About
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; 28,000 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 makes critical contributions in the fields of film preservation and photographic conservation.
Current Press Releases
George Eastman Museum restoration project Murder in Harlem (1935) selected for screening at 2021 Cannes Film Festival
Rochester, N.Y., July 2, 2021—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
Rochester, N.Y., June 18, 2021—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
Rochester, N.Y., May 12, 2021—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.
India Heritage Museum in collaboration with the George Eastman Museum presents "Indian Cinema: A Rochester Connection"
Rochester, N.Y., April 29, 2021—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
Rochester, N.Y., April 23, 2021—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
Rochester, N.Y., March 18, 2021—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.).
The George Eastman Museum announces the release of The Photographers Cookbook
Rochester, N.Y., June 20, 2016—Nearly forty years after the idea was born, The Photographers Cookbook has been released. In the late 1970s, the George Eastman Museum approached a group of photographers to ask for their favorite recipes and food-related photographs to go with them, in pursuit of publishing a cookbook. The concept grew from the idea that a photographer’s talent in the darkroom likely translated into special skills in the kitchen. Dozens of photographers sent submissions, but editor Deborah Barsel left the museum before preparations were complete, and the planned publication never came to fruition—until now. The book, co-published by the George Eastman Museum and Aperture, includes an essay by Lisa Hostetler, curator in charge of the Department of Photography at the museum.
George Eastman Museum partners with Rochester’s LGBTQ community to present a free Summer of Solidarity film series at the Dryden Theatre
Rochester, N.Y., June 17, 2016—In solidarity with the victims of the atrocity in Orlando and with the entire LGBTQ community, the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum presents Summer of Solidarity—a film series that includes seven landmark films dealing with LGBTQ themes. This film series is organized by the George Eastman Museum in partnership with the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, ImageOut: The Rochester LGBT Film Festival, and The MOCHA Center/Trillium Health. Admission to all screenings is free.
George Eastman Museum to Honor Michael Keaton with George Eastman Award before Sold-Out Crowd Tonight
Rochester, N.Y., June 9, 2016—The George Eastman Museum will honor actor Michael Keaton with the George Eastman Award this evening at a sold-out event. The Eastman Award is the museum’s highest honor in motion pictures and recognizes Keaton’s distinguished contribution to the art of film. The award ceremony begins at 8 p.m. in the Dryden Theatre. More than 500 people will attend the ceremony, which will feature a video compilation of his work and a conversation with Keaton, followed by a reception in the museum.
Michael Keaton to introduce Beetlejuice at the Dryden Theatre on June 8
Rochester, N.Y., June 1, 2016—It’s been said that if you say the word “Beetlejuice” three times, he will appear. Well get ready, Rochester! The George Eastman Museum has announced that Golden Globe Award winner, Academy Award nominee, and America’s favorite Batman—actor Michael Keaton—will introduce a screening of Beetlejuice (Tim Burton, 1988) at the Dryden Theatre on Wednesday, June 8, at 8 p.m.
George Eastman Museum Announces Programs in conjunction with Photography and America’s National Parks
Rochester, N.Y., May 31, 2016—The George Eastman Museum has announced an extensive schedule of programs in conjunction with its new exhibition, Photography and America’s National Parks, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the formation of the National Park Service and opens on June 4, with a special preview party scheduled for June 3.
George Eastman Museum introduces Online Finding Aids for the Manuscript Collections of Four Independent Filmmakers
Rochester, N.Y., May 31, 2016—The George Eastman Museum announced today that it is now offering online access to finding aids for the manuscript collections of independent filmmakers Douglass Crockwell, Leo Hurwitz, James Reese, and Lothar Wolff. These research tools provide scholars, students, and the public with the means to discover the contents of these four filmmakers’ unique collections. The finding aids are accessible at eastman.org/finding-aids.
Annual James Card Memorial Lecture presented by David Bordwell
Rochester, N.Y., May 25, 2016—Renowned film scholar David Bordwell will present the annual James Card Memorial Lecture at the George Eastman Museum’s Dryden Theatre on Sunday, May 29 at 2 pm.
Sight Reading: Photography and the Legible World opens this June at the George Eastman Museum
Rochester, N.Y., May 24, 2016—The George Eastman Museum will open the exhibition Sight Reading: Photography and the Legible World on June 18 in the Project Gallery. Organized in partnership with the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, the exhibition of photographs is drawn primarily from the Eastman Museum’s rich holdings, supplemented by works from the Morgan and a private collector. It will be on view through September 18.
George Eastman Museum Hosts Artist Erica Baum on May 26
Rochester, N.Y., May 24, 2016—New York–based contemporary artist Erica Baum will be at the George Eastman Museum on Thursday, May 26 at 6 p.m. to discuss her work, which simultaneously operates as photograph and poem. Using the printed page as her primary subject, Baum fuses together photographic fragments of profound language, transforming the decontextualized words into messages that permeate everyday life.
Press Contact
Eliza Kozlowski
Senior Director of Marketing and Engagement
George Eastman Museum
(585) 327-4860
[email protected]