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 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.