The Garden Vibes summer concert series at George Eastman House is celebrating its 19th year, rocking out with live music on four Thursdays in July and 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 International Museum of Photography and Film announces the launch of a one-year certificate program in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management, an intensive eight-month, graduate-level immersion program for professionals, students, and independent scholars. This comprehensive combination of practical and classroom experience will be based in the unparalleled collections of Eastman House, the world’s oldest museum of photography. The program begins in September 2012.

After 16 years at the helm running George Eastman House, Dr. Anthony Bannon, the Ron and Donna Fielding Director, is departing from the museum. In his honor, a gala event is planned for Saturday, May 12. “An Evening in Technicolor®: A Tribute Gala for Tony Bannon” will feature dancing, live music, food, cocktails, a silent auction, a tribute ceremony, fireworks, and surprises throughout.

Dabney Coleman, veteran actor of television and movies, will appear in person at the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House at 8 p.m. Friday, May 25, to present what is perhaps his best-known movie, Nine to Five. Coleman will introduce the film and engage in an audience Q&A after the screening.

Ten renowned photographers from Magnum Photos are visiting Rochester from April 14 through 29 for a comprehensive photographic survey of the city and its people. The participating artists in the House of Pictures project are Bruce Gilden, Jim Goldberg, Susan Meiselas, Martin Parr, Paolo Pellegrin, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Alec Soth, Larry Towell, Alex Webb, and Donovan Wylie. They will explore multiple facets of Rochester covering subjects from gangs to gardens, youth and weddings to aging strippers, as well as George Eastman House.

Ten renowned photographers from Magnum Photos are visiting Rochester from April 14 through 29 for a comprehensive photographic survey of the city and its people. The participating artists in the House of Pictures project are Bruce Gilden, Jim Goldberg, Susan Meiselas, Martin Parr, Paolo Pellegrin, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Alec Soth, Larry Towell, Alex Webb, and Donovan Wylie. They will explore multiple facets of Rochester covering subjects from gangs to gardens, youth and weddings to aging strippers, as well as George Eastman House.

Experience rarely seen and lesser-known photographs by the masters at George Eastman House with the exhibition See: Untold Stories, on view now through Sept. 16, 2012. In response to visitors who have long asked to see more of the museum’s unparalleled collection – and as with most museums, the galleries can only showcase the tip of the iceberg – Eastman House has assembled a wide survey of photography from the earliest efforts in the 19th century to the most recent techniques and aesthetics.

The historic gardens of George Eastman House open for the season on Tuesday, May 1, and will remain open through September. Here are some ways to enjoy the gardens this season.

The work of French filmmaker Robert Bresson, one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, will be showcased at the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House as part of a two-month series. Although a challenge to gather together prints of his films, the Dryden will present a selection of the master’s films every Tuesday evening throughout March and April.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film has released a new book on its camera technology collection titled 500 Cameras: 170 Years of Photographic Innovation (Sterling Innovation, 2011, 472 pp., $26.95). There are few objects or inventions in history that have had as long and diverse history as the camera, according to author Todd Gustavson. Rave reviews thus far are describing the book as ideal for amateur photographs as well as serious camera collectors.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film announces it will honor Richard Gere with the prestigious George Eastman Award on Feb. 16. The award recognizes Gere’s distinguished contribution to the art of film as well as his global humanitarian leadership. In accepting the honor, Gere 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, and Meryl Streep. The George Eastman Award was established in 1955 as the first retrospective film award to honor artistic work of

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film announces the appointment of Dr. Paolo Cherchi Usai to the position of senior curator of motion pictures, a title he held from 1994 to 2004. He is currently Curator Emeritus of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and director of the Haghefilm Foundation in the Netherlands. The appointment of Cherchi Usai, a leading figure in film preservation, marks his return to Eastman House, where he began working in 1989 with what is the third largest film collection in the United States.