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.
Bronze sculpture honoring Philip Seymour Hoffman to be unveiled May 28 at George Eastman Museum
The legacy of actor/director/producer Philip Seymour Hoffman is a point of pride for those in his hometown, who will soon be able to enjoy a memorial erected in his honor at George Eastman Museum, outdoors near the Dryden Theatre. On Saturday, May 28, a bronze life-size sculpture will be unveiled that depicts Hoffman appearing to be walking toward the movie theater.
The Nitrate Picture Show returns June 2–5, 2022
The George Eastman Museum will present the 6th Nitrate Picture Show from June 2 to 5, 2022, at the Dryden Theatre in Rochester, NY. The Nitrate Picture Show, the world’s only festival of film conservation, returns after a two-year hiatus for the sixth edition with a new lineup of nitrate prints on screen, the Nitrate Touch workshop, and two concerts on Thursday, June 2: the first on the George Eastman’s grand piano and the second on the Eastman’s Aeolian pipe organ.
George Eastman Museum to present benefit film screening in solidarity with the people of Ukraine on April 3
The George Eastman Museum will present a benefit film screening on Sunday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m. in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. In Spring (Navesni; Vesnoi, Mikhail Kaufman, USSR [Ukraine] 1929, 65 min., 35mm) is a seminal work of Ukrainian cinema as well as a hymn to the miracle of life. The fact that it was filmed in and around Kyiv makes it particularly poignant today. The silent film was directed by filmmaker Mikhail Kaufman and will be accompanied by Dr. Philip C. Carli on piano.
George Eastman Museum appoints Phil Taylor as curator in its Department of Photography
The George Eastman Museum has appointed Phil Taylor as an assistant curator in its Department of Photography. He will be based primarily in New York City. His role will include participating in collection development, curating exhibitions at the Eastman Museum in Rochester, and authoring or contributing to accompanying publications and other scholarly books.
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.
Photographer John Chiara to kick off George Eastman House’s annual Wish You Were Here photography lecture series
George Eastman House announced the fall lineup for its Wish You Were Here photography lecture series. The series will begin on Thursday, September 10 at 6 p.m., with John Chiara’s talk Lands End, which features images taken with his life-size camera obscura. Admission to this lecture is free for students (with valid ID). A book signing will follow in the museum’s café and store.
Photographer John Chiara to kick off George Eastman House’s annual Wish You Were Here photography lecture series
George Eastman House announced the fall lineup for its Wish You Were Here photography lecture series. The series will begin on Thursday, September 10 at 6 p.m., with John Chiara’s talk Lands End, which features images taken with his life-size camera obscura. Admission to this lecture is free for students (with valid ID). A book signing will follow in the museum’s café and store.
Seneca Park Zoo Society and George Eastman House present David Liittschwager: The World in One Cubic Foot
In collaboration with Seneca Park Zoo Society, George Eastman House will welcome David Liittschwager to the Dryden Theatre on Thursday, August 20 at 6 p.m. for a public lecture about his latest project, The World in One Cubic Foot.
Positive Exposure Photographic Exhibition Featuring People with Intellectual Disabilities to Premiere in Rochester at George Eastman House
As part of its 30th Anniversary Celebration, the Golisano Foundation has commissioned a series of photographic works of people with intellectual disabilities by renowned photographer Rick Guidotti.
Positive Exposure Photographic Exhibition Featuring People with Intellectual Disabilities to Premiere in Rochester at George Eastman House
As part of its 30th Anniversary Celebration, the Golisano Foundation has commissioned a series of photographic works of people with intellectual disabilities by renowned photographer Rick Guidotti.
George Eastman House welcomes new Dryden Theatre manager
George Eastman House recently announced the hiring of Malin Kan for the position of Dryden Theatre Manager.
George Eastman House hires Heather Shannon as assistant photography curator
George Eastman House has announced the appointment of Heather Shannon as Assistant Curator in the Department of Photography. Shannon brings more than a decade of academic and museum experience to her new role at Eastman House, where she will be focusing on 19th century photography.