Museum of the Moving Image is opening a public technology space in Queens

The Museum of the Moving Image will be opening MoMI LAB on June 13 as a free, artist-led co-creation studio focused on emerging technology and culture. Located inside the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, the 2,400-square-foot space is designed to give the public hands-on access to tools shaping everyday life, from AI and robotics to immersive media, spatial computing, and digital production systems.

Unlike traditional tech labs, MoMI LAB positions artists and the public at the center of experimentation. Museum leaders say the goal is not only to teach people how to use new technologies, but to create a space where they can critically engage with how those technologies are transforming society.

“MoMI LAB is meant to level the playing field by providing free, accessible tools to not only learn technology, but reflect on it, and create with it,” said Gabo Arora, MoMI’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, who led the LAB’s vision and strategy.

The initiative is backed by more than $5 million in New York State funding and includes a new artist residency program, the first in the museum’s history. New York-based artist Rachel Rossin will serve as the inaugural artist-in-residence, developing work focused on spatial computing and the relationship between virtual and physical space.

The LAB itself includes interactive public stations, artist studios, classroom space, and demonstration areas designed for workshops, presentations, and collaborative projects. Visitors will be able to experiment with technologies including VR environments, robotic systems, AI image and video generation, 3D printing, projection mapping, and immersive spatial media.

Programming will include workshops, hackathons, public discussions, demonstrations, and open studio sessions intended to make emerging technologies more accessible across age groups and experience levels. Museum officials say the space is also intended to help bridge the digital divide by providing free exposure to technologies many people may not encounter at home or in school.

Ahead of the LAB’s opening, the museum will host Get Off the Internet, a series of screenings and events examining how digital systems shape perception, behavior, and attention. The series includes Escape the Internet, an interactive live game by artist Lucas Rizzotto scheduled for May 28.

MoMI LAB opens June 13 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.