NEWS
Earth Day Events at MoMI
April 12, 2023
In honor of Earth Day, Museum of the Moving Image is presenting three exciting, related events throughout the month of April: Science Goes to the Movies: A Trivia Night with MoMI and Science Friday, Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith, and Appreciating Mother Earth: Animation, Talk, and Performance. We spoke with Director of Membership and Visitor Engagement Katie Kita, Curator of Science and Technology Sonia Shechet Epstein, and Assistant Curator of Public Programs Tiffany Joy Butler about these events and ask about their reasons for celebrating Earth Day.
Why do you celebrate or cherish the Earth?
Katie Kita: I love being outdoors, and to have a beautiful Earth is to have a beautiful life, not just for myself but for future generations. I volunteer with the Astoria Park Conservancy and am looking forward to shore cleanup, spring planting, and autumn cleanup. Taking care of our planet is taking care of ourselves.
Sonia Shechet Epstein: There are so many reasons to devote time and attention to Earth, and one of the main reasons I do is because of the diverse forms of life that cover it—in the atmosphere, amongst the stratum of the planet, in the water, from microscopic to macroscopic.
Tiffany Joy Butler: I believe that without the Earth, none of us would be alive. Every human being deserves access to clean air to breathe and clean water to drink as well as a livable atmosphere. Since I was a teen, I have been organizing for environmental campaigns such as adding smokestacks to coal firing plants or banning hydrofracking in New York, and I continue to support these initiatives and more.
How are you celebrating or cherishing the Earth this year?
KK: I can’t wait for our friends at Science Friday to join us for a science and film-themed trivia night on Friday, April 14—it’s always great to have fun while you’re learning! I have also recently started composting, and am slowly switching my household to use non-toxic, non-plastic, sustainable products. I have also been a member of my local buy-nothing group to exchange rather than consume goods. It’s amazing to be part of so many communities in this way!
SSE: On April 21, the monthly film series I curate, Science on Screen, will be showing a documentary called Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith, which is an hour-long, hypnotic experience of miraculous footage of plants growing, microbes crawling, and cells dividing.
TJB: On Sunday, April 23 starting at 3:00 p.m., I’m hosting Appreciating Mother Earth: Animation, Talk, and Performance, a community celebration of Earth Day featuring dance troupe Wawakuna in our Courtyard and a video installation of Indigenous artist Tecumseh Ceaser’s Water Connects Us All, which will be on view in the Digital Learning Suite. The event includes an animation workshop, artist talk, and dance-music performance!
More information about these events are available at the links above.