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 showcases work of In Control teen workshop artists
The George Eastman Museum presents the exhibition Evoke: A Youthful Expression, on view through March 9, 2025, showcasing the work of student artist participants of In Control, a program of Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York.
George Eastman Museum celebrates 75th anniversary with new exhibition exploring history of photography
Goldie Hawn to Receive George Eastman Award
The George Eastman Museum will honor actor Goldie Hawn with the George Eastman Award for distinguished contribution to the art of cinema on Tuesday, October 22.
George Eastman Museum to present the work of Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa in October
The George Eastman Museum is delighted to announce the forthcoming exhibition, Scene at Eastman, which will open on October 25, 2024 and close on April 20, 2025. The exhibition will comprise a set of photographs and sculptures made in aluminum, glass, concrete, paper, tin, and other materials. The photographs and sculptures in Scene at Eastman (“the works”) describe various acts and instances of apprehension, of address, of attendance to the presence of others. Some objects are original, others appropriated. The viewer’s own practice of looking is solicited by the works.
George Eastman Museum receives $98,220 grant from Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Frankenthaler Climate Initiative
The George Eastman Museum has received a grant award of $98,220 from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation’s Frankenthaler Climate Initiative—the largest private national grantmaking program to support climate change action at cultural institutions and the first nationwide program of its kind for the visual arts. The grant supports the installation of a new LED lighting system in the museum’s Main Galleries and adjacent exhibition spaces.
George Eastman Museum to unveil rare screen test of Adele Astaire
To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the birth of American dancer, actor, singer, and choreographer Fred Astaire, the George Eastman Museum is pleased to announce the online publication of a unique piece of film history: a 1936 screen test of Astaire’s sister Adele, a Broadway legend in her own right. This is the only known footage of her acting and singing. Unseen for nearly ninety years, it will now be accessible to the public, going live at eastman.org/dark-victory-test on Wednesday, May 8, 2024.
George Eastman Museum to present candid exhibition on the life and impact of George Eastman
The George Eastman Museum has announced the next phase of a multiyear project to create a new exhibition on George Eastman’s life and legacy. The George Eastman Story Lab, which will open on Saturday, May 18 in the mansion’s second-floor Sitting Room, will offer visitors the opportunity to provide feedback on the direction of the future exhibition.
A rare nitrate film screening of D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance (1916) ushers in the 8th Nitrate Picture Show
To kick off the eighth annual Nitrate Picture Show, the George Eastman Museum will screen a unique tinted nitrate print of D.W. Griffith’s silent masterpiece Intolerance (1916) on Thursday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m. The Nitrate Picture Show is the first festival in the world entirely dedicated to screening original nitrate prints from the 1910s to the 1950s, from silent cinema to Technicolor spectacles. The full program of film titles being shown this year will be announced at a press conference at 10 a.m.
George Eastman Museum appoints Michelle Finn as Curator of the George Eastman Collection
The George Eastman Museum has appointed historian and curator Michelle Finn, PhD, as curator of the George Eastman Collection, with responsibility for George Eastman’s 35,000‑square-foot mansion, its contents, and archival materials comprising more than 200,000 items. Finn will start in the position on April 15.
New Directions: Recent Acquisitions photography exhibition opens at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum continues its 75th anniversary celebration with the opening of the exhibition New Directions: Recent Acquisitions on Saturday, March 16 in the Project Gallery. New Directions features work acquired by the museum over the past five years, and showcases significant developments in photographic practice.
New exhibition Crashing into the 60s: Film Posters from the Collection opens at the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum begins the celebration of its 75th anniversary with a visual journey back to the 1960s. The museum’s newest exhibition, Crashing into the 60s: Film Posters from the Collection, opens Friday, February 2 in its Main Galleries and Potter Peristyle. This exhibition features film posters from the extensive George Eastman Museum collection. In addition, a film series connecting to and expanding upon many of the posters displayed in the exhibition will run in the Dryden Theatre through the exhibition’s run in September.
The George Eastman Museum’s Wish You Were Here lecture series returns on January 25
The George Eastman Museum has announced the winter/spring lineup for its Wish You Were Here lecture series. For over 20 years, this popular photography lecture series has brought artists and photojournalists to Rochester to share their stories and photographs from around the world. The 2024 series will kick off on Thursday, January 25 at 6 p.m., with photographer Gregory Halpern.
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.
Dutch Connection floral show returns to the George Eastman Museum for two weeks only, beginning February 9
The George Eastman Museum brings springtime to Rochester a few months early, with the annual Dutch Connection floral show, on view Friday, February 9, through Sunday, February 25. This colorful two-week display features thousands of flowering bulbs in George Eastman’s historic mansion.
George Eastman Museum to premiere "Dreaming in Color: The Davide Turconi Collection of Early Cinema"
Dreaming in Color: The Davide Turconi Collection of Early Cinema will open at the George Eastman Museum on January 13. Dreaming in Color is dedicated to a unique collection of more than 23,000 original nitrate frames of 35mm films dating from the early years of cinema (1897–1915). The frames were gathered by Italian film historian Davide Turconi (1911–2005) in the 1960s from a large collection of films acquired by Jesuit priest Josef-Alexis Joye (1852–1919).
National Endowment for the Arts Awards $20,000 to the George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum has received a grant award of $20,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for the museum’s preservation of Highlights and Shadows (US 1937), a film by James Sibley Watson Jr. Today, the NEA announced awards totaling more than $27.6 million in its first funding round of fiscal year 2016, including this Art Works award to the Eastman Museum.
The Nitrate Picture Show returns to the George Eastman Museum in 2016
The George Eastman Museum officially announced today that it will be presenting the 2nd Nitrate Picture Show this coming spring. The festival will be held April 29–May 1, 2016 at the Dryden Theatre, the George Eastman Museum’s historic venue for film exhibition in Rochester, NY. The Dryden Theatre—one of only a few archival venues in the world that can project nitrate film—is home to the museum’s ongoing program of past and present cinematic works from all countries.
George Eastman Museum acquires world’s largest collection of contemporary Indian cinema
The George Eastman Museum has recently acquired the world’s largest collection of contemporary Indian cinema held by a museum or film archive. The collection consists of 775 prints representing 597 film titles, all in 35mm format, made between 1999 and 2013. In addition, about 6,000 film posters were acquired as part of the collection. This exceptional donation represents not only films from the Hindi-language film industry commonly known as “Bollywood,” but also Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu productions. The languages represented in these films include Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Many titles are from acclaimed masters of Indian cinema, such as Mani Ratnam, Ashutosh Gowariker, Anurag Kashyap, Nagesh Kukunoor, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
George Eastman Museum celebrates 20 years of Sweet Creations
George Eastman Museum has always been Rochester’s home for the holidays. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Sweet Creations—the exquisite display of dozens of cleverly designed and deliciously decorated gingerbread houses and objects located throughout museum. As one of the Greater Rochester community’s most beloved holiday traditions, the display will be on view November 7 through December 16.
Brian Ulrich: The Centurion to premiere at George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum will premiere the latest body of work from photographer Brian Ulrich, The Centurion, on October 31. An artist drawn to exploring the visual landscape of America’s consumption economy, Ulrich has spent the last several years photographing sites and people associated with extreme wealth. This exhibition of 23 of his recent photographs will be on view in the museum’s Project Gallery through February 14, 2016.
William Kentridge donates his complete works in time-based media to George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman Museum announced today that William Kentridge has donated the complete set of his films, videos, and digital-born works to the museum. The gift comprises both original negatives and positive prints covering Kentridge’s entire career as a filmmaker, as well as all of the master elements of the renowned artist’s works in electronic and digital media.
George Eastman Museum Announces New Name
The George Eastman Museum has today announced its new name and launched a new website at eastman.org. Formerly George Eastman House, the institution encompasses one of the world’s foremost museums of photography and cinema and the historic Rochester estate of entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography.
Positive Exposure Photography Exhibition Opens October 2
The photography exhibition, Positive Exposure: Change How You See, See How You Change, featuring 20 original portraits of people from the Rochester area with intellectual and developmental disabilities, opens Friday October 2 at George Eastman House.
Major retrospective of Alvin Langdon Coburn to open at George Eastman House on September 19
A retrospective featuring 175 works, including more than 145 photographs by Alvin Langdon Coburn as well as other related materials will open on September 19 at George Eastman House. Drawn from the collections of George Eastman House, the Royal Photographic Society, and the Museum of Modern Art, the exhibition assembles the best Coburn works from major international collections for the first time, allowing visitors to appreciate the full scope and import of this master photographer.
Major retrospective of Alvin Langdon Coburn to open at George Eastman House on September 19
A retrospective featuring 175 works, including more than 145 photographs by Alvin Langdon Coburn as well as other related materials will open on September 19 at George Eastman House. Drawn from the collections of George Eastman House, the Royal Photographic Society, and the Museum of Modern Art, the exhibition assembles the best Coburn works from major international collections for the first time, allowing visitors to appreciate the full scope and import of this master photographer.