MIT Museum

MIT Museum
Entrance to the MIT Museum at its new site in June 2024
Map
Established1971
LocationCambridge, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°21′43.63″N 71°05′11.97″W / 42.3621194°N 71.0866583°W / 42.3621194; -71.0866583
TypeScience museum
AccreditationAAM, ASTC
Collection size1,500,000[1]
Visitors150,000 (in 2017)[2]
DirectorMichael John Gorman
OwnerMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Public transit accessKendall/MIT MBTA Red Line station
Websitemitmuseum.mit.edu Edit this at Wikidata

The MIT Museum, founded in 1971, is part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It hosts collections of holography, technology-related artworks, artificial intelligence, architecture, robotics, maritime history, and the history of MIT. Its holography collection of 1800 pieces is the largest in the world, though only a few selections from it are usually exhibited. As of 2023, works by the kinetic artist Arthur Ganson were the largest long-running displays;[3] in 2024 they were replaced by a newer art installation, but some of Ganson's works were reinstalled elsewhere in the museum. There is a regular program of temporary special exhibitions, often on the intersections of art and technology.

The overall purpose of the MIT Museum is to "turn MIT inside out" by making MIT's work more visible and accessible to the outside world.[3][4] In addition to serving the MIT community, the museum offers numerous outreach programs to school-age children and adults in the public at large. The widely attended annual Cambridge Science Festival was originated by and continues to be coordinated by the museum.

In October 2022, the MIT Museum reopened in new, expanded facilities in the Kendall Square innovation district.[5]

  1. ^ Gay, Malcolm (September 29, 2022). "New MIT Museum glimpses the future and examines school's past". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference DurantEra was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Ventura, Anya (July 28, 2022). "3 Questions: John Durant on the new MIT Museum at Kendall Square". MIT News. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  4. ^ Zhang, Eunice (Oct 5, 2022). "MIT Museum reopens in Kendall Square". The Tech. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  5. ^ "MIT Museum opens in a new building at 314 Main Street, Cambridge, MA". MIT Museum. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. September 9, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-19.