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
Tickets on sale now for special screening of Hidden Figures with Octavia Spencer
George Eastman Museum to host Hidden Figures screening and conversation with Octavia Spencer
George Eastman Museum awarded grants totaling $1,522,000 for upgrades to HVAC infrastructure
Tickets On Sale Now for George Eastman Award Ceremony and Gala Honoring Octavia Spencer
George Eastman Museum’s Garden Vibes concert series celebrates New York’s vibrant music scene
New Exhibition Ahndraya Parlato: TIME TO KILL Explores Fears and Fantasies Around Aging
Visitors to the George Eastman Museum have the opportunity to experience Ahndraya Parlato: TIME TO KILL, on view from June 20, 2026 to January 3, 2027.
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.
George Eastman Museum Announces Listening Sessions Regarding Photography Access
Octavia Spencer to Receive George Eastman Award for Contribution to the Art of Cinema
Historic Dryden Theatre Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Four Films on Screen
Historic Gardens Now Open for the Season at George Eastman Museum
The gardens at the historic George Eastman Museum reopen today for the season, welcoming visitors to experience their beauty in bloom. Guests are invited to enjoy a stroll in one of Rochester’s most iconic landscapes as well as participate in seasonal experiences and programs. Guided tours of the historic landscape, free with museum admission, are offered Saturdays and Sundays at 12:30 p.m., from May through October.
George Eastman Museum Announces Major 2025 Acquisition of Over 900 Photographic Works
George Eastman Museum to Host 90-Second Newbery Film Festival to Encourage Reading and Media Literacy Among Youth
George Eastman Museum to Welcome Ted Neeley, star of Jesus Christ Superstar, for Special Screening and Meet-and-Greet
George Eastman Museum to celebrate Home Movie Day, a free worldwide event, on March 28
The Dryden Theatre Celebrates Its 75th Anniversary with a Weekend Full of Events
New Exhibition Edward Steichen and the Garden Provides a Portrait of the Artist Through the Lens of the Garden
George Eastman Museum to Remove University Avenue Fence to Be More Open to the Community
George Eastman Museum Presents Creative Works by Student Artists in Flower City Arts Center’s Studio 678 Photo Club
George Eastman Museum to Receive $500,000 in Federal Funding, Secured by Senator Charles Schumer, for the Preservation of Historic Mansion
Dutch Connection Annual Floral Display Returns to George Eastman Museum
Tickets on Sale Now for the 10th Nitrate Picture Show at the George Eastman Museum
George Eastman Museum Council Celebrates Valentine's Day With Brunch and Film Event
Tickets Go On Sale January 20 for the 10th Nitrate Picture Show at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum releases an album of George Eastman’s favorite tunes
The George Eastman Museum has announced the official release of Eastman’s Favorites, a new album of George Eastman’s most beloved songs performed on his original Aeolian pipe organ—recorded live in the historic mansion. The 27 tracks were performed by Eastman Museum resident organist Joe Blackburn. The album will be available for purchase online and in the Museum Store for $20 (including tax) with all proceeds benefiting the George Eastman Museum.
George Eastman Museum offers FREE admission on September 22
The George Eastman Museum will be open to the public for FREE on Saturday, September 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the spirit of Smithsonian magazine’s Museum Day, the Eastman Museum is opening its doors to all visitors for the day to encourage the Rochester community to experience the photography exhibitions David Levinthal: War, Myth, Desire and Gail Albert Halaban: Out My Window, and the History of Photography Gallery, as well as hands-on activities for all ages in the Discovery Room.
Actor and photographer Jason Lee to speak at the George Eastman Museum on August 23
The George Eastman Museum welcomes actor and photographer Jason Lee to Rochester on Thursday, August 23. Lee will present a special edition Wish You Were Here talk in the Dryden Theatre at 6 p.m., followed by a signing of his new photo book, A Plain View.
The George Eastman Museum appoints Jacqueline DiStefano as Vice President, Finance and Operations
—The George Eastman Museum has appointed Jacqueline DiStefano, CPA as Vice President, Finance and Operations. She will be responsible for overseeing the activities of the accounting and finance, human resources, and information technology departments of the museum, as well as the Eastman Museum’s shop and cafe. DiStefano will be succeeding Thomas J. Combs, who is retiring, and will begin in her new role on July 16.
Gail Albert Halaban: Out My Window will open at the George Eastman Museum on July 7
—Gail Albert Halaban: Out My Window will be on view at the George Eastman Museum beginning July 7. The exhibition will include artist Gail Albert Halaban’s photographs from the earliest to the most recent phases of her project, which until now has been seen only as discrete bodies of work from New York and Paris. This show features images made in cities all over the world, including Buenos Aires, Istanbul, New York, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Utrecht, and Venice, and showcases what urban neighbors see when they look across the street.
The George Eastman Museum appoints Katie Kalkstein as Director of Annual Giving
The George Eastman Museum has hired Katie Kalkstein as its Director of Annual Giving. Kalkstein will be responsible for managing the museum’s individual and corporate memberships as well as managing the museum’s annual fund campaign.
The George Eastman Museum appoints Jared Case as Curator of Film Exhibitions
The George Eastman Museum seeks funding for ongoing restoration projects throughout the historic mansion
The George Eastman Museum is hosting a community forum on Wednesday, May 16, at 6 p.m., to share information about its historic mansion restoration program and update community members about the next phase.
John Landis and Deborah Nadoolman Landis to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Animal House at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Animal House (Landis, US 1978) with a screening of a 35mm print of the film on Saturday, July 7 at 7:30 p.m. The film’s director, John Landis, and its costume designer, Deborah Nadoolman Landis, will introduce the film and, after the screening, will share stories and insights about the making of this classic.
Garden Vibes summer concert series returns to the George Eastman Museum on June 20
—The Garden Vibes summer concert series will return to the George Eastman Museum this summer. The outdoor concerts will take place on the following Wednesday evenings: June 20, July 18, and August 15.
George Eastman Museum reveals film titles screening this weekend at the 4th Nitrate Picture Show
The George Eastman Museum has released the official program for this weekend’s 4th Nitrate Picture Show, the world’s first festival of film conservation. Following a day of workshops, behind-the-scenes tours, and talks in the Dryden, the 4th Nitrate Picture Show will begin its official program at 4:30 p.m. today with a series of six short nitrate films, followed by Sommarlek (Summer Interlude, Ingmar Bergman, Sweden 1951) at 7:30 p.m., and conclude the day with Holiday (George Cukor, US 1938), starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, at 10 p.m.
Countdown to the 4th Nitrate Picture Show at the George Eastman Museum May 4–6
The George Eastman Museum will present the 4th Nitrate Picture Show on May 4–6, 2018, at the Dryden Theatre in Rochester, NY. The 4th Nitrate Picture Show has been generously funded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Imagine Monroe (powered by COMIDA). The schedule for this year’s festival includes ten programs of feature-length and short films from eleven international archives and collections. The titles in this year’s lineup will be revealed at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 4.
"Eastman Entertains: At The Movies" Tabletop Displays return to the George Eastman Museum May 8–20
—The George Eastman Museum has announced that its popular Eastman Entertains: At the Movies, will be on view from Tuesday, May 8, through Sunday, May 20. For two weeks only, a spectacular array of creatively styled table settings and floral arrangements inspired by popular motion pictures—including My Fair Lady, A League of Their Own, Steel Magnolias, and The Goonies—will be displayed throughout the mansion of entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman.
A rare nitrate film screening of Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet (1948) ushers in the 4th Nitrate Picture Show
In anticipation of the 4th Nitrate Picture Show, the George Eastman Museum will host a special pre-festival event with a screening of a rare nitrate print of Hamlet (Laurence Olivier, UK 1948) on Thursday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. The film is on loan from the Library of Congress. The 4th Nitrate Picture Show will officially begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 4, when the full program of film titles to be shown at the festival will be announced.
George Eastman Museum receives extensive collection of photographs by David Levinthal
The George Eastman Museum has acquired a large and comprehensive collection of photographs by David Levinthal as a result of donations from an anonymous patron and from Donald Rosenfeld Jr. The museum is now the most significant repository of Levinthal’s art in the world. The Eastman Museum will premiere the retrospective David Levinthal: War, Myth, Desire on June 2, 2018. The exhibition will run through December 30, 2018.
The George Eastman Museum celebrates 90 Years of the Academy Awards
The George Eastman Museum will be celebrating the 90th Academy Awards with a 23-film series at the Dryden through April, a special event with Jack Garner on February 16 discussing his award winner predictions, and a day of past Best Picture winners screening at Kodak Center on March 3.