George Eastman Story Lab
Painting of George Eastman, 1914. Of the $2 billion (value today) that Eastman donated throughout his life, he directed approximately $100 million to education.
Booker T. Washington, 1903. Eastman’s friendship with Washington sparked his financial support of historically Black colleges and universities.
A view of the Tuskegee University campus, date unknown. Eastman donated about $3.4 million to Tuskegee.
The museum was established in 1947 to honor George Eastman's legacy and remarkable impact on the world. Today, visitors are interested not only in his achievements but also in Eastman as a person who, shown through a balanced historical lens, was enormously impactful, though also imperfect.
In the coming years, six unrestored rooms of the mansion will be renovated to house a new exhibition on Eastman. The exhibition will feature the times in which he lived, his influence, and what influenced him throughout his life. It will also contextualize the facts of his life through a present-day lens, exploring the inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, and how he impacts us today. The candid and forthright presentation, sourced from historical records, will allow visitors the opportunity to understand Eastman in ways that are relevant to their own history.
To help achieve the goal of demystifying George Eastman, the museum is gathering community input to help shape the exhibition’s themes and presentation. The George Eastman Story Lab is an informal installation that presents information on one of the future exhibition's primary themes—philanthropy—and glimpses of how that theme weaves through the story of Eastman’s life. Visitors are asked to share their opinions through an online survey that can be accessed on-site or at home through mobile devices. This visitor input will be critical in helping develop the future, comprehensive exhibition.
The project represents a significant step in the museum’s continuing strategy to improve visitor experiences and welcome new audiences.
VIEW STORY LAB DISPLAY CONTENT - PDF
TAKE THE SHORT STORY LAB SURVEY
This project is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Grant #MA-252102-OMS-22.
