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.
This Week: George Eastman Museum opens two exhibitions and kicks off film series as part of Stories of Indian Cinema
Stories of Indian Cinema, which comprises two exhibitions—Abandoned and Rescued and Nandita Raman: Cinema Play House—will open at the George Eastman Museum on Saturday, November 11, with a preview on the evening of Thursday, November 9. Abandoned and Rescued tells the intriguing story behind the Eastman Museum’s recent acquisition of a collection of contemporary Indian films and posters. Raman’s Cinema Play House series features photographs the artist made in various single-screen cinemas in India, many of which are threatened by the emergence of multiplexes. Both exhibitions will be on view in the museum’s main galleries through May 13, 2018.
George Eastman Museum announces 2018 photography and film workshop schedule
The George Eastman Museum has announced its 2018 schedule of photography workshops, including several new programs, including a one-day tintype boot camp; hand-coloring film; creating Niepceotype, hyalotype, and albumen on glass plates; and an introduction to analog photography. In addition to workshops being held at the museum, excursion workshops are being offered on the Erie Canal and at Letchworth State Park.
George Eastman Museum acquires rare collection of Lumière films
The George Eastman Museum has recently acquired and restored a rare collection of eighteen Lumière films. The nitrate reels, all in nearly pristine condition, consist of seven 35mm negatives and eleven 35mm positive prints, dating approximately between 1896 and 1903. The restored films will make their debut at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in Italy on Wednesday, October 4, at 8:30 p.m.
The George Eastman Museum’s Wish You Were Here lecture series returns on September 28
The George Eastman Museum has announced the fall lineup for its Wish You Were Here lecture series. For more than 16 years, this popular photography lecture series has brought artists and photojournalists to the Rochester to share their stories and photographs. The series will begin on Thursday, September 28 at 6 p.m., with photographers Ahndraya Parlato and Gregory Halpern.
George Eastman Museum to offer FREE DAY on September 23
The George Eastman Museum will be open to the public for FREE on Saturday, September 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the spirit of Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live!, the Eastman Museum is opening its doors to all visitors for the day to encourage the Rochester community to experience the photography exhibition Eugene Richards: The Run-On of Time before it closes on October 22.
George Eastman Museum launches Technicolor Online Research Archive
The George Eastman Museum has officially launched the Technicolor Online Research Archive available at technicolor.eastman.org. The online archive contains more than 40,000 documents from the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation, ranging in date from 1914 to 1955. Notes, journals, correspondence, film tests, technical drawings, and other documents are now available for the public to search and browse.
The George Eastman Museum and Table Top Opera present Within the Quota as part of KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival
As part of the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival, the George Eastman Museum and TableTopOpera will present a multi-media presentation titled Within the Quota on Tuesday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the museum’s Dryden Theatre.
George Eastman Museum appoints Kevin Gavagan as Chair of its Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees of the George Eastman Museum has appointed Kevin Gavagan as its new Chair.
Ben Morey and The Eyes to perform at the George Eastman Museum on Saturday, August 19
Due to a major restoration project that has temporarily closed the East Porch and East Vista of George Eastman’s historic mansion, this is the first summer in 22 years that the George Eastman Museum is not hosting its annual Garden Vibes concert series. The museum plans to keep the music alive, however, with a special Hidden Garden Concert on Saturday, August 19, at 6 p.m.
The George Eastman Museum seeks funding for major restoration and redesign projects
The George Eastman Museum is hosting a community forum on Monday, July 17, at 6 p.m. to share information about its historic mansion restoration program and update community members about the next phase. In addition, the museum will share information about its plan to relocate and redesign the museum’s main public entrance to enhance accessibility for all visitors.
Happy Birthday, George Eastman!
In honor of George Eastman’s birthday, today the George Eastman Museum will unveil a new interactive offering in Eastman’s historic mansion. In the screening room on the second floor of the museum, visitors can now watch historic footage and recent documentaries related to George Eastman—many of which are only available on-site at the museum.
Celebrate America’s Favorite Pastime this summer at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum will be celebrating baseball this summer with America’s Favorite Pastime, a film series of twelve features spanning nearly ninety years of cinema history. As part of the series, which is presented in collaboration with the Rochester Red Wings, the Eastman Museum will host two special events: a screening of Bull Durham (1988) with writer/director and former Rochester Red Wing Ron Shelton in person on July 6, and a screening of Field of Dreams (1989) with writer/director Phil Alden Robinson in person on August 4.
Lucinda Devlin: Sightlines now on view at the George Eastman Museum
Lucinda Devlin: Sightlines is now on view at the George Eastman Museum through December 31, 2017. Photographer Lucinda Devlin has devoted her forty-year career to exploring the relationship between our bodies and the spaces they inhabit. Her work, made with a 2¼-inch camera and wide-angle lens, consists in large part of photographs of interiors associated with pleasure or pain.
George Eastman Museum to present David Levinthal: War, Myth, Desire in 2018
The George Eastman Museum has announced it will premiere a retrospective of artist David Levinthal’s work next summer. The exhibition, David Levinthal: War, Myth, Desire, is set to open on June 2, 2018, and will run through December 30, 2018.
Registration Now Open for 7th Annual George Eastman Museum PhotoFinish 5K
The seventh annual George Eastman Museum PhotoFinish 5K will take place on Saturday, October 14, at 8 a.m. With a scenic course through Rochester’s Neighborhood of the Arts, the run/walk is open to everyone, including wheelchair users, and raises funds for local nonprofit organizations that make Rochester a great place to live and work. Individuals and teams can register now at eastman.org/5k.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards $5,000 Grant to Support Dryden Theatre’s Silent Tuesdays
The George Eastman Museum announced that it has been awarded a grant of $5,000 from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences through its FilmWatch program. Grant funds will support live musical accompaniment for more than 15 silent films to be screened in the museum’s Dryden Theatre as part of the 2017–18 Silent Tuesdays program.
George Eastman Museum reveals Film Titles for the 3rd Nitrate Picture Show
The George Eastman Museum has released the official program for this weekend’s 3rd 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 3rd Nitrate Picture Show will begin its official program at 4:30 p.m. today with a series of seven short nitrate films, and conclude the day with The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (Irvin Reis, US 1947), starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple, at 10 p.m.
The Nitrate Picture Show Kicks Off on May 5 at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum will present the 3rd Nitrate Picture Show on May 5–7, 2017, at the Dryden Theatre in Rochester, NY. The schedule for this year’s festival includes ten programs of feature-length and short films from twelve international archives and collections. The titles in this year’s lineup—which have collectively won five Academy Awards—will be revealed at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 5.
Eugene Richards: The Run-On of Time will open at the George Eastman Museum on June 10
Eugene Richards: The Run-On of Time, an exhibition co-organized by the George Eastman Museum and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, explores Eugene Richards’s career as a photojournalist and documentary photographer from 1968 to the present. The Run-On of Time is the first museum retrospective devoted to Richards’s work and will open at the George Eastman Museum on June 10. The exhibition will remain on view through October 22.
George Eastman Museum to begin restoration of historic mansion’s East Porch in June
At George Eastman’s historic mansion, the restoration of the East Porch—the second stage in a series of critical preservation projects taking place over several years—will begin in June. These projects are addressing historic structures and architectural elements that were not included in the major restoration of the mansion in 1990.
“Eastman Entertains” returns to the George Eastman Museum May 9–21
In the early 20th century, George Eastman frequently entertained friends, family, and business colleagues at his grand East Avenue residence. As Rochester’s leading citizen, Eastman was accustomed to entertaining, and he ensured that each luncheon, dinner party, and event was a memorable experience for his guests. In honor of this history, the George Eastman Museum presents Eastman Entertains: At the Movies for two weeks only, Tuesday, May 9, through Sunday, May 21.