) through a recently established partnership CAST X MITM. DESIGN EARTH is an architectural practice founded and directed by Rania Ghosn and El Hadi Jazairy.
"Bringing art and science together to explore possible futures is at the core of the MIT Museum's vision" says MIT Museum director Michael John Gorman. "We are thrilled to present the work of DESIGN EARTH as part of our recently launched partnership with MIT's Center for Art, Science &amp; Technology. Rania Ghosn and El Hadi Jazairy confront us with provocations, scenarios and speculations at a cosmic scale that invite us to reconsider our present trajectory. We look forward to presenting further ambitious artistic experiments as our collaboration with CAST continues to grow."
Cosmograph comes at a time when space exploration —travel, settlement, and mining—is the subject of renewed enthusiasm, but also in an era of debate about the politics and values of such projects. Space — once optimistically considered the province of all humankind — is now being opened to private entrepreneurs. As decommissioned satellites litter the skies, private expeditions to space become possible, and industries like asteroid mining emerge, new legal, ethical, and spatial design questions arise about its future. 
Known for projects that probe environmental topics, the architectural practice DESIGN EARTH combines historical research with storytelling to initiate conversations in the space between technology and speculative fiction. Integrating architectural design, drawing, and science, the artists use the principles of "cosmography" to create speculative narratives for the New Space Age. A term first used by 19th-century explorer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, "cosmography" refers to combined knowledge from various disciplines, including geography, astronomy, and natural history. 
Some of the work on view has been commissioned and included in exhibitions in venues such as the Venice Architecture Biennale (2018 and 2021), MUDAC in Lausanne, Matadero Madrid, and SFMOMA. This is the first time this body of work has been presented all together in a major museum. 
Two public programs with the artists will be presented as part of the exhibition September 28, 2024 / 1-2:30pm

Cambridge Science Festival: DESIGN EARTH in Conversation with Irene Sunwoo, John H. Bryan Chair of Architecture and Design at The Art Institute of Chicago, and an introduction by MIT CAST Executive Director Leila W. Kinney 

 
October 23, 2024 / 4-6pm
Artist’s Reception: Remarks by DESIGN EARTH, Michael John Gorman, The Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director, MIT Museum and Professor of the Practice of Science, Technology and Society, and Evan Ziporyn, MIT CAST Faculty Director and Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music.
About DESIGN EARTH
Design Earth is an architectural research practice that deploys speculative projects to foreground the climate crisis as a matter of public concern. Its work has been featured internationally —most recently at Venice Biennale, Bauhaus Museum Dessau, and Milano Triennale—and is in the New York Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. Rania Ghosn and El Hadi Jazairy are the authors of Geographies of Trash (2015); Geostories: Another Architecture for the Environment (3rd edition, 2022); The Planet After Geoengineering (2021); and Climate Inheritance (2023).
DESIGN EARTH has been recognized with several awards, including the United States Artists Fellowship, the Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts Awards, and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Faculty Design Awards for outstanding work in architecture and related environmental design fields as a critical endeavor.
DESIGN EARTH was founded and is directed by Rania Ghosn and El Hadi Jazairy. 
Rania Ghosn (b. 1977, Beirut, Lebanon) is an Associate Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
El Hadi Jazairy (b. 1970, Algiers, Algeria) is an Associate Professor of Architecture and Director of the Master of Urban Design degree program at the University of Michigan.
 About CAST X MITM Cosmograph marks the second exhibition in the collaboration <a href="http://arts.mit.edu/cast-x-mit-museum">CAST X MITM</a>, a partnership between the MIT Center for Art, Science &amp; Technology and the MIT Museum. The CAST X MITM partnership, launched in September 2023, is an ongoing series of art-science installations and programs. Programming includes open MIT class sessions and public lectures led by professors and visiting artists on topics ranging from drawing to design to music technology.
About the Center for Art, Science &amp; Technology The <a href="http://arts.mit.edu/cast">MIT Center for Art, Science &amp; Technology (CAST)</a> creates new opportunities for art, science, and technology to thrive as interrelated, mutually informing modes of exploration, knowledge, and discovery. CAST supports visiting artist residencies, art-science research projects, faculty creative work, and curricular initiatives. Evan Ziporyn, Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music, is the faculty director, and Leila W. Kinney is the executive director.
ABOUT THE MIT MUSEUM In October 2022, a reinvented<a href="https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/"> MIT Museum</a> opened in a new location in the heart of the Kendall Square Gateway of MIT’s campus at 314 Main Street in Cambridge, MA. The museum aims to make innovation and research available to all by presenting the best of STEAM, and to “turn MIT inside-out,” inviting visitors to take part in on-going research while demonstrating how science and innovation will shape the future of society.
 
Highlights include freshly conceived exhibitions featuring objects from the Museum’s prodigious collections of over 1.5 million objects, along with loans of art and other objects; the Lee Family Exchange event space for public dialogue and conversation; the hands-on Heide Maker Hub, where audiences can experiment with putting scientific ideas into action; and an enlarged Store. Michael John Gorman is The Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director of the MIT Museum and Professor of the Practice of Science, Technology and Society, Kathryn Gunsch is Deputy Director, and Ann Neumann is the Director of Galleries and Exhibitions.
The MIT Museum is open daily 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For more information, including accessibility and amenities, please visit mitmuseum.mit.edu.
Address: 314 Mass Ave, MIT Building E28, Gambrill Center, Cambridge, MA 02142.
Located next to the Kendall/MIT MBTA Red Line stop at the new Kendall Gateway to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Campus.
 
MEDIA CONTACT:
 
Leah Talatinian
+1-617-253-5351
<a href="mailto:leaht@mit.edu">leaht@mit.edu</a>
<a href="mailto:museumpr@mit.edu">museumpr@mit.edu</a>

Four projects address critical issues about Outer Space from an artistic point of view.

MIT Museum Presents Exhibition Cosmograph: Speculative Fictions for the New Space Age by DESIGN EARTH

It was a record-breaking year for the museum. Take a look.

<a href="https://mit-museum-cms-files--production.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/MITMus_Annual_Report_FY24_0918-rev.pdf?v=1727376870">The report</a> shares highlights of a highly successful year in which the museum welcomed a record number of visitors, moved 1.5 million objects in our collections to a new storage facility, launched seven new exhibits, offered a range of programs and hands-on activities, and participated in outreach activities beyond our walls.
Please be in touch if you are interested in supporting the museum’s future endeavors as we look to next year with great anticipation of what we can achieve together.

We are pleased to share our FY24 Annual Report with highlights from the period July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024.

MIT Museum FY24 Annual Report

The MIT Museum has released the full program guide for this year's Cambridge Science Festival.

“Cambridge Science Festival is a touchpoint for everyone to find joy, meaning, and human connections” said Keelin Caldwell, Director of Engagement and Cambridge Science Festival at the MIT Museum. “Take the time to explore the many options for free programming all across Cambridge and find your inner scientist, no matter what your background is.”
Michael John Gorman, the new Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director of the MIT Museum, and Yi-An Huang, Cambridge City Manager, recently met at the MIT Museum to reflect on the importance of Cambridge Science Festival throughout the community.
“The Cambridge Science Festival represents an opportunity for inquisitive visitors of all ages to celebrate our diverse, creative community and experience our rich innovation,” said Yi-An Huang, Cambridge City Manager. “This has become one of Cambridge’s signature events of the year and we are thrilled to once again partner with the MIT Museum for this special week-long showcase.”
The Cambridge Science Festival showcases the newest ideas and innovations in science, art, technology, engineering, design, and more, that spark conversations about the role of science and innovation in our society and for all humankind. The festival includes four thematic days as well as a slate of one-time events that are presented by organizations and venues across Greater Boston and are designed for a wide range of audiences. All Cambridge Science Festival events are free of charge, and in addition, the MIT Museum will also provide free admission to all during the week of the festival. 
FESTIVAL SERIES &amp; EVENTS Below are a sampling of some of our exciting programs; explore the full list of 300 programs <a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/festival-guide-2024/">here</a>. 
<a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/in-the-neighborhood/">IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD</a>
Monday, September 23 - Sunday, September 29 | City-wide
100+ festival events taking place in neighborhoods across the city, in local libraries, open labs and a whole host of public spaces. Workshops, panels, lectures and more. Highlights include:
<a href="https://bit.ly/47dW5qx">Democracy in the Age of AI</a>
Tuesday, September 24, 7pm | MIT Museum
There has been widespread discussion of the potential dangers posed by AI to our democratic processes, but are there ways in which AI could actually help democracy? Hear from global experts Former Minister of Digital Affairs of Taiwan Audrey Tang, Professor of Media Arts and Sciences Deb Roy and Founder and CEO of DemocracyNext Claudia Chwalisz in conversation with MIT Museum Director Michael John Gorman and experience the promise of shared listening and deliberation. 
<a href="https://bit.ly/3zfO33M">Discovery after Dark</a>
Wednesday, September 25, 6pm | Broad Discovery Center
You are invited to a night of discovery, celebration, and scientific wonders at "Discovery After Dark," brought to you by the Broad Discovery Center and BroadIgnite. This is an exclusive, after-hours party during the week of the Cambridge Science Festival. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. This year’s party is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Broad Institute.
<a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/lunch-learn/">LUNCH &amp; LEARN </a>Bitesize lunchtime events throughout the city. Topics range from renewable energy to medical science, AR experiences to digital music, astrophysics and more. Highlights include:

<a href="https://bit.ly/3Mvo3EQ">Don’t Be Intimidated: Explore Ancient Assyria in AR </a>Monday, September 23, 12pm | Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East

Step into history with The Art of Intimidation: Journey to Ancient Assyria - an augmented-reality Snapchat lens that brings to life the royal palaces of ancient Nineveh and Nimrud (in what is now Iraq). Witness a variety of scenes, from the celebratory to the violent: all designed to demonstrate the political landscape around 640 BC. Use your phone to try the app in the galleries, then meet the curator to discuss this unique blend of science, history, and creativity.
<a href="https://bit.ly/3Mt8FZB">Astrophysics Science Slam </a>Tuesday, September 24, 12pm | Marlar Lounge, MIT Building 37

At this Lunch and Learn event, come listen to researchers and post-docs from the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Sciences share short and interesting stories about their research! Each presenter will give a 5-10 minute talk on their research covering topics from exoplanets to stars to galaxies and beyond. There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions of any/all of the presenters.
<a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/curated-theme-for-the-win/">For the Win: Games, Puzzles, and the Science of Play </a>Thursday, September 26, 5-9pm

Multiple evening events clustered around the Kendall/MIT Open Space. Highlights include: 
<a href="https://bit.ly/47atKkO">Game On! </a>Thursday, September 26, 6-8pm | MIT Museum

Join an experiential after-hours session at the MIT Museum, offering the full spectrum of game-related activities, from the scientific to the downright silly. Meet Tik-Tok bio-engineers Malik and Miles George, enjoy a performance from MIT’s innovative laptop orchestra, try out a giant size strategy game and more.
<a href="https://bit.ly/3MvpTp5">Game Matters </a>Thursday, September 26, 6-7pm | MIT List Visual Arts Center

Join artist Jeremy Couillard and researcher Mikael Jakobsson for an exciting and timely conversation on the social value of play. Their conversation will explore why games are important, from both a critical and design point of view, and delve into the anthropological consequences of gamified technology.
<a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/curated-theme-frontiers/">Frontiers: A New Era of Space Exploration </a>Friday, September 27 - Saturday, September 28

Two days of space-themed events and activities for all ages, co-curated by <a href="https://spaceconsortium.org/about/">The Space Consortium</a>, organizers of <a href="https://spaceconsortium.org/space-week-schedule/">Massachusetts Space Week</a>. From lab tours to book signings, panel discussions to star-gazing, opportunities to ‘ask-an-astronaut’ and more. Highlights include:
<a href="https://bit.ly/3XciYWN">Space, Drinks, and Trivia: An Evening with an Astronaut at the Aeronaut! </a>Friday, September 27, 6pm | Aeronaut Brewery and Taproom

Visit the Aeronaut for an entertaining evening of space-themed activities. Enjoy a captivating talk and Q&amp;A session with former astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman on the possibility of life on Mars with Happy Hour from 6-7pm, followed by a Space Trivia event from 8-9pm. Co-hosted by Astronomy on Tap Boston and The Boston Space Network. Age 21+. 
<a href="https://bit.ly/3z3Sj6u">Is Anyone Out There? </a>Saturday, September 28, 7pm | MIT Welcome Center

This expert panel explores the latest research and theories about the existence of extraterrestrial life, the tools we use to search for it, and what discovering life beyond Earth could mean for humanity. Featuring Sara Seager from MIT AeroAstro, Kim Arcand from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Michael Hecht from the MIT Haystack Observatory. Moderated by Alissa J. Haddaji, planetary protection expert and founder/director of The Space Consortium and Massachusetts Space Week.
<a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/curated-theme-electric-skin/">Electric Skin: Wearable Tech and the Future of Fashion </a>Saturday, September 28, 10am - 10pm | The Foundry

CSF teams up with <a href="https://www.bostonfashionweek.com/">Boston Fashion Week</a> and <a href="https://affoa.org/">AFFOA - Advanced Functional Fabrics of America</a> to co-curate an exploratory day of discovery and demonstration. Join industry leaders from the fashion, fabric and wearable-tech worlds, meet the next generation of artists, designers and engineers, and experience the cutting-edge innovations that will define what we wear in the coming decades.Highlights include:
<a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/curated-theme-electric-skin/#id5558">AI and Imagination: Enhanced Creativity </a>Saturday, September 28, 10am | The Foundry

Generating imagery, video and music with AI is already commonplace, but how are garment designers using AI tools to enhance their creative process? This inspiring panel introduces the leading-edge in AI-assisted fashion design, exploring the many possibilities presented by generative technology. Find out how AI is already influencing artists and creators, and join the discussion about what’s coming next.
Moderated by Fiorenzo Omenetto (Tufts, Silklab). Panelists include: Norma Kamali (Designer), Behnaz Farahi (MIT Media Lab), Onur Yüce Gün (New Balance), Zoey Zhu (IDEO).
<a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/curated-theme-electric-skin/#id5573">What Are We Wearing In 50 Years' Time? </a>Saturday, September 28, 1pm | The Foundry

Join leading thinkers, designers and engineers as they imagine the future of fashion. Will climate conditions dictate the evolving priorities of the fashion and fabric industries? Will wearable tech enter the mainstream? Will fast-fashion fall out of favor, and will AI contribute to new models and ways of thinking? 
Moderated by MIT Museum Director Michael John Gorman. Panelists include: Sasha Stolyarov (AFFOA), Petra Slinkard (Peabody Essex Museum), Norma Kamali (Designer), Randall Harward (Reju), Diana Jaye Coluntino (UMass Lowell Fabric Discovery Center).
 
<a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/the-science-carnival/">The Science Carnival </a>Sunday, September 29, 12-4pm | Kendall/MIT Open Space

A family-friendly science extravaganza, Carnival is a beloved regular fixture of CSF and annually attracts more than 15,000 visitors. Featuring over 100 activity booths, demonstrations, live music and events, Carnival is a STEAM-themed playground for inquisitive visitors of all ages – we can’t wait to see you there and celebrate our diverse, creative community together. Join the <a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/newsletter">Cambridge Science Festival mailing list</a> and be the first to know about Festival news, events, offers and more. CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE FESTIVAL Monday September 23 - Sunday September 29, 2024 <a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org">CambridgeScienceFestival.org</a>




IMAGERY <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pIaJ9ESk7uEN9ASyrQBUv8ZNc9etZv1w?usp=sharing">A selection of images from CSF 2023+24</a> <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19T1IGb_BqqWa9q-aTOogTcjzQ4MQh55t">Promotional assets for CSF 2024</a>


FACTS &amp; FIGURES
<ul><li dir="ltr">300+ events and activities in 7 days</li><li dir="ltr">75+ venues across Cambridge and beyond</li><li dir="ltr">More than 500 programmatic partners</li><li dir="ltr">Every event free and open to the public</li><li dir="ltr">Many events aimed at adults, as well as families </li></ul>
 
About Cambridge Science Festival - Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States, was founded by the MIT Museum in 2007 with the support of MIT, Harvard and the City of Cambridge. The first Festival drew 15,000 attendees and has grown over the years into a week-long, city-wide STEAM celebration receiving more than 50,000 annual visitors, offering more than 300 individual events in more than 75 venues across Cambridge and beyond. Modeled on community centered art, music, and film festivals, the Cambridge Science Festival offers activities, demonstrations, workshops, tours, debates, contests, talks, and behind-the-scenes glimpses to illuminate the richness of scientific inquiry and the excitement of discovery. This year's Festival runs from Monday September 23 - Sunday September 29. Find out more about CSF at <a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org">cambridgesciencefestival.org</a>.
About the MIT Museum - The MIT Museum “turns MIT inside-out,” offering compelling examples of ongoing and past research that raise questions of how science and innovation will shape the future of society. The museum makes innovation available to all, by presenting the best of STEAM in its newly designed space in the heart of the Kendall Square Gateway on MIT’s campus. Highlights include exhibitions on a range of topics featuring objects from the Museum’s prodigious collections of over 1.5 million objects, along with loans of art and artifacts; the Lee Family Exchange event space for public dialogue and conversation; a hands-on Heide Maker Hub, where audiences can experiment with putting scientific ideas into action; and a Store of memorable STEAM and MIT-inspired items.
The MIT Museum is open daily 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For more information, including accessibility and amenities, please visit <a href="http://mitmuseum.mit.edu">mitmuseum.mit.edu.</a>
 
FESTIVAL SPONSORS
The 2024 Cambridge Science Festival (CSF) is produced by the MIT Museum with support from our premier sponsor The British International School of Boston. CSF is presented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the City of Cambridge with media partner WBUR. CSF receives major support from the Biogen Foundation and Takeda Pharmaceuticals; additional support from Akamai, Alnylam, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Evolv Technology, Google, Johnson &amp; Johnson, Merck, MilliporeSigma, MITIMCo, Murata Manufacturing, Russian School of Mathematics, Sanofi, Siena Construction, and Snapdragon Chemistry: A Cambrex Company. Support from MathWorks.
 
Press Contact
Leah Talatinian, MIT Museum | <a href="mailto:leaht@mit.edu">leaht@mit.edu</a> | 617-253-5351
Contact for Further Information
Brooke Ciardelli, Festival Producer | <a href="mailto:brookec@mit.edu">brookec@mit.edu</a> | 917-370-6823

Cambridge (September 12, 2024) – The MIT Museum has released the full program guide for this year's Cambridge Science Festival, an annual week-long celebration of ingenuity, creativity and innovation featuring more than 300 free programs across Cambridge and Greater Boston between Monday, September 23 and Sunday, September 29, 2024.

Cambridge Science Festival Program Guide Now Live

Cambridge Science Festival Returns September 2024

This year's festival has a focus on our shared humanity – how humans interact, explore, and discuss together. It will also be the first festival under the leadership of the newly appointed MIT Museum Director, Michael John Gorman. 
"Science festivals have the power to bring together a staggering and inspirational variety of people and ideas," says Michael John Gorman, Director of the MIT Museum. "I couldn't be more pleased to be joining an institution which has such a strong legacy in producing the Cambridge Science Festival, and I look forward to welcoming the community to our exciting line-up of over 200 free events."
The Cambridge Science Festival showcases the newest ideas and innovations in science, art, technology, engineering, design, and more, that spark conversations about the role of science and innovation in our society and for all humankind. The festival includes four thematic days as well as a slate of one-time events that are presented by organizations and venues across Greater Boston during the 7 day event. Among the 200+ events are events aimed at adults, workshops and demonstrations for students and graduates, activities for children and families, professional networking events and open houses, walking tours, nature walks, keynote lectures, expert panels and more.
All Cambridge Science Festival events are free of charge, and in addition, the MIT Museum will also provide free admission to all during the week of the festival, providing a complementary opportunity to explore the museum. Cambridge residents who enjoy their time at the MIT Museum are encouraged to sign up for a free membership at the museum’s welcome desk or online. Free admission to the museum is extended year round to active military, EBT cardholders, members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and MIT ID holders.
This is the 17th year of the Cambridge Science Festival, and the City of Cambridge has partnered with the MIT Museum throughout the Festival’s history. 
“The Cambridge Science Festival represents an opportunity for inquisitive visitors of all ages to celebrate our diverse, creative community and experience our rich innovation,” said Yi-An Huang, Cambridge City Manager. “This has become one of Cambridge’s signature events of the year and we are thrilled to once again partner with the MIT Museum for this special week-long showcase.”
Of special note for 2024’s Festival, curated thematic days will bring a focused set of programs. 
<ul><li dir="ltr">For the Win: Games, Puzzles, and the Science of Play includes multiple afternoon and evening events clustered around Kendall Square on Thursday September 26. </li><li dir="ltr">Frontiers: A New Era of Space Exploration showcases our need to explore the unknown, with programs throughout the City on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28, co-curated by <a href="https://spaceconsortium.org/about/">The Space Consortium</a>, organizers of <a href="https://spaceconsortium.org/space-week-schedule/">Massachusetts Space Week</a>.</li><li dir="ltr">Electric Skin: Wearable Tech and the Future of Fashion offers a full program of day and evening events at the intersection of science, fabric and fashion, taking place at The Foundry and co-curated by <a href="https://www.bostonfashionweek.com/">Boston Fashion Week</a> and <a href="https://affoa.org/">Advanced Functional Fabrics of America</a> on Saturday, September 28.</li></ul>
Festival Producer Brooke Ciardelli says “As we enter a politically charged fall, we put a lot of thought into how Cambridge Science Festival can be a week of connection, community, and discussion. Our themes for 2024 reflect deep, shared human needs: how we play, how we explore, and how we dress. We can’t wait to share our full program guide later this month.”
Series for this year include In the Neighborhood – celebrating the full range of talent and expertise across the City of Cambridge with many topics, formats, and venues; Lunch &amp; Learn – a program of events scheduled daily between 12-1pm; and Carnival, the family-friendly science extravaganza, returning to the Kendall/MIT Open Space on Sunday September 29 from 12p-4p. As just one example of our exciting line up, the program Democracy in the Age of AI will feature Audrey Tang, the recent inaugural Minister of Digital Affairs of Taiwan, Claudia Chwalisz, the Founder and CEO of DemocracyNext, and Deb Roy, the Director of the MIT Center for Constructive Communication. This program will be at the MIT Museum on Tuesday, September 24 from 7p-9p.
A full program guide will be available in late August. Join the <a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org/newsletter">Cambridge Science Festival mailing list</a> and be the first to know about Festival news, events, offers and more.
 CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE FESTIVAL Monday September 23 - Sunday September 29, 2024 <a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org">CambridgeScienceFestival.org</a>


IMAGERY <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pIaJ9ESk7uEN9ASyrQBUv8ZNc9etZv1w?usp=sharing">A selection of images from CSF 2023</a>

FACTS &amp; FIGURES
<ul><li dir="ltr">200+ events and activities in 7 days</li><li dir="ltr">90+ venues across Cambridge and beyond</li><li dir="ltr">More than 500 programmatic partners</li><li dir="ltr">Every event free and open to the public</li><li dir="ltr">Many events aimed at adults, as well as families</li></ul><div> </div>
About Cambridge Science Festival - Cambridge Science Festival, the first of its kind in the United States, was founded by the MIT Museum in 2007 with the support of MIT, Harvard and the City of Cambridge. The first Festival drew 15,000 attendees and has grown over the years into a week-long, city-wide STEAM celebration receiving more than 50,000 annual visitors, offering more than 200 individual events in more than 90 venues across Cambridge and beyond. Modeled on community centered art, music, and film festivals, the Cambridge Science Festival offers activities, demonstrations, workshops, tours, debates, contests, talks, and behind-the-scenes glimpses to illuminate the richness of scientific inquiry and the excitement of discovery. This year's Festival runs from Monday September 23 - Sunday September 29. Find out more about CSF at <a href="https://cambridgesciencefestival.org">cambridgesciencefestival.org</a>.
About the MIT Museum - The MIT Museum “turns MIT inside-out,” offering compelling examples of ongoing and past research that raise questions of how science and innovation will shape the future of society. The museum makes innovation available to all, by presenting the best of STEAM in its newly designed space in the heart of the Kendall Square Gateway on MIT’s campus. Highlights include exhibitions on a range of topics featuring objects from the Museum’s prodigious collections of over 1.5 million objects, along with loans of art and artifacts; the Lee Family Exchange event space for public dialogue and conversation; a hands-on Heide Maker Hub, where audiences can experiment with putting scientific ideas into action; and a Store of memorable STEAM and MIT-inspired items.
The MIT Museum is open daily 10 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For more information, including accessibility and amenities, please visit <a href="http://mitmuseum.mit.edu">mitmuseum.mit.edu.</a>
FESTIVAL SPONSORS
The 2024 Cambridge Science Festival (CSF) is produced by the MIT Museum with support from our premier sponsor The British International School of Boston. CSF is presented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the City of Cambridge with major support from the Biogen Foundation and Takeda Pharmaceuticals; additional support from Akamai, Alnylam, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Evolv, Google, Johnson &amp; Johnson, Merck, Millipore Sigma, MITIMCo, MuRata, Russian School of Mathematics, Sanofi, Siena Construction, and Snapdragon Chemistry: A Cambrex Company.

CAMBRIDGE (AUGUST 7, 2024) – The MIT Museum and the City of Cambridge announce the return of Cambridge Science Festival, an annual week-long celebration of ingenuity, creativity and innovation featuring more than 200 free programs across Cambridge and Greater Boston between Monday, September 23 and Sunday, September 29, 2024.

The six holograms on view are: Crystal Beginning, Rind II, Motif I, and Head of Aphrodite (“The Bartlett Head”), all by Benton, as well as Equivocal Forks II, and Medusa by Benton’s collaborators and students. With this installation, the public will be able to view a small but significant selection of the key experimental holograms created by Benton and his collaborators between 1968 and 1978, when he honed his technique, pushing the technical and artistic boundaries of holography and creating new works with each investigation. 
Stephen Benton called himself an “optiker” – someone who works at the intersection of light and vision – Benton innovated a new way to create holograms. His white-light transmission, or rainbow, holograms are viewable in the readily accessible light of a light bulb or the sun. Up to that point, most holograms required a laser to be seen. Benton’s invention injected energy into the field, opening new possibilities in imaging across scientific and commercial applications, and creating a new medium for artists to explore.
“I don’t believe that these four pioneering works by Benton have ever been shown together before,” said Deborah Douglas, Senior Director of Collections and Curator of Science and Technology. “Each represents a milestone, revealing the complex interplay between art and science in Benton’s inventive process.” 
The Stephen A. Benton Holography Collection accessioned in 2023 includes archival materials and holograms created by Benton and his students as well as works donated by Benton’s many collaborators. It joins the 2,000 holograms and related artifacts in the collection of the MIT Museum, significantly expanding what has already been recognized as the largest such collection in the world. The installation will be on view from June 28, 2024 through July 2025, and was curated by Deborah Douglas with technical advising by Seth Riskin, Studio Director of the MIT Museum Studios.
About Stephen Benton and his holograms 
The MIT Media Lab founding faculty member, known for his pioneering work in spatial imaging, grew up in the 1940s and 50s fascinated by 3D movies.Renowned photographer and electrical engineering professor Harold Edgerton, Benton’s mentor during his undergraduate years at MIT, introduced him to Polaroid founder Edwin Land, who offered Benton a lab at Polaroid to conduct experiments.
 
Benton made his first conventional hologram there in 1965, together with John and Mary McCann and his wife Jeannie. In 1968, he made his own groundbreaking contribution to holography – the first white-light transmission, or “rainbow,” holograms. 
Benton continued his pioneering research at Polaroid until he returned to MIT as a visiting scientist in 1980. In 1982, he founded the Spatial Imaging Group and in 1984 became one of the founding faculty members of the MIT Media Laboratory. He would pioneer new technologies in digital holography, medical imaging, and holographic video.
“Steve Benton was not only a gifted engineer and inventor, enthusiast for all things optical and art-science collaborator-extraordinaire, he is also the reason the MIT Museum became the world’s most significant repository,” said Deborah Douglas, adding, that “when the New York Museum of Holography closed in 1992 due to financial difficulties, Steve, with the support of Charles Vest, then president of MIT and a former holographer himself, raised the funds to purchase the NY museum’s entire collection and bring it to MIT. Steve then helped curate the MIT Museum’s original holography exhibitions and served until his untimely death in 2003 as the our unofficial curator of holography.”
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About the works on view
Motif I (1968) is the first white-light transmission hologram. Created by Stephen. A. Benton, this work represented a proof of concept for his invention that uses full-spectrum light to generate a sharp, 3D image in a single color that changes as the viewer moves up and down. Motif I marked the beginning of a decade of experimentation to refine and apply the technique in fields as varied as medical imaging, commercial printing, and visual art.
Crystal Beginning (1977) was developed as a spatial testing mechanism and later as a showpiece of white-light transmission holography. These two versions of the work differ in the type of aperture used – horizontal slit (right) and open aperture (left). The use of a horizontal slit in the making of the hologram reduces information along its vertical axis, clearing from the image the repetition of points in different colors. The result – a sharp, deep, single-color image of a 3D point grid – was a technical achievement that Benton used as a teaching tool, challenging students to figure out how it was created. This White-light transmission hologram was created by Stephen A. Benton, Herbert S. Mingace, Jr., and William R. Houde-Walter.
 
Rind II (1977) represents one of the formative explorations Benton conducted as he refined his white-light transmission holography technique. The hologram is based on M.C. Escher’s “Rind,” a woodcut of a spiraling ribbon that articulates a band of inner and outer contours of a human head. Benton created many versions of this hologram, on the way to achieving precision effects in holograms he called “primo.” Here, while reflecting on the past, Benton demonstrates the artistic potential of his new method of generating depth through the manipulation of light waves. This white-light transmission hologram was created by Stephen A. Benton, Herbert S. Mingace, Jr., and William R. Houde-Walter.
 
Head of Aphrodite ("The Bartlett Head") 1978, was described by Benton as “the best-ever achromatic image.” This work represents a culminating moment in Benton’s development of white-light transmission holography. It began when Edwin Land at Polaroid boldly asked to borrow the Head of Aphrodite, a centerpiece of the classical Greek sculpture collection of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston. Guards from the MFA brought the sculpture to Polaroid disguised in a wicker picnic basket for a two-day shoot. Land considered Benton’s work to be a supreme technical achievement, and the choice of this sculpture underscores the significance he and Benton placed on this new holography technique in the historical context of human image making.
 
In the end, Benton was able to present the 3D light field of the object, separated from its solid form, as he unveiled white-light transmission holography to the Board at Polaroid. This hologram illustrated the commercial potential of his technique – which retains the natural connection between white light and the human brain – while exploiting the information-encoding power of holography. This white-light transmission hologram was created by Stephen A. Benton, Jeannie L. Benton, Herbert S. Mingace, Jr., and William R. Houde-Walter.
 
As Benton developed the Head of Aphrodite hologram, he kept technical notes and took Polaroid photos of the work in progress. Along the way, he even documented the excitement as well as the pressure he felt around the upcoming Polaroid Board meeting, where he was to present his results. Benton’s scrapbook is presented in the exhibition. 
 
Benton was keenly interested in seeing his white-light transmission holography method adopted and expanded, and Harriet Casdin-Silver was the first artist to collaborate with him. She pursued holography as an artistic medium, while pioneering technical innovations, as this piece demonstrates. Designed to be spatially deep and dynamic and lit by the sun, this hologram Equivocal Forks II (1977) was one of eight included in the groundbreaking outdoor sculpture Centerbeam, a collaborative artwork created at the MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies and shown at the documenta 6 exhibition in Germany in 1977.
 
Several of Benton’s students created a pioneering holographic stereogram entitled Medusa (1985-86). They used holographic film to encode both photographic and computer-generated images in stereo strips that the eyes see as a 3D scene. This work illustrates the critical relationship Benton nurtured with the next generation of holographers. It also represents a time of transition, as work expanded from analog white-light transmission holography to computer-generated stereograms. Following Benton’s lead with white-light transmission holography, his students began inventing and adapting technologies with a vision of mainstreaming applications like holographic video, holographic printing, and haptic holography. The computer generated artwork and rendering is by Mark Holzbach, Alejandro Ferdman, David Chen, MIT Spatial Imaging Group, MIT Media Laboratory; and the production is by Craig Newswanger, Advanced Dimensional Displays.
 
About the holography collection of the MIT Museum
 
The MIT Museum has the largest and most comprehensive collection of holograms in the world, with over 2,000 holograms, including many “rainbow” holograms. A key contributor to the Museum of Holography in New York City, MIT Professor Stephen Benton was instrumental in helping raise funds for the MIT Museum to acquire its collection after that museum closed in 1992. In 2021, Benton’s family donated his personal collection of holograms to the MIT Museum, significantly enhancing the story of white-light transmission holography within the Museum’s collection.

Three chess pieces as a rainbow hologram.

The MIT Museum presents Optiker, an intimate new installation of groundbreaking holograms to celebrate the recent donation by the family of the late MIT Professor Stephen A. Benton, inventor of white-light transmission or  “rainbow” holograms.

MIT Museum Presents "Optiker" Hologram Installation

On view are 41 works from leading architects of the 1970s and 1980s including Thomas Beeby, Laurence Booth, Melvin Charney, Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Michael Graves, Zaha Hadid, John Hejduk, Arata Isozaki, Helmut Jahn, Louis Kahn, OMA – Rem Koolhaas, Peter Pran, Aldo Rossi, Paul Rudolph, Robert A.M. Stern, Stanley Tigerman, Bernard Tschumi, and James Wines. The drawings represent a broad spectrum of graphics, each an intimate record of creative expression blurring the lines of art and practice.
 
The exhibition is curated by Jonathan Duval, Assistant Curator of Architecture and Design. “For architects who saw themselves as originators of creative ideas rather than just creators of buildings, drawing was the medium closest to the original concept. On their own, these drawings are captivating works of art,” Duval says. “In this period, drawing was increasingly viewed as a primary medium of expression for architectural ideas, as opposed to just a necessary step in the design process.”
In the 1970s and 1980s, many architects sought to overturn the traditions of modern architecture, finding it dull, rigid, and formulaic. Their goal was to upend both the look and purpose of modern architecture through experimentation and individualism—a set of trends that became known as postmodernism.
 
In these same decades, commercial galleries, museums, and private collectors began buying, selling, collecting, and exhibiting architectural drawings like never before. This mutually sustaining network elevated architectural drawings from utilitarian documents to objects of artistic merit. Martin E. Zimmerman ‘59 was among these collectors, and all of the drawings on display in this exhibition were gifted to the MIT Museum by him and Danielle Zimmerman in 2017. 
About the MIT Museum Architecture Collection
The works on view in this exhibition are among the over 30,000 architectural drawings that make up the expansive collection of the MIT Museum. Established in 1867, MIT’s architecture program is the oldest in the country and emphasizes both the artistic and practical elements of education. Historic student work and drawings used for teaching are the core of the MIT Museum architecture collection. In recent decades, the collection has expanded to include the work of faculty, alumni, and other relevant works from the sixteenth century to the present.

Image of "The Anti-Cruelty Society Addition" by Stanley Tigerman

The MIT Museum announces the new architectural drawings exhibition Drawing After Modernism, in its Ronald A. (1954) and Carol S. Kurtz Photography Gallery from April 12 - October 27, 2024.

MIT Museum Presents New Exhibition "Drawing After Modernism"

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Gorman to MIT,” says Philip Khoury, Ford International Professor of History and Vice Provost at MIT. “He brings a wealth of experience in creating and leading dynamic institutions bridging science and the arts, and we were impressed with his vision for the MIT Museum as a center for transdisciplinary public engagement. We look forward to a bright future with Michael John leading the way.” 
To learn more, please read this <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2024/michael-john-gorman-named-mit-museum-director-0111">MIT News article</a>.

The Museum is pleased to announce that Michael John Gorman has been named the next Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director of the MIT Museum with an anticipated start date of Summer 2024.

Michael John Gorman Named MIT Museum Director

Cambridge, MA, October 26, 2023 -- The MIT Museum announces <a href="https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/exhibitions/so-easy-to-see-berenice-abbotts-super-sight">So Easy to See: Berenice Abbott’s Super Sight</a>, a new exhibition featuring the work of acclaimed photographer Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) in its Ronald A. (1954) and Carol S. Kurtz Photography Gallery, on view October 27, 2023 through March 2024. The exhibition is the first historically focused on her photographs from the 1940s created using her innovative Super Sight method that pushed the boundaries of existing photographic practice. With 62 works, including photographs and archival materials from the MIT Museum collection, along with works on loan, the exhibition is curated by Gary Van Zante, Curator of Architecture and Design.
The exhibition includes many photographs from the museum’s collection of Abbott’s work gifted by Ronald and Carol Kurtz such as Fish Head, Eye [Muriel Rukeyser’s Eye], Moth Wing, and others. Among the photographs newly printed for this exhibition from Abbott’s original negatives are Light Bulb, Grass Roots, Magnetic Field, Electrical Relay, and Doll, alongside an additional 23 objects on loan. Archival materials from the MIT Museum collection will accompany the photographs. 
A relentless experimenter and inventor, Berenice Abbott found a natural affinity with scientific inquiry and recognized in photography a largely unrealized potential to communicate scientific truth to the public. In March 1942, she developed a method to produce large photographs of small objects without the intervention of a photographic enlarger. Her technique of direct image capture, which she called the “Abbott Process,” or “Super Sight,” was loosely based on the ancient camera obscura and produced images of definition and transparency that were astonishing in their realism. Her ambitions for Super Sight as a means of communicating science reached across decades. 
Although Abbott’s artistic legacy as an acknowledged master of twentieth century photography was secure long before her death in 1991, her science work has only recently gained full recognition. In her own vision of artistic practice, science was most closely aligned with photographic realism, and she never lost confidence in Super Sight as an innovative solution to producing the most real photographs imaginable.
“In this new exhibition in our new building’s Kurtz Gallery we are revisiting Abbott’s artistic legacy by focusing on a different and little–known aspect of her science work, her Super Sight photography,” says Gary Van Zante.
This exhibition was organized in collaboration with The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Image: Fish Head, 1946. Gelatin silver print. Berenice Abbott Collection, MIT Museum. Gift of Ron and Carol Kurtz. 
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Leah Talatinian
+1-617-253-5351
<a href="mailto:leaht@mit.edu" title="mailto:leaht@mit.edu">leaht@mit.edu</a>
Martha Davis
+1-617-253-4422
<a href="mailto:marthad@mit.edu" title="mailto:marthad@mit.edu">marthad@mit.edu</a>

So Easy To See: Berenice Abbott’s Super Sight on view October 27, 2023 - March 2024

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