About the Exhibition

The Academy Awards have always had triumphs, surprises, and heartbreaks. Both the ceremony and the process by which Oscar statuettes are awarded often reflect and perpetuate the greater societal issues and concerns of their time. Through a collection of significant Oscars, an illustrated timeline of awards history, and a presentation of iconic ceremony speeches and fashions, the Academy Awards History galleries showcase the glamorous and sometimes complicated stories of the Academy Awards. Visitors to the Academy Awards History galleries are surrounded by screens showcasing significant Oscars speeches from Federico Fellini, Barbara Kopple, Miky Lee, Sacheen Littlefeather, Marlee Matlin, Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, Miyoshi Umeki, and others. Next to a stage model accompanied by a montage of Academy Awards stage sets, visitors see original program covers, winning envelopes, congratulatory telegrams, and a menu from the first ceremony, as well as memorable Oscars fashion statements from Billy Porter’s tuxedo gown, to Ryan Gosling’s hot pink worn during his “I’m Just Ken” Oscars performance, to the elegant dress Kathryn Bigelow wore when she made history as the first woman to receive the Academy Award for Best Directing.

This gallery is curated by Vice President of Curatorial Affairs Doris Berger and Curatorial Consultant Nathalie Morris.