Our Multifaceted Diamond

This November 9 is the 75th anniversary of opening our museum to the public. Since inception, the museum has been a leader in three fields: photography, cinema, and related technologies. Eastman Kodak Company, its founding benefactor, was primarily interested in photographic and cinematographic technology. Yet, for the position of head curator, they recruited Beaumont Newhall—a preeminent historian of photography—who held that the highest form of photography was as art. James Card, a pioneering and passionate collector of film as art, was hired to be the film curator. From the beginning, ours was a museum of art and science, as well as history and culture captured in our collections.

For the next forty years, George Eastman’s mansion complex and the Dryden Theatre (1951) served to present exhibitions and screenings, store the burgeoning collections, and provide office and work spaces. One year after constructing our exhibition and collection building (1989) and largely vacating George Eastman’s mansion, our institution undertook an ambitious restoration of its public rooms and his gardens. The scope of our museum had broadened to include the history of George Eastman and his home. 

The time surrounding our 75th anniversary is one of celebration, particularly of our collections, and progress through construction and restoration. Earlier this year, the exhibitions Crashing into the 60s: Film Posters from the Collection showcased our too rarely seen poster collection, and New Directions: Recent Acquisitions displayed the range of our recent purchases of photographs.

Life with Photographs: 75 Years of the Eastman Museum, in our main galleries, is a curatorial collaboration that explores the history of photography from before its invention to the present day through selections from our Department of Photography’s collection of more than 400,000 objects. The evolving exhibition in our Collection Gallery highlights works by some renowned photographers and some extraordinarily objects from our technology collection. As part of our ongoing commitment to presenting works by contemporary artists, Scene at Eastman— almost all new photographic work specifically conceived by Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa for the exhibition—invites viewers to consider their own process of looking, while being observed themselves. In 2025, the Dryden Theatre will present a special series of films from our collection.

As director of the Eastman Museum, my greatest source of joy is its progress. The major project to upgrade and expand our nitrate film storage facility is nearly complete. We have begun construction, in unrestored areas of the mansion, of new galleries that will house the future exhibition New Perspectives on George Eastman, with a coda about the history of amateur cameras. We expect that we will soon choose a general contractor to restore, and improve access to, our Rock Garden and its grape arbor. Our goal is to reopen the Rock Garden by next fall. We have made great progress on fundraising for each of these projects, and our efforts continue. Different people are drawn to different aspects of our museum, and we are proud of, and committed to, our ability to engage and serve each of them. Preserving our collections, maintaining our leadership in our fields, serving our community, and supporting our dedicated staff members becomes more costly every year. In celebration of our 75th anniversary year, please consider a year-end donation to our Annual Fund or an increase in your annual membership donation. These contributions allow us to care for and share our collections while positioning the museum to continue at the vanguard of its fields well into the future. Thank you, as always, for your support.

Bruce Barnes, PhD

Ron and Donna Fielding Director

November/December 2024 Bulletin