A Tour Through the Brand New Academy Museum of Motion Pictures | Features

Photo by Jana J. Monji

The exhibits also confront diversity and racial representation head on. From the Bruce Lee exhibit to the display of pancake makeup with labels like Tahitian, Chinese and Light Egyptian as well as the makeup schematics for Oscar-winning actress Katharine Hepburn when she played a Chinese woman in the 1944 “Dragon Seed.” 

The exhibits, all of which are temporary, mean to display and discuss the many (17) different branches of the Academy—the arts and the sciences. Of course, the Oscars are also addressed. You can see some historic Oscars as well as hear clips from Oscar speeches.

There’s too much to cover in one day. Even on a second visit, I didn’t feel as if I had absorbed all the information there, especially as someone interested in costuming and writing as well as lighting. And there are plenty of photo/selfie opportunities. You can pay $15 to have your own Oscar moment. 

There is currently another museum hosting a cozier pop culture exhibit north of the Academy Museum. The Skirball Cultural Center (14 miles north of Museum Row) opens the Seattle Museum of Pop Culture’s exhibit: “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” this week (October 7, 2021 to February 20, 2022). The exhibition originally opened in Seattle (May 2016 to May 2018) and the Skirball will be the last stop for the exhibition which consists of over 100 relics, set pieces, costumes, props, scripts and videos. Most of the costumes and props are being rented out by private collectors. After the Los Angeles exhibition ends, these will be returned. 

The Star Trek exhibit is more family-friendly than the Academy Museum and do-able in a few hours with interactive exhibits on script writing and a chance to en-act three different scenarios after being “beamed” up and out of an adventure. 

The Academy Museum is free to people aged 17 and younger from an endowment in honor of Sid Ganis (producer of “Akeelah and the Bee,” and “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” and former president of AMPAS). The Oscar Experience is only available with a general admission ticket ($25-$15) and requires a special ticket (an additional $15) as do the programs and screenings. In 2022, “Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971” will open at a yet unannounced date. 

“Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” opens at the Skirball Cultural Center (2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.) in Los Angeles on October 7, 2021 and continues until February 20, 2022. 

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