Future Galleries in the Mansion

The George Eastman Museum is committed to providing an engaging experience for all of our visitors. To advance this objective, we plan to create two new sets of galleries in spaces without historic interiors on the first and second floors of the mansion. Three new galleries on the first floor will present a contemporary interpretation of George Eastman. The galleries on the second floor will exhibit objects from our collection to show the history of photographic and cinematographic technology from before the invention of the camera to the present.

The public rooms of the mansion were painstakingly restored in 1990, and over the past decade we have invested nearly $5 million in the restoration of its Palm House, porte cochere, Conservatory roof, organ, East Porch, and Colonnade as well as several dormers and more than sixty windows.

Yet, we have very limited gallery space dedicated to interpreting George Eastman education. As a result, visitors who tour the mansion without the benefit of a docent or our mobile tour are offered little information about the inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, except for the introductory video in the Wolk Concourse.

The George Eastman galleries will introduce him within the context of his time and will include aspects of his life that are widely relevant to contemporary audiences. He was raised by his widowed mother and left school to support his family. He turned a passion for experimentation into a hugely successful business through transformative inventions and savvy marketing. The rapid growth of Eastman Kodak Company will be traced from its earliest days to market leadership around the world.

The exhibition will explore Eastman in relation to the Rochester community and the decisions he made that continue to impact its residents today. His greatest philanthropy was in support of higher education. He also sought to improve conditions for the working poor of his time, through improved healthcare and access to dental care. Some of his life’s contradictions will be explored. For example, though he donated a million dollars to each of two leading Black colleges to foster economic opportunity, he did not do enough to oppose discrimination against Blacks in Rochester.

We will also share compelling stories about other people who resided in Eastman’s mansion. As a single parent, his mother, Maria Kilbourn, raised three children, including one with physical disabilities. Solomon Young, his valet and butler for more than two decades, was possibly the first Black resident of Rochester to own a car.

The Eastman Museum holds the world’s leading collection of photographic equipment — a subject of keen interest to many visitors and prospective visitors — but our display and interpretation of these objects has been limited by space constraints. In existing and new galleries on the second floor of the mansion, a new exhibition will guide visitors through the evolution of the medium: beginning with the ancient camera obscura and early hands-on processes, through Eastman’s development of gelatin dry plates, to the groundbreaking Kodak camera, which made photography affordable, portable, and broadly accessible. The exhibition will also explore the rise of motion picture film and color photography and will conclude with the development of digital devices.

Reflecting our commitment to improved accessibility, the project will include installation of a new self-service, limited-use/limited-access elevator that will be large enough to accommodate a person in a wheelchair and a companion. Currently, the mansion has only its historic elevator, which must be operated by a museum staff member.

The Pace Family Fund at Rochester Area Community Foundation funded the initial schematic plan for the project. Longtime patron Thomas N. Tischer has donated nearly $160,000 to support architectural and engineering services. Construction costs are estimated to be about $2 million. Last fall, Empire State Development, in conjunction with the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council, awarded the museum a $400,000 grant — with a four-toone matching requirement.

Creating these new galleries for our audiences is a strategic priority. Its timing critically depends on the success of our fundraising efforts. For more information on opportunities to support this project, please contact Lisa Seischab at (585) 327–4942 or lseischab [at] eastman [dot] org.

Bruce Barnes, Ph.D.

Ron and Donna Fielding Director

March/April 2022 Bulletin