New Exhibition Explores How Kodak’s Pioneering Lambda Network Transformed LGBTQ Inclusion in the Workplace

Visitors to the George Eastman Museum have the opportunity to experience the exhibition Picturing Equality: The Lambda Network at Kodak, on view in the museum’s community gallery, Gallery Obscura, from June 27 to November 8, 2026.

Using never-before-shared archival documents, newspapers and magazines, photographs, video footage, and oral history interviews, Picturing Equality: The Lambda Network at Kodak explores how Lambda members changed Kodak’s corporate culture and benefit policies to be more LGBTQ inclusive.

"Since 2021, the Remembering the Lambda Network at Kodak project has been documenting Lambda’s history and influence, and the stories of its members," said Tamar Carroll, PhD, professor of history, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). "With the help of RIT student researchers, I am thrilled to bring this important and inspiring history to audiences at the Eastman Museum. We have learned so much from the Lambda members about making change and creating inclusive workplaces, and are excited to share this legacy with the public."

"Sharing the history of the Lambda Network at Kodak through Gallery Obscura is important  to the mission of the Eastman Museum and to the diverse community it serves,” said Emma Rathe, manager of programs and exhibition production and co-director of Gallery Obscura, George Eastman Museum. “The archival documents featured in this exhibition reveal how relevant their messaging remains today. The museum staff deeply appreciate the effort, energy, and collaboration of Tamar Carroll and the student researchers from RIT who helped bring this exhibition to our visitors."

The Lambda Network at Kodak was the LGBTQ employee resource group that formed at the company’s Rochester headquarters in the early 1990s, when most queer workers were still closeted. Lambda’s influence extended well beyond Rochester, helping position Kodak as a national leader in LGBTQ workplace equality. 

With strong support from Kodak’s senior leadership, the group advanced inclusive policies, shaped public advocacy, and challenged corporate norms through both internal change and outward-facing representation. Its legacy endures in lasting institutional impact and in the continued human rights work of its members.

By sharing their first-person stories of the difficulties of remaining closeted in the workplace, Lambda members promoted understanding of the importance of LGBTQ rights. Annual educational events for leadership, as well as photobooths and portrait photography, also led to specific action that increased inclusion for LGBTQ employees. By centering photography in their activities, Lambda members closely tied their own organizational goals and identity to that of the Kodak brand.

This exhibition was organized by the Remembering the Lambda Network at Kodak project that, since 2021, has been documenting Lambda’s history and influence and the stories of its members.

Exhibition-related Programming
The George Eastman Museum will offer exhibition-related programming, including a panel discussion on Wednesday, July 8 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Dryden Theatre. More information can be found at eastman.org/lambda-network.

For ticket information, hours, and more visit eastman.org.

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.