Here's What ACMI Will Look Like After Its Multimillion-Dollar Makeover
The museum is set to reopen in mid-2020 with new exhibitions, revamped cinemas and a bar.
Since first launching back in 2002, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) has seen over 14.7 million visitors through its doors. The country's only museum devoted to film, television, digital culture and video games, the Fed Square icon also happens to be the most visited museum of its kind in the entire world.
But now, it's time for a well-deserved makeover and upgrade, and a cool $36.6 million investment by the Victorian Government is helping to push ACMI into its next phase of life. The museum shut its doors last week to make way for an extensive revamp, with a brighter and more welcoming ACMI 2.0 slated to open its doors mid-2020.
Plans for the revamped precinct include a series of new, free exhibition spaces and a 'media preservation lab', which will explore ways of preserving contemporary and emerging media for access long into the future. Visitors will be able to enjoy new immersive experiences, playful activations and cutting-edge technology. We're hoping this means there'll be more interactive exhibitions like its popular Alice in Wonderland world and David Bowie tribute.
With a decade under its belt, the permanent Screen Worlds exhibition — now one of Melbourne's go-to cultural activities — will also be reimagined, with favourite installations given a new lease on life and accompanied by a stack of new content.
A new education hub is also planned, which has the next generation of screen creatives in its sights. The Gandel Digital Future Labs will aim to engage over 100,000 students and teachers with tech-focused educational programming, focused on the likes of entrepreneurship, game design and emerging technologies.
ACMI will also score a new cafe and bar, upgraded foyer spaces, a specialist retail shop, and revamped cinemas to host its extensive film screening program.
While ACMI is undergoing renovations, its shows, films and exhibitions will take up residence at the Treasury Theatre and the soon-to-reopen Capitol Theatre.
ACMI is slated to reopen in mid-2020. To check out its programming at the Treasure and Capitol theatres, head to the ACMI website.
