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June 26-29
2025

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Science on Screen Comes to Lawrence

We have exciting news here at the Microcinema…

THE LAWRENCE ARTS CENTER WAS AWARDED A NATIONAL GRANT TO BRING SCIENCE EDUCATION TO THE MOVIES!

Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation named the recipients of their nationwide Science on Screen® grant program last week, and the Lawrence Arts Center was one of them! Each organization will present three or more Science on Screen events, which pair expert-led discussions of scientific topics with screenings of feature and documentary films.

Science on Screen features classic, cult and documentary films provocatively matched with presentations by experts who discuss scientific, technological or medical issues raised by each film. The Coolidge/Sloan Foundation nationwide Science on Screen partnership seeks to inspire in theater-goers an increased appreciation for science, technology, engineering and mathematics as compelling enterprises and vital elements of a broad understanding of human culture and current events. At least one of the films shown by grantees must be a past recipient of the annual Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize or a Sloan Development Grant.

The Lawrence Arts Center will bring three science-inspired screenings to its new Microcinema Series at 10th & Mass Studios with its $7,000 grant award. Lawrence Arts Center Film Curator and Free State Festival Director, Marlo Angell, states:

“The films in this series will be uniquely presented – combining cinema with sensory experiences, lively presentations and food and beverage pairings as a means to get people thinking, connecting and challenging new ideas through film. The goal is to transform film-watching from a passive to an active experience through the limitless world of science.”

Science on Screen grant recipients are chosen based on the need for science-related programming in their community, the strength of their proposed Science on Screen programs, the success of past Science on Screen programs (for returning grantees), and their location. All of these grant recipients — which span 42 states from coast to coast — play a significant role in the cultural life of their communities, with successful track records of building strong community partnerships and producing creative, thought-provoking film programs that both educate and entertain audiences.

The 2022−23 Science on Screen grantees include seven first-time participants:
●              Block Museum of Art (Northwestern University), Evanston, Ill.
●              Des Moines Film / Varsity Cinema, Des Moines, Iowa
●              Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, Kan.
●              Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
●              OxFilm, Oxford, Miss.
●              Rooftop Films, Brooklyn, N.Y.
●              Taos Center for the Arts, Taos, N.M.

 

In November, the Lawrence Arts Center will announce its first Science on Screen event. Stay tuned to the Lawrence Arts Center and Free State Festival websites for the latest Microcinema Series film programming.