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
George Eastman House announces special Wish You Were Here lecture on January 9 with NASA astronaut Donald Pettit
George Eastman House has announced that it will be extending its Wish You Were Here lecture series into the new year with chemical engineer, NASA astronaut, and photographer Donald Pettit, PhD. Pettit will present his lecture, An Astronaut’s Guide to Photography in Space, on Thursday, January 9, 2014, at 6 p.m. in the Dryden Theatre.
George Eastman House announces Dr. Lisa Hostetler as Curator-in-Charge of its Department of Photography
George Eastman House announced today the appointment of Lisa Hostetler, PhD, as Curator-in-Charge of its Department of Photography. She will assume this role prior to year-end.
Hostetler brings almost 20 years of academic and museum experience to her new position with George Eastman House. She is currently the McEvoy Family Curator for Photography at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.
History of Space Photography and Astro-Visions Open at George Eastman House on October 26
George Eastman House will open two exhibitions on October 26 that will be on view through January 12, 2014: The History of Space Photography and Astro-Visions. The History of Space Photography showcases a variety of astronomical photographs that have been created since the development of photography in the early 19th century, and will feature a number of the most important scientific photographs ever created. To complement The History of Space Photography, Eastman House has organized Astro-Visions, which draws from its rich collections to explore how scientists, photographers, and filmmakers have incorporated images of outer space into their work.
George Eastman House to host U.S. premiere of rediscovered film directed by Orson Welles on October 16 in Rochester, N.Y.
George Eastman House, located in Rochester, NY, will host the exclusive U.S. premiere of the newly discovered Too Much Johnson (1938), a Mercury Theatre film directed by Orson Welles, on Wednesday, October 16, 2013.
Surround sound returns to Eastman House with new Aeolian organ
George Eastman’s house is once again home to the world’s largest residential pipe organ. A team of volunteers alongside Parsons Pipe Organ Builders—the same family and company that serviced Eastman’s pipe organ decades ago—completed the reinstallation of the north organ in July with the support of Dr. Richard Zipf. The interesting tale of how the new organ made its way to Rochester will conclude with the first public concerts the weekend of September 21 and 22.
George Eastman House hires Daniela Currò, Kellie Fraver, and Molly Tarbell
George Eastman House has hired Daniela Currò as preservation officer in its motion picture department; and Kellie Fraver as public relations manager and Molly Tarbell as copy editor and publications coordinator, both in the museum’s communications and engagement department.
Roger Corman to receive George Eastman Award
George Eastman House will honor Academy Award®-winner Roger Corman with the George Eastman Award, the museum’s highest honor in motion pictures, on Saturday, November 2. The award recognizes Corman’s distinguished contribution to the art of film. In accepting the honor, Corman 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, Meryl Streep, and Richard Gere. The George Eastman Award was established in 1955 as the first retrospective film award to honor artistic work of enduring value.
George Eastman House Photo Finish 5K hits the streets Oct. 5 — this single fundraiser has raised over $500,000 for more than 60 Rochester causes
Using social media to fundraise across generations -- in the spirit of George Eastman’s philanthropic legacy -- the George Eastman House Photo Finish 5K returns for its third year Saturday, Oct. 5, to raise funds for Rochester non-profit causes. This “philanthropy challenge” is a new way of fundraising, allowing dozens of organizations to raise funds via a single event, and Rochester has embraced it. Over the past two years, nearly 2,000 runners and walkers participated in the race, raising over half a million dollars for more than 60 non-profit organizations in and around the Rochester community.
The Gender Show explores how photographs have presented gender from 19th century to today
George Eastman House’s exhibition The Gender Show will explore how photographs, from the mid-19th century to today, have portrayed gender — from archetypal to non-traditional to subversive representations — with a special emphasis on the performances that the act of photographing or being photographed can encourage or capture. The Gender Show, presenting over 200 works, draws primarily from the Eastman House collection, which spans more than 170 years, and also features contemporary art photographs and videos on loan from artists and private collectors. The exhibition will be on view from June 15 through October 13, 2013.
George Eastman House celebrates 20th season of Garden Vibes concert series
The Garden Vibes summer concert series at George Eastman House is celebrating its 20th year by shaking things up. The outdoor concerts are now being held on Wednesday evenings, once a month from June through August. 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 is first photography museum to join Google Art Project, pairing zoom-in technology with high-res images
George Eastman House announced today it is adding high-resolution photographs to the Google Art Project, offering yet another platform to share its unparalleled collections. Eastman House, the world’s oldest museum of photography, is the first museum of photography to be selected for inclusion in the Google Art Project. The resolution of the images combined with a custom-built zoom viewer allows users the ability to discover details never before seen. In addition Eastman House has included all available cataloging data, allowing viewers access to information not previously available online.
Dryden Theatre welcomes Oscar-nominated filmmaker James Ivory Saturday, April 6
The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film welcomes Oscar®-nominated filmmaker and George Eastman Honorary Scholar James Ivory (Room with a View, Remains of the Day, Howard’s End) on Saturday, April 6, as part of the ongoing celebrating of the reopening of the renovated Dryden Theatre. At 8 p.m. he will introduce his 1995 film Jefferson in Paris and engage in a Q&A with the audience following the screening. Tickets are $12 general admission and $10 for students and are on sale now.
Alison Nordström to assume new role at George Eastman House, focusing on exhibitions and books
George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film announced today that Dr. Alison Nordström, Senior Curator of Photographs, will assume the new position of Curator-at-Large, effective July 1, 2013. The museum has begun an international search for her replacement as head of the Department of Photographs.