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
George Eastman Museum restoration project Murder in Harlem (1935) selected for screening at 2021 Cannes Film Festival
The George Eastman Museum announced that its recent restoration of Murder in Harlem (1935), a rare film directed by Oscar Micheaux (1884–1951), has been selected to be screened in the Cannes Classic series at the 74th Annual Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) in France. The festival will be held from Tuesday, July 6, through Saturday, July 17, 2021. The Eastman Museum collaborated with the Cineteca di Bologna, in Italy, to preserve the film.
George Eastman Museum to present two Free Film Series in Solidarity with Black Americans and Asian/Pacific Islander Americans
This summer, the George Eastman Museum will present two free film series in solidarity with Black Americans and Asian/Pacific Islander Americans: Spotlighting Black Film Artists and Celebrating Asian/Pacific American Directors. All are invited to attend the screenings at the Dryden Theatre.
Joshua Rashaad McFadden photography exhibition to open in Fall 2021 at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum will open the major new exhibition Joshua Rashaad McFadden: I Believe I’ll Run On in its main galleries on Friday, November 5, 2021. The exhibition is an early-career survey of the Rochester-based artist’s work, in which McFadden critically examines the racism and anti-Black violence that Black Americans have experienced from slavery to the present. To this end, McFadden explores how racism, masculinity, sexuality, and gender impact Black Americans, while at the same time he envisions Black life liberated from these strictures.
India Heritage Museum in collaboration with the George Eastman Museum presents "Indian Cinema: A Rochester Connection"
India Heritage Museum will present a new visual arts exhibition, Indian Cinema: A Rochester Connection, beginning Saturday, May 8, and running through Sunday, June 13. This free exhibition includes contemporary Indian film posters provided by the George Eastman Museum and can be viewed at the Vinod and Vinay Luthra India Heritage Center at 2171 Monroe Wayne County Line Road, Macedon, 14502. The exhibit can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
George Eastman Museum will exhibit Jess T. Dugan and Vanessa Fabbre’s work focusing on Transgender Older Adults
The George Eastman Museum will present To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults, a photographic exhibition on view from June 19, 2021 through January 2, 2022. This interdisciplinary project is a collaboration between photographer Jess T. Dugan and social worker Vanessa Fabbre, an associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis whose research focuses on the intersection of LGBTQ issues and aging.
The Dryden Theatre will reopen on April 2
The Dryden Theatre will reopen to the public with a screening of Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, US 1941) on Friday, April 2, followed by Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, US 1954) on Saturday, April 3. All films will begin at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:45 p.m.).
Orson Welles’s Too Much Johnson now available online with voice-over commentary and musical accompaniment
One of the landmark projects of the George Eastman Museum’s Moving Image Department was the preservation of Orson Welles’s 1938 comedy, Too Much Johnson. The film, once thought lost, can be viewed at eastman.org/TooMuchJohnson. The digitized version of the film includes new recorded voice-over commentary by Anthony L’Abbate, preservation manager, and Caroline Yeager, associate curator, of the George Eastman Museum. The online film also includes a new musical score provided by Philip C.
The George Eastman Museum launches new virtual artist’s talk series
The George Eastman Museum is launching a new series of virtual talks, Future/Present, featuring early- to mid-career photographers and artists who are exploring some of the most pressing issues of our time and pushing the boundaries of image-making and visual culture today. The series will kick off online with visual artist and storyteller Citali Fabián on March 18 at 6 p.m. The event is free for museum members and $10 suggested ticket for non-museum members.
The George Eastman Museum now offering virtual Photographic and Moving Image Process Workshops
The George Eastman Museum has been providing artists, educators, and enthusiasts ways to explore photographic and moving image processes for decades through its on-site Process Workshops. From how to make a tintype to turning digital negatives into prints, these in-person workshops drew people from around the world to learn from the museum’s experts. This year, the Eastman Museum is offering new ways to experience its workshops from wherever you are located.
George Eastman Museum receives 20 reels of rare 35mm nitrate films
The George Eastman Museum has recently received a donation of 20 reels, from 12 identified titles, of rare 35mm nitrate and diacetate film prints from historian John Goodman of Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
Richard Gere to receive George Eastman Award
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film announces it will honor Richard Gere with the prestigious George Eastman Award on Feb. 16. The award recognizes Gere’s distinguished contribution to the art of film as well as his global humanitarian leadership. In accepting the honor, Gere joins the company of such film legends as Charles Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille, Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, Audrey Hepburn, Kim Novak, Martin Scorsese, and Meryl Streep. The George Eastman Award was established in 1955 as the first retrospective film award to honor artistic work of enduring value.
Paolo Cherchi Usai returns to Eastman House
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film announces the appointment of Dr. Paolo Cherchi Usai to the position of senior curator of motion pictures, a title he held from 1994 to 2004. He is currently Curator Emeritus of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and director of the Haghefilm Foundation in the Netherlands. The appointment of Cherchi Usai, a leading figure in film preservation, marks his return to Eastman House, where he began working in 1989 with what is the third largest film collection in the United States.
George Eastman House hosts Photo Finish 5K Oct. 1
Dozens of local non-profit organizations will benefit from a single fundraiser this fall — the George Eastman House Photo Finish 5K presented by MVP Health Care, aka The Philanthropy Challenge, hitting Rochester streets Saturday, Oct. 1. This type of event has become a fundraising frontrunner in major cities, with this local race modeled after the London Marathon, which has raised millions of dollars for charity.
George Eastman House presents Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera
Experience the iconic paintings and illustrations of artist Norman Rockwell alongside the staged photographs on which he based his work, with the exhibition Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera, on view June 25 through Sept. 18, 2011.
Dryden Theatre celebrates Charlie Chaplin in June
The Dryden Theatre pays tribute to Charlie Chaplin throughout the month of June, with a series of 15 films, including Modern Times, The Kid, and City Lights. While it is known Chaplin’s movies were made wholly for himself, they did speak to the whole world — and continue to do so decades later.
George Eastman House swings into 18th season of Garden Vibes
The Garden Vibes summer concert series at George Eastman House is celebrating its 18th year. On four Thursdays in July and August, George Eastman House offers a unique outdoor venue for experiencing live music. Picnic on the Eastman House lawn, relax with friends, and enjoy family-fun activities, while at the same time basking in George Eastman’s historic Townson Terrace garden and surrounding grounds. Concerts are 6 to 8 p.m.
George Eastman House Benefit Auction set for Oct. 3
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film is organizing its second benefit auction of photographic objects and prints, books, and camera technology, to take place in New York City at Metropolitan Pavilion at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3. Denise Bethel, director of the Photographs Department at Sotheby’s New York, will again volunteer her services as auctioneer, as she did for last year’s inaugural benefit auction – which raised more than a half-million dollars in less than two hours for Eastman House.
360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival to showcase 104 films from 21 countries April 27 – May 2
The 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival takes to Rochester screens April 27-May 2, with 104 films from 21 countries, plus celebratory parties, panel discussions, artist conversations, and award ceremonies. Those being honored this year include Oscar®-nominated and Emmy®-winning cinematographer Buddy Squires and celebrated Rochester-based screenwriter Brock Yates. The festival is celebrating its 10th year in 2011.
Jonas Mekas visits Eastman House April 9; will receive title of George Eastman Honorary Scholar
Filmmaker Jonas Mekas — whom many call the Godfather of American Avant-Garde Cinema — will visit the George Eastman House at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 9, for a screening of his film Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania and to receive the title of George Eastman Honorary Scholar for artistic achievement. Past recipients of this honor include directors John Frankenheimer, James Ivory, and John Landis; actors/photographers Dennis Hopper and Jeff Bridges; and most recently musician/photographer Graham Nash in January.
George Eastman House marks 150th anniversary of Civil War with exhibitions opening Feb. 12
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film commemorates the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War with photography and motion picture exhibitions opening on Feb. 12, Abraham Lincoln's birthday. The museum's unparalleled collection of 19th-century photography is showcased as iconic photographs hang alongside rare and never-before-seen images, in addition to contemporary images of Civil War sites and re-enactments and a look at how motion pictures have fictitiously depicted the war. The exhibitions are on view through June 12, 2011.
Eastman House fills Conservatory with flowers
George Eastman House presents virtual springtime, with the 17th annual exhibition The Dutch Connection: George Eastman's Conservatory in Winter Bloom, on view Friday, Feb. 11 through Saturday, Feb. 26.This colorful, interpretive exhibition will feature thousands of flowering bulbs, re-creating Eastman's 1911 display of flowers from Holland - ordered from the same Dutch company Eastman used.
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.
George Eastman House Camera book illustrates history of photography from daguerreotype to digital
For the first time in the two centuries of photographic history, a book has been produced that celebrates both the camera and the art of the photograph — displaying images alongside the cameras that created them. George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film launches this month Camera: The History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital (Sterling Innovation, 2009, 368 pp., $45). The world’s oldest museum of photography, Eastman House is home to a number of world-class collections, including the world’s largest collection of camera technology.
George Eastman House presents Sixtieth Anniversary Portfolio
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film is commemorating its 60th anniversary in 2009 with a deluxe portfolio of 12 photographs created by celebrated international artists. A limited edition of 25 Sixtieth Anniversary Portfolios is being sold to collectors and institutions.
Dryden Theatre welcomes filmmakers Andrew Bujalski and Bob Byington and three Mumblecore movies
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House welcomes in November and December two filmmakers involved in a relatively new movement in independent cinema known as “Mumblecore,” in addition to several exclusive screenings.
Dryden Theatre sings and dances with Minnelli’s MGM Musicals
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House presents a rollicking series of films this November and December — MINNELLI’S MGM MUSICALS. The featured films of Oscar®-winning director Vincente Minnelli star Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Lena Horne, Judy Holliday, and Dean Martin, among many others. The films in the series are all from the archives of George Eastman House — which holds the world’s largest collection of Technicolor films.
Dryden Theatre presents the ’80s films of John Hughes
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House is “Remembering John Hughes” by screening seven of his most popular films every Wednesday in November through mid-December. From teenage dilemmas to painful vacations, the recently departed John Hughes made fans far beyond the 1980s, although his films did serve as a perfect presentation of decade.
Dryden Theatre celebrates American film criticism with the series “For the Love of Movies”
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House shines a spotlight on American film criticism with a series of screenings in November and December. “For the Love of Movies: The History of American Film Criticism” celebrates those people of letters whose words are devoted to moving pictures, by presenting a number of movies that provoked particularly inspired and influential essays, including Meet Me in St. Louis, Saturday Night Fever, andRashomon.
Dryden Theatre celebrates American film criticism with the series “For the Love of Movies”
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House shines a spotlight on American film criticism with a series of screenings in November and December. “For the Love of Movies: The History of American Film Criticism” celebrates those people of letters whose words are devoted to moving pictures, by presenting a number of movies that provoked particularly inspired and influential essays, including Meet Me in St. Louis, Saturday Night Fever, andRashomon.
Dryden Theatre celebrates American film criticism with the series “For the Love of Movies”
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House shines a spotlight on American film criticism with a series of screenings in November and December. “For the Love of Movies: The History of American Film Criticism” celebrates those people of letters whose words are devoted to moving pictures, by presenting a number of movies that provoked particularly inspired and influential essays, including Meet Me in St. Louis, Saturday Night Fever, andRashomon.
George Eastman House celebrates Where We Live, with hundreds of photographs of Rochester from the collections, the community, and renowned photographers
George Eastman stated, “I want Rochester to be the best city in which to live, work, and raise and family.” In that spirit, George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film will showcase this fall Where We Live – Rochester depicted through hundreds of photographs, plus motion pictures — as the City of Rochester celebrates its 175th anniversary. The Where We Live exhibition opens Oct. 17, with some portions opening Oct. 3. It will on view be through Jan. 24, 2010. The exhibition debut coincides with the city of Rochester’s “Coming Home” celebration this fall.
Jessica Lange at Eastman House July 25
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film celebrates Oscar®-winning actress Jessica Lange this summer, with a photography exhibition of her work, a film series, and the awarding of the George Eastman House Honors. Lange will visit Eastman House Saturday, July 25, when she will introduce her recent film Grey Gardens and also take part in a tribute evening, when she will discuss her photography and film career. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, June 16. Lange’s filmography includes King Kong, Tootsie, Blue Sky, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Grey Gardens.
Jessica Lange at Eastman House July 25
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film celebrates Oscar®-winning actress Jessica Lange this summer, with a photography exhibition of her work, a film series, and the awarding of the George Eastman House Honors. Lange will visit Eastman House Saturday, July 25, when she will introduce her recent film Grey Gardens and also take part in a tribute evening, when she will discuss her photography and film career. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, June 16. Lange’s filmography includes King Kong, Tootsie, Blue Sky, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Grey Gardens.
Garden Vibes concert series showcases Rochester bands in conjunction with city’s 175th anniversary
The Garden Vibes summer concert series at George Eastman House, marking its 16th year, boasts a variety of Rochester-based bands with international followings in honor of the city of Rochester’s 175th anniversary. Concerts will take the stage in the Townson Terrace Garden in July and August, with an added “Music & A Movie” feature this season. You can dance the night away and enjoy a picnic supper and fun family activities, while at the same time basking in George Eastman’s historic garden and grounds.
Dryden Theatre presents ‘Marilyn Monroe Wednesdays’ throughout July and August
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House is remembering the fabulous, but all too short, career of Marilyn Monroe on Wednesdays throughout July and August, with a series of her best dramatic and comedic work.
Dryden Theatre presents weekend of “Director’s Cuts” with Alien and Woodstock
30th anniversary screening of Alien Aug. 14 and 40th anniversary of Woodstock Aug. 15 & 16
Laugh away your financial woes during the “What Depression?” film series
Enjoy a throwback salute to the films of an era when times were really tough: the Great Depression. Comedy is the best remedy during an economic recession and a summer film series at the Dryden Theatre serves as a distraction from the current problems facing the world, titled What Depression? Musicals, Fantasies, and Screwball Comedies of the 1930s. While generally upbeat, the films selected for this series aren’t strictly escapist; rather, the breadlines and vast unemployment often provide the motivational force for snappy characters and stories. Titles include the Oscar©-winning It Happened One Night and the Busby Berkeley musical 42nd St.