# Art & Science of Pinball Exhibition

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2017-07-15  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/news/artandscienceofpinball.html

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## Analysis

The Art & Science of Pinball Exhibition opened at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, CA through September 24, 2017, featuring 35 playable pinball machines spanning nearly 200 years of pinball history. Co-curated by Michael Schiess and Melissa Harmon of Pacific Pinball Museum, the exhibition explores pinball's evolution from bagatelle boards to modern games like The Hobbit (2016), with educational displays explaining the mechanical and scientific principles behind the machines.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] 35 pinball machines featured in the exhibition, with 33 available to play — _Scott Horton's report on the Chabot Space & Science Center exhibition_
- [HIGH] Exhibition covers nearly 200 years of pinball evolution — _Opening paragraph describing exhibition scope_
- [HIGH] Machines range from Parlor Bagatelle and Surf Queens (early flipperless games) to The Hobbit (2016) — _Specific machine examples cited in exhibition description_
- [HIGH] Two see-through machines and models/diagrams are included to demonstrate how pinball machines work — _Exhibition features description_

### Notable Quotes

> "Pinball is an amazing American art form, interactive kinetic art that is pay to play. Its aesthetics are rooted in attraction and distraction as an attempt to remove coins from the pockets of what started out as a predominately male audience."
> — **Michael Schiess**, N/A
> _Exhibition co-curator articulates pinball's historical function and aesthetic philosophy_

> "At first, the bright colors, flashing lights, bells, chimes and wild action of the ball zipping around the playfield brings an excitement to the player. Slowly, you realize the thing that enticed you to put a coin in and try your skill and luck is designed to distract and impede your abilities. But it does it in such a fun, entertaining way you don't even care."
> — **Michael Schiess**, N/A
> _Explains the psychological design strategy embedded in pinball machine gameplay_

> "The Art and Science of Pinball tells stories on many levels. Visitors view the fun and fantasy shown in the art, leading them to think creatively about the social situations at the time the machine was made."
> — **Melissa Harmon**, N/A
> _Co-curator emphasizes exhibition's multi-dimensional approach to pinball history and social context_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Chabot Space & Science Center | organization | Museum and science center in Oakland, CA hosting The Art & Science of Pinball exhibition |
| Pacific Pinball Museum | organization | Nonprofit pinball museum in Alameda, CA; co-curated the Art & Science of Pinball exhibition |
| Michael Schiess | person | Co-curator of the Art & Science of Pinball exhibition, affiliated with Pacific Pinball Museum |
| Melissa Harmon | person | Co-curator of the Art & Science of Pinball exhibition, affiliated with Pacific Pinball Museum |
| Scott Horton | person | Reporter who wrote the exhibition article for Pinball News |
| The Hobbit | game | 2016 pinball machine featured as one of the contemporary machines in the exhibition |
| Parlor Bagatelle | game | Early flipperless pinball game included in exhibition as historical example |
| Surf Queens | game | Early flipperless pinball game featured in exhibition as historical example |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pinball exhibition and museum curation, Pinball history and evolution, Pinball mechanics and engineering
- **Secondary:** Educational outreach and public engagement, Pinball as interactive art form

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Exhibition is presented as significant cultural and educational achievement. Curators speak enthusiastically about pinball's artistic and scientific merit. No critical perspectives or negative commentary present.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Pacific Pinball Museum expanding educational outreach through major institutional partnerships and public-facing exhibitions (confidence: high) — Michael Schiess and Melissa Harmon co-curating exhibition, indicating Pacific Pinball Museum's institutional capacity and reputation
- **[event_signal]** Major pinball exhibition opening at established science museum (Chabot Space & Science Center) through September 24, 2017, representing significant mainstream cultural recognition (confidence: high) — Art & Science of Pinball exhibition at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, CA, co-curated by Pacific Pinball Museum leadership

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## Transcript

Date: 15th July 2017

Report by Scott Horton

We have reported on a number of pinball exhibitions in the past, but a new one has recent opened at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Northern California. Scott Horton tells us about it.

The science, engineering, design, whimsy and style covering nearly 200 years of the evolution of pinball will be featured in a new exhibition through September 24, 2017 at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, CA.

The Art & Science of Pinball Exhibition

Co-curated by Michael Schiess and Melissa Harmon of the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda, The Art and Science of Pinball careens from bagatelle boards to the sophisticated contemporary machines.

Thirty-five pinball machines - the public can play all but two of them - are featured, from Parlor Bagatelle and Surf Queens, early flipperless games, all the way to the Hobbit from 2016. In addition, two see-through machine, models and diagrams that de-mystify and explain how the machines work and a full complement of public activities and programs will be presented through the exhibition run.

Thirty-three pinballs at the exhibition are available to play

During the exhibition, Chabot Space & Science Center will be energized with the sounds of bells, buzzers and bumpers as pinball machines old and new fill the space and the public can enjoy an adrenaline rush learning about science in a completely new, interactive way. Pinball’s compelling mix of skill and chance together with increasingly ingenious and complex designs, engineering, science and art have made it enduringly popular for two centuries.

Some of the exhibits demonstrating the science of pinball

The Art and Science of Pinball unpacks the historical roots and the science and art behind the gravity-defying game using a selection of machines the public can actually play and learn about.

Score and credit reels explained

“Pinball is an amazing American art form, interactive kinetic art that is pay to play,” says exhibition co-curator Michael Schiess. “Its aesthetics are rooted in attraction and distraction as an attempt to remove coins from the pockets of what started out as a predominately male audience.  At first, the bright colors, flashing lights, bells, chimes and wild action of the ball zipping around the playfield brings an excitement to the player. Slowly, you realize the thing that enticed you to put a coin in and try your skill and luck is designed to distract and impede your abilities. But it does it in such a fun, entertaining way you don't even care.”

Seeing how the game functions with the Visible Pinball

Co-curator Melissa Harmon adds, “The Art and Science of Pinball tells stories on many levels.   Visitors view the fun and fantasy shown in the art, leading them to think creatively about the social situations at the time the machine was made.  They have a scientific vision of how pinball mechanisms evolved from pins in a board, and complexity grew over the last century. Then the visitor becomes a player and makes his or her own flashy combinations of silver ball magic!  The Chabot Space and Science Center is a great place for this exhibit, extending people’s imaginations from gaming into the final frontier, outer space.”

The exhibition runs until September 24th

For information on the The Art and Science of Pinball exhibition visit www.chabotspace.org.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 3fc213d3-c6d8-4675-9f16-858d447997a8*