The Saturday Series sought to build community through film and conversation. Developed in collaboration with the Queensbridge Tenants Association and the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House, the series featured recent films with relevant social issues followed by a community-led conversation. The screenings were presented free of charge with the Museum leveraging its resources in the industry to secure screening rights and equipment.
How might we create a museum that better serves the communities who live around it? That question guided Peoplmovr’s two-year embedded partnership with the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in Queens—one of the most culturally rich and rapidly shifting urban areas in the world.
The work began with deep listening. Geoffrey Jackson Scott joined the Museum team as an embedded Director of Engagement, supported by the Ford Foundation, to meet with artists, longtime residents, community leaders, NYCHA tenants, educators, faith leaders, MoMI staff, and local government. These conversations revealed a shared desire: to feel seen. To be part of something. To make meaning together.
That listening revealed gaps. Many locals had never stepped inside the Museum, despite living just blocks away. Programs often lacked cultural specificity or neighborhood context. Community partners expressed excitement about collaboration but uncertainty around access and power. MoMI was trusted as a destination—but not yet as a neighbor.
From this, we shaped a cultural strategy rooted in relationship-building. We supported staff in thinking differently about what partnership could look like—moving from invitations to co-creation. We built trust with residents of Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing development in North America, and with immigrant communities from South Asia and Latin America. And we used programming itself as the bridge.
In year one, we prototyped community-centered pilots. In year two, those pilots grew into flagship series:
Made You Look, a hip-hop and social justice screening series co-curated with Queensbridge residents
The Saturday Series, a family-friendly screening and dialogue series hosted at Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement
O Brasil and India Kaleidoscope, film series celebrating the cultural specificity of MoMI’s neighboring communities
And India’s New Wave, a monthly spotlight on Indian independent filmmakers challenging the Bollywood mold
Each of these programs became a container—for dialogue, discovery, celebration, and reflection. And each helped MoMI move closer to becoming what its community had asked for: not just a museum in Queens, but a museum of Queens.
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Our Role
Geoffrey Jackson Scott served as embedded Director of Engagement, guiding a Ford Foundation–funded pilot to reposition the Museum as a civic partner and cultural hub.
Led stakeholder interviews across sectors—meeting with artists, staff, community leaders, NYCHA residents, and government officials to assess community needs.
Developed and implemented policies, programs, and partnerships rooted in cultural equity and local resonance.
Built and nurtured a key relationship between MoMI and Queensbridge Houses, NYCHA’s largest housing development.
Designed cross-cultural public programming in partnership with Brazilian/Latin American and South Asian communities, including film screenings, conversations, and youth/family offerings.
Strategic Impact
Activated MoMI’s presence across its borough through 100+ programs and screenings, reaching over 6,200 people—many first-time visitors.
Partnered with 12 neighborhood and cultural organizations and engaged 14 civic stakeholders to co-create community-centered offerings.
Piloted a programming model that moved beyond outreach—building trust, sharing authorship, and inviting co-curation at every step.
Facilitated a shift in institutional practice—from isolated programming to integrated, long-term cultural strategy.