About 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, located on the historic Rochester estate of entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography. Its holdings comprise more than 450,000 photographs, 31,000 motion picture films, the world’s preeminent collection of photographic and cinematographic technology, one of the leading libraries of books related to photography and cinema, and extensive holdings of documents and other objects related to George Eastman. 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.
Current Press Releases
The George Eastman Museum presents the 8th Nitrate Picture Show from May 30-June 2, 2024
The George Eastman Museum receives $250,000 grant from the IMLS
The George Eastman Museum has received a grant award of $250,000 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through its Museums for America program to support its project Lost and Found: Classic Pakistani Cinema. The grant will allow the museum to identify, catalogue, repair, and clean 135 rare and fragile films from the Anwar Shiekh film collection. This project builds upon film conservation work that began in 2020 with a previous IMLS grant award for cataloging and conservation of more than 1,000 South Asian films.
New Selections from the Collection Items Explore Photo Technology and Trends Throughout History at the Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum presents Selections from the Collection, the newest display of items from the museum's photography vaults on view in the Collection Gallery, starting Saturday, September 30.
Gregory Halpern: 19 winters / 7 springs opens at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum will present the works of photographer Gregory Halpern (American, b. 1977). The exhibition, 19 winters / 7 springs, will open at the museum on Saturday, September 16, 2023, and will run through Sunday, March 3, 2024.
George Eastman Museum Presents Magic Lantern Show at Rochester Fringe Festival
The George Eastman Museum is proud to present Nellie Bly Around the World in 72 Days: A Magic Lantern Show as part of the 2023 Rochester Fringe Festival on Thursday, September 21 at 7 p.m. on the museum’s East Lawn. More information about the George Eastman Museum event, including ticket information, is available at eastman.org. Tickets for all Rochester Fringe Festival (Tuesday, Sept. 12 – Saturday, Sept. 23) events are now on sale at rochesterfringe.com, where more information is also available.
George Eastman Museum Presents Magic Lantern Show at Rochester Fringe Festival
The George Eastman Museum is proud to present Nellie Bly Around the World in 72 Days: A Magic Lantern Show as part of the 2023 Rochester Fringe Festival on Thursday, September 21 at 7 p.m. on the museum’s East Lawn. More information about the George Eastman Museum event, including ticket information, is available at eastman.org. Tickets for all Rochester Fringe Festival (Tuesday, Sept. 12 – Saturday, Sept. 23) events are now on sale at rochesterfringe.com, where more information is also available.
George Eastman Museum appoints Daniel Peacock as curator in its Department of Photography
The George Eastman Museum has appointed Daniel Peacock as an assistant curator in its Department of Photography. In his new role, Peacock will research the museum’s collection, collaborate on collection development, curate exhibitions at the museum, and author or contribute to scholarly publications. Peacock began in the position in July 2023.
George Eastman Museum to host community forum to request funding for the Rock Garden's Grape Arbor project
The George Eastman Museum will host a community forum in the museum's Multipurpose Hall at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 26, to inform the public about the significant restoration projects that are underway to sustain the museum's National Historic Landmark.
Gillian Laub’s Southern Rites exhibition comes to the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum announced today the opening of Gillian Laub: Southern Rites, an exhibition featuring American photographer and filmmaker Gillian Laub. The exhibition will be on display in the museum’s main galleries from June 30 through the end of 2023.
Southern Rites is a powerful photographic exploration of racial tensions and discrimination in the American South. Laub spent over two decades documenting the lives and experiences of individuals in Montgomery County, Ga., a community marked by deep-seated racial divisions.
Resistance and Rescue: Denmark and the Holocaust exhibition opens at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum announced today the opening of Resistance and Rescue: Denmark and the Holocaust, an exhibition featuring American photographer Judy Glickman Lauder’s portraits of Danes who participated in rescuing Jews from deportation by Germany during World War II—and of Jews who were rescued. The portraits, taken in the early 1990s, are each accompanied by the story of the individual’s experience. The exhibition will be presented in the museum’s new Gallery Obscura through October 1.
George Eastman Museum honors Jodie Foster with the George Eastman Award
The George Eastman Museum honored Jodie Foster with the George Eastman Award Thursday evening in front of a packed crowd. The George Eastman Award, established in 1955, is the museum’s highest honor in motion pictures and recognizes Foster’s distinguished contributions to the art of film.
Garden Vibes Concert Series returns to the George Eastman Museum this summer
The Garden Vibes summer concert series will return to the George Eastman Museum this summer after a three-year hiatus due to construction on the mansion and in the gardens. The museum will host the outdoor concerts on June 14, July 19, and August 16 on the east lawn, located on the east side of the mansion next to the Schuyler C. Townson Terrace Garden.
Jodie Foster to Receive George Eastman Award
The George Eastman Museum will honor actor and filmmaker Jodie Foster with the George Eastman Award for distinguished contribution to the art of cinema on Thursday, May 25. Tickets for the benefit gala will go on sale to Eastman Museum members on April 25, and any remaining tickets will go on sale to the public on May 2. Tickets and other information for the gala and a related series of seven films at the Dryden Theatre will be available at eastman.org/eastmanaward2023.
George Eastman Museum opens newest exhibition space, Gallery Obscura
Gallery Obscura, George Eastman Museum’s newest exhibition space, is set to open on Saturday, March 4. The inaugural exhibit will be produced in collaboration with the Flower City Arts Center, which will run through June 1.
Gallery Obscura will take on a unique role – featuring exhibitions created or presented in collaboration with community organizations and school and youth programs, projects focused on Greater Rochester, and exhibitions from the museum’s collections that are thematically related to community events or that support other museum initiatives and programming.
The Nitrate Picture Show returns to George Eastman Museum June 1-4, 2023
The George Eastman Museum will present the seventh edition of the Nitrate Picture Show in late spring. The world’s only festival entirely dedicated to nitrate film will be held June 1-4, 2023 at the Dryden Theatre, the George Eastman Museum’s historic venue for film exhibition in Rochester, N.Y. Festival passes are currently available for purchase through the museum’s website at eastman.org/nitrate-picture-show.
Photography of Marcia Resnick celebrated at George Eastman Museum in exhibition opening February 11
The George Eastman Museum, in collaboration with the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, recently announced the first-ever museum exhibition dedicated to longtime photographer Marcia Resnick. Following presentations at Bowdoin and in Minneapolis, the exhibition opens at the George Eastman Museum Saturday, February 11.
Sculpture of Philip Seymour Hoffman donated to George Eastman Museum
The legacy of actor/director/producer Philip Seymour Hoffman will continue to be celebrated at the George Eastman Museum. A life-size bronze sculpture of the actor, created by David A. Annand, has been donated to the museum. Erected on the sidewalk in front of the museum’s Dryden Theatre in May 2022, the sculpture was initially on loan.
Annual Dutch Connection floral show in bloom at George Eastman Museum February 10 - 26, 2023
The George Eastman Museum will bring an early dose of spring to Rochester this February with its annual Dutch Connection floral show. The display will open to the public on February 10 and will remain on view for two weeks. The annual show is a welcome treat in the midst of winter, with thousands of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, amaryllis, and spring annuals in various vibrant shades filling areas of George Eastman’s historic mansion. Tropical orchids courtesy of the Genesee Region Orchid Society will also be on display throughout the mansion.
Graham Nash to visit Eastman House; to be named George Eastman Honorary Scholar
Witness history as photographer and musician Graham Nash receives the title of George Eastman Honorary Scholar, and discusses his career and the Taking Aim exhibition, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22 in the Dryden Theatre.
University of Rochester and George Eastman House Announce Collaborative Alliance
The University of Rochester and George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, the world’s preeminent museum of imaging, have entered into an alliance to further public engagement, research and education in the arts and sciences, with a focus on the museum’s photography and motion-picture collections. This will be the most extensive museum and university alliance of this type in existence.
Dryden Theatre welcomes Oscar®-winning filmmaker Robin Lehman Friday, Dec. 10
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House will host Rochester-based filmmaker and two-time Oscar® winner Robin Lehman at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10. Screening that evening will be three of Lehman’s thought-provoking films, featuring the pure, wordless cinema of his celebrated short films, his signature cinematography, and his moving and humor-filled documentary Forever Young. Lehman will introduce the films and talk with the audience following the screenings.
Chautauqua, Kodak and Eastman House present history-making week on photography
Chautauqua Institution is partnering with Eastman Kodak Company and George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film for a week unlike any other offered in the Institution’s history — exploring the world of photography with world-renowned speakers, interactive exhibits and activities, and an onsite social media center designed to share the experience with the world.
Dryden Theatre celebrates the films of Cary Grant
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House will present a series of six films in July and August starring Cary Grant, whose name remains synonymous with the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The Dryden series, titled “Cary Grant Comedies,” showcases some of his most famous screwball comedies alongside leading ladies Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and Sophia Loren.
Dryden Theatre celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Kurosawa
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House is showcasing the films of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), one of cinema’s most recognized directors, with a retrospective in August titled “Akira Kurosawa Centennial.” This year marks the 100th anniversary of Kurosawa’s birth and the Dryden is celebrating by screening six of his popular and lesser-known titles.
George Eastman House welcomes filmmaker Ken Burns and his writing partner Geoffrey C. Ward Friday, Aug. 13
George Eastman House welcomes back filmmaker Ken Burns, along with his long-time writing partner Geoffrey C. Ward, for an intimate talk on the Dryden Theatre stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13. “An Evening with Ken Burns & Geoffrey C. Ward” will offer an insider’s look at their artistic approaches and processes, as they talk about advancing an idea into an award-winning film. Burns and Ward each will receive the George Eastman Medal of Honor.
George Eastman House acquires Kodak’s Colorama archive
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Kodak Colorama — the gigantic panoramic images that dominated Grand Central Terminal for 40 years, from 1950 to 1990 — with an international touring exhibition titled Colorama debuting June 19, on view at Eastman House through Oct. 17, 2010. At the same time, Eastman House is announcing Eastman Kodak Company has donated its Colorama archive to the museum.
From daguerreotypes to digital photo albums — photography workshops return to Eastman House
After a decade of training the world’s top photograph conservators via a dedicated post-graduate fellowship program, George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film announces it is again offering Photography Workshops to the public, of varying levels of interest and expertise — photographers, curators, educators, artists, or those interested in the art form.
George Eastman House acquires Merchant Ivory collection
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film announces one of the most important acquisitions in its 61-year history — the collection of Merchant Ivory Productions. This collection of 2,600 elements includes more than 40 film titles, such as Oscar®-winners A Room With a View (1986) and Howards End (1992) and Oscar® nominees such as The Remains of the Day (1993), Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990), and The Bostonians (1984).
Technicolor Donates Archive to George Eastman House
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film today announced a major gift to the museum — the historic archive of Technicolor dating from 1915 to 1974. The donation includes rare cameras, documents and drawings, photographs, printers and processing machines, corporate records, and other important materials that represent the history of Technicolor’s groundbreaking contributions to motion pictures. This collection joins the Eastman House’s current Technicolor holdings of early research papers, technology, and the world’s largest collection of Technicolor camera negatives, including The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind.
George Eastman House names new curator of motion pictures
Dr. Caroline Frick Page has been named curator of motion pictures at George House International Museum of Photography and Film, the third largest film archive in the United States. Assuming her position on March 1, she is the sixth curator of motion pictures in the museum’s 61-year history. She has previously worked in film preservation at Warner Bros., Library of Congress, and the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
George Eastman House celebrates Academy Awards® Sunday, March 7
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film will celebrate the 82nd Academy Awards® on Sunday, March 7 with its 14th annual movie-themed Oscars® party — at the home of the father of motion picture film, George Eastman.
Eastman House announces $100,000 Fielding Challenge
George Eastman House announces a $100,000 challenge for 2010, offered by long-time friends Ron and Donna Fielding. Donations made to the museum this year will be matched dollar for dollar. The Fielding Challenge -- being promoted with the tagline “Help us Do A Double-Take” -- is active for every new and increased unrestricted gift made to Eastman House this year, including becoming a member and upgrading membership to a new level.
George Eastman House presents contemporary work of Roger Ballen Feb. 27 - June 6
This winter George Eastman House presents an exhibition of photographs by contemporary, and often controversial, artist Roger Ballen. The 74 black-and-white images of this mini-retrospective, titled Roger Ballen: Photographs 1982-2009, will be on display Feb. 27-June 6, 2010. Eastman House will travel the exhibition worldwide following its Rochester run.
Eastman House celebrates film noir with Dryden series and a talk with mystery writer Charles Benoit
Benoit is the author of mystery novels Out of Order Noble Lies, and Relative Danger, the latter named “Best Mystery/Suspense Book of the Year” by the Independent Publishers Association, and a nominee for an Edgar Allen Poe Award, regarded as the “Oscar®” for mystery writers. Out of Order has also received acclaim and recognition, with The Denver Post noting, “It’s the kind of book Alfred Hitchcock would have filmed.”
Dryden Theatre welcomes Oscar®-winning filmmaker Robin Lehman Saturday, Jan. 30
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House will host Rochester-based filmmaker and two-time Oscar® winner Robin Lehman at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. Screening that evening will be Lehman’s two Academy Award®-winning shorts, Don’t and End of the Game, as well as his Oscar®-nominated short Nightlife. Lehman will introduce the films and talk with the audience following the screenings.
Dryden Theatre celebrates the films of DeNiro and Scorsese
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House shines a spotlight on the filmmaking relationship between powerhouse actor Robert DeNiro and celebrated director Martin Scorsese, with a film series in January and February titled Eight Portraits of the Obsessive: The films of Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese.
Dryden presents Black Dynamite Jan. 2 & 3
\The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House presents a Rochester exclusive screening of Black Dynamite, a gut-busting spoof of 1970s blaxploitation movies, and low-budget movies in general. The film has been heralded as one of the funniest movies of 2009.
George Eastman House presents vintage jewelry trunk show Dec. 3–5; proceeds benefit museum
An exhibition and sale of vintage jewelry — including 19th-century photographic items — will highlight three days of events at George Eastman House, offering a chance to own a glamorous piece of history while supporting the museum. This benefit event —featuring the Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection of costume jewelry, which you’ve seen in films such as The Devil Wears Prada, Chicago, and Grey Gardens — will take place Dec. 3 through 5 and includes a preview party and lecture.
Dryden Theatre welcomes filmmaker Bob Byington and actor Kevin Corrigan Friday, Dec. 4
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House welcomes writer/director Bob Byington, who will introduce his debut feature film Harmony and Me at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, and talk with the audience following the screening. One of the film’s actors, Kevin Corrigan (Grounded for Life, Goodfellas, Pineapple Express), also will appear in person that evening and take part in the discussion.