George Eastman Museum to Invite Photographers and Community Stakeholders to Help Shape Photography Access
The George Eastman Museum has heard the concerns, questions, and suggestions shared by photographers, artists, families, and community members regarding the implementation of its photography policies.
We recognize the important role photographers have played in documenting milestones, celebrations, artistic expression, and memories on Museum grounds for generations. Their work has helped tell the story of the George Eastman Museum and strengthened our connection to the community.
To support continued dialogue, the museum will be hosting listening sessions with photographers and community stakeholders.
Reserved photography sessions at the Museum have been subject to fees for many years. Recent policy updates expanded reservation requirements to additional categories of photography in response to increased demand, operational needs, visitor experience considerations, and ongoing preservation efforts. The review process that informed these updates began prior to recent public discussion and reflects the Museum's ongoing responsibility to balance community access, preservation, safety, and visitor experience.
Feedback gathered through the listening sessions will help inform future communication, implementation, and evaluation of photography access policies. The Museum also intends to share key themes and insights from those conversations with the community following the review process.
The George Eastman Museum remains committed to balancing preservation, safety, visitor experience, and meaningful community access.
About the George Eastman Museum
Founded in 1947, the George Eastman Museum is the world’s oldest photography museum and one of the largest film archives in the United States. Its holdings comprise more than 400,000 photographs, 31,000 motion picture films, the world’s preeminent collection of photographic and cinematographic technology, one of the leading libraries of books and archival materials related to photography and cinema, and extensive holdings of documents and other objects related to George Eastman. The museum is located on the historic Rochester estate of entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography. As a research and teaching institution, the Eastman Museum has an active publishing program, and its L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation’s graduate program (a collaboration with the University of Rochester) makes critical contributions to film preservation. The George Eastman Museum is supported with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information, visit eastman.org.