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Bruce Lee exhibit Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

A celebration of film at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Two years after it opened for the first time, we speak to COO Brendan Connell, Jr. about the museum’s mission

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. Located in Los Angeles, California, it opened to the public in September 2021.

The museum is home to 50,000 square feet of exhibition spaces, two state-of-the-art theatres and an education studio. Visitors can also enjoy Fanny’s Restaurant and Cafe and the Academy Museum store.

To find out more about the Academy Museum’s journey so far and what visitors can expect, blooloop spoke to Brendan Connell, Jr., chief operating officer at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and general counsel for the Academy Museum. Connell joined the Academy in 2018, where he led the teams constructing. In addition, he oversaw the hiring and training of the museum staff, the buildout of its exhibitions, and the launch of its retail and event businesses.

Brendan CONNELL JR

Before joining the Academy, Connell served in both managerial and legal capacities for almost 18 years at the Guggenheim, finishing his time there as deputy COO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. He initially trained as a lawyer and began his career as a corporate litigator for a law firm.

“We represented some art galleries, and those were my favourite clients,” he tells blooloop. “That was my segue into the arts. I took an opportunity and became legal director of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, the leading legal aid and education organisation dedicated to New York artists and its arts and cultural organisations. I represented low-income artists with arts-related legal problems.”

This led to a job in the general counsel’s office at the Guggenheim Museum, where he worked for 18 years. He comments:

“I have always done legal work in the museum field, but I segued also into being more of a manager-administrator.”

He was on the team overseeing the restoration of the Guggenheim for its 50th anniversary in 2009, developing key skills that were an asset in his next role. He says:

“At the time I joined the team building the Academy Museum in June of 2018, it was a big construction project. I had a background in construction from my days at the Guggenheim, as well as in museum administration, having overseen frontline operations and running the iconic Solomon Art Guggenheim Museum building on Fifth Avenue. That was a great entrée into my job here at the Academy.”

Day-to-day operations at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

As COO, Connell oversees day-to-day operations, including the exhibition planning design and construction teams, the finance team, and the legal team. “I essentially run the museum on a day-to-day basis, reporting to the director and president,” he explains.

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, LA
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Photo by Joshua White, JWPictures/©Academy Museum Foundation

In his role as general counsel, he fulfils another function:

“People sometimes wonder what a lawyer has to do at a museum, but there is a full range of legal issues. The museum is big business. There are all kinds of contracts, to start with, whether those concern construction, vendors or events: that’s standard legal work. Then there are also interesting museum-specific matters, like exhibition agreements, licensing agreements, and retail agreements as we’re developing products in the store.

“There’s a full range of legal issues covering both the more business-focused work and very museum-specific work.”

A place where all people can learn about film

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures initially intended to open in 2020 and eventually opened its doors on 30 September 2021.

“We’re a film museum, but our mission is to provide a place where people of all backgrounds can learn about film, and see films,” Connell explains. “Our approach to what we present has changed over the years. When I joined the museum, the approach to exhibitions was more linear and chronological.”

This perspective evolved:

“Our approach now with our programming exhibitions is to create access points for everybody, an environment where, no matter what your background, you can connect to film and the history of film.”

Stories of cinema at Academy Museum

Regarding diversity, access, and reaching beyond the traditional museum demographics, he adds:

“In our opening galleries, Stories of Cinema, an exhibition that presents the diverse, international, and complex stories of moviemakers, the works they create, and the impact their art has, we highlight and explore films and filmmakers such as Real Women Have Curves, Boyz in the Hood, Casablanca and directors Spike Lee and Agnes Varda, for instance: works and artists with a diverse background.

“What we try to create is different touch points, so that no matter what your background is, you can come to our museum and feel connected.”

Finding a balance

The aim is, he explains, to strike a balance between a popular and an academic context:

“We do that not only with respect to our exhibitions but also with our incredibly rich film program.”

 The museum had over 700,000 visitors in its first year and is set to build on that, exceeding expectations by over 20%.

“COVID impacted all museums, but we had a robust visitorship. We were pleased because before we opened it was like having a party: you hope everybody will come, but you’re not sure what will happen. When we opened and had a successful opening year, we were thrilled.”

Hayao Miyazaki exhibit at Academy Museum

“I had been involved in the construction, and there’s a transformation as the museum goes from being a construction site to being a living, breathing, vibrant building, as the public pours in – and they did pour in, COVID notwithstanding. We maintain the highest safety standards, and I think our visitors were comforted that we had created an environment where they felt safe.

“Our opening exhibitions, our core exhibition stories of cinema, touching on films from all eras and featuring filmmakers and talent from all backgrounds, attracted a lot of people. We had a special inaugural temporary Hayao Miyazaki exhibition, which was extremely popular. We had kids – and adults, actually – dressing up as their favourite characters from his amazing movies.

“You can’t always predict what will strike a chord with the public, but the Miyazaki exhibition did.”

Reconnecting post-COVID at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Initially, in the wake of the pandemic, the museum drew a large audience from the relatively local regions of Greater Los Angeles and Southern California. As COVID loosened its grip, international visitorship has become gradually increasingly more evident. However, Connell stresses:

“We were happy to be a destination for people in California and the Southwest looking for a place to go after a couple of years of COVID.”

Exhibit at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

“People have been desperate to get out to a place where they can connect. Connection and in-person experiences like museums are valued so much, after a period where they were denied to us. Now, everyone appreciates the opportunity to come to venues like museums where you can be out in the world, see exhibitions, see films, interact with other people.”

The Academy Museum’s digital strategy was informed by the experience of the pandemic. Commenting on this, he says:

“Like all museums, we focused on digital initiatives at that time, on a robust digital presence, offerings available online, a great interactive website, an app that you can download anywhere in the world to have museum experiences, appreciating that, COVID aside, obviously lots of people can’t travel to California see our museum.

“We’ve since maintained an active digital presence so that no matter where you are in the world, you can still experience the Academy Museum and everything it has to offer.”

A digital presence

The digital space is also a way of reaching slightly different audiences:

Jaws model at Academy Museum

“We’re trying to attract audiences of all ages, of course, but an aim has been to introduce younger audiences, young kids, to the world of film and filmmaking. Kids, of course, are more adept at digital media than older people, so our media platforms and channels are a great way to target that group. We’re proud that we’ve been able to do that, and that we’re receiving great feedback on that. It’s a great way to make first contact with the museum.”

Feedback is, he explains, part of the museum’s strategy:

“We want to understand who is visiting, and – importantly, in the museum world – to understand and focus on who’s not coming. It is important that we do the necessary homework to make sure that we’re reaching out to everybody who may want to come to the museum, who’s either not aware of us or has only heard a little bit about us. 

“We are trying to understand increasingly more about our visitors both in person and our digital visitors, and to make sure that we’re creating offerings that appeal to the wide audience that we want to reach.”

Reaching movie lovers of all kinds

There is a stereotype that the average museumgoer is older, and from a certain socio-economic background

“At the Academy Museum, we are striving to make sure, based on our offerings, that we are a vital presence for visitors of all ages and all backgrounds. We have great educational programs focusing on kids. We want to be that touchpoint for kids. Children and young people are interested in filmmaking and film. Everybody loves the movies, so we want to be sure they know we’re here.”

exhibition at Academy Museum

To this end, the museum is focusing not only on exhibitions and programs but also on workshops covering the different aspects of making films:

“We want to introduce kids to filmmaking,” he says:

“I oversee our theatre operations and projection team. Being a projectionist is a fascinating career, and kids love learning about it. We’re working to ensure that we’re introducing kids to a whole range of potential careers in both the film world and in the museum world.”

Changing programming at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

In terms of repeat visitation, he says:

The Oscars Experience

“We have a robust membership program. If you’re a single person, it’s about a hundred dollars to become a member, and you can come back as many times as you’d like. That’s particularly attractive to people in greater Los Angeles and Southern California who can come back easily every week. Our exhibitions are so rich. I work in the museum, and I go through our exhibitions all the time and see something different every time I go.

“Our film programming is great, too. We show many movies over the course of a week as part of our film programming.”

For example, the Academy Museum hosted a screening of The Godfather (1972) in the David Geffen Theatre with a pre-screening Q&A with director Francis Ford Coppola and actor Talia Shire for the 50th anniversary of The Godfather.

“As a member, you have access to film programs like that and other offerings,” he says. “There’s always a reason to come back. We change our exhibitions frequently, so even if you think you’ve seen what’s on view if you come back a month or two later, there are going to be some other new, interesting things on view for you to see.”

Community outreach

The museum is committed to community and outreach:

“We have a whole department working with different partners in Greater Los Angeles to create programs that, again, encourage people from all backgrounds to come to the museum, and also people from our community, because we’re a great international museum, but it’s also important that we’re a citizen of the area in which we’re based, and a good and a welcoming presence for the community.”

Los Angeles Movie Premieres

He adds:

“I oversee our frontline team. One important element we focused on in putting together a wonderful frontline team is that we have team members of every age, racial background, and identity orientation. No matter what your background is, it’s very important to me that when you walk through the doors of the museum, if you’re able to come in person, you feel like this is a place that is speaking to you, and you see people like you. 

“We have team members who speak many different languages. It’s something we highlight, so when you walk through our doors you feel like you’re in a place that sees you, and where you feel welcome and represented.”

What’s next for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures?

Touching on plans in the short term and the longer term, he concludes:

“We are continuing to try to understand our audience and to develop a rich program of exhibitions. We are always looking years ahead. So, we’re developing an exhibition program and education program offerings for the next several years. But, as a new museum, as we do that, we’re also making sure that we’re doing any fine-tuning necessary as we understand our audiences better. It’s an exciting time to be a museum. 

“We want to understand our audiences, and make sure that we’re there for them and offering what they want to see.”

Image credit: All images kind courtesy of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
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Lalla Merlin

Lalla Merlin

Lead features writer Lalla studied English at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, and Law with the Open University. A writer, film-maker, and aspiring lawyer, she lives in rural Devon with an assortment of badly behaved animals, including a friendly wolf

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