Gillian Laub: Southern Rites George Eastman Museum 2023-06-30 | American photographer Gillian Laub (b. New York, 1975) has spent the last two decades investigating political conflicts, exploring family relationships, and challenging assumptions about cultural identity. In Southern Rites, Laub engages her skills as a photographer, filmmaker, and visual activist to examine the realities of racism and raise questions that are simultaneously painful and essential to understanding the American consciousness.In 2002, Laub was sent on a magazine assignment to Mount Vernon, Georgia, to document the lives of teenagers in the American South. The town, nestled among fields of Vidalia onions, symbolized the archetype of pastoral, small town American life. The Montgomery County residents Laub encountered were warm, polite, protective of their neighbors, and proud of their history. Yet Laub learned that the joyful adolescent rites of passage celebrated in this rural countryside—high school homecomings and proms—were still racially segregated.Laub continued to photograph Montgomery County over the following decade, returning even in the face of growing—and eventually violent—resistance from community members and local law enforcement. She documented a town held hostage by the racial tensions and inequities that scar much of the nation's history. In 2009, a few months after Barack Obama’s first inauguration, Laub’s photographs of segregated proms were published in the New York Times Magazine. The story brought national attention to the town and the following year the proms were finally integrated. The power of her photographic images served as the catalyst and, for a moment, progress seemed inevitable.Then, in early 2011, tragedy struck the town. Justin Patterson, a twenty-two-year-old unarmed Black man—whose segregated high school homecoming Laub had photographed—was shot and killed by a sixty-two-year-old white man. Laub’s project, which began as an exploration of segregated high school rituals, evolved into an urgent mandate to confront the painful realities of discrimination and structural racism. Laub continued to document the town over the following decade, during which the country re-elected its first Black president and the ubiquity of camera phones gave rise to citizen journalism exposing racially motivated violence. As the Black Lives Matter Movement and national protests proliferated, Laub uncovered a complex story about adolescence, race, the legacy of slavery, and the deeply rooted practice of segregation in the American South.Southern Rites is a specific story about twenty-first century young people in the American South, yet it poses a universal question about human experience: can a new generation liberate itself from a harrowing and traumatic past to create a different future?Southern Rites is curated by Maya Benton and organized by the International Center of Photography. Generously supported by the Rubens Family Foundation. With additional support from ESL Federal Credit Union and Leading Edge Advising & Development, LLC.
In Conversation: Joshua Rashaad McFaddens Evidence George Eastman Museum 2023-06-09 | "Evidence" is a multimedia and multi-site project of positive self-making for contemporary Black men. Inspired by abolitionist and Rochester resident Frederick Douglass and his antebellum newspaper The North Star, McFadden’s series consists of a newspaper featuring an array of voices and images. In addition to critiquing the rigidity of gender binaries, this collection of images and texts attempts to wrest Black men away from a White gaze and generate a readership independent of mass media’s stereotypes.Join us for a conversation moderated by Tate Shaw with Joshua Rashad McFadden and Dr. Keith Jenkins as they discuss how McFadden's project "Evidence" follows up on Douglass's strategy to sit for portraits, as well as what it means to distribute the images, names, and stories of Black men.Participants:Joshua Rashaad McFadden, Artist; Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of TechnologyDr. Keith Jenkins, Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Rochester Institute of TechnologyTate Shaw, Director, Visual Studies Workshop
Vault to Wall: Richard Avedon, Gelatin Silver Print George Eastman Museum 2023-06-09 | What happens after an object is selected to be exhibited in the Collection Gallery? The process shown in this video is an overview of what goes into bringing an object from storage to display.
Martha Cooper: Art and Everyday Life George Eastman Museum 2023-05-09 | While working on the staff of the New York Post, Martha Cooper had a chance meeting with a subway graffiti writer and began to document what at the time was an underground activity. Graffiti art and is considered the most widespread art movement in history. Cooper travels worldwide to document both legal and illegal urban art and will share work from these adventures, including three trips to Wall\Therapy, Rochester's renowned street art festival, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.About Wish You Were HereFor more than 20 years, this popular photography lecture series has brought artists and photojournalists to Rochester to share their stories and photographs. Generously supported by Thomas N. Tischer, PhD.
Virtual Program Ahead of Her Time: Marcia Resnick and the Art World George Eastman Museum 2023-05-09 | Join us on March 16, 2023 at 6 p.m. for a virtual panel with artist Marcia Resnick, and gallerists Deborah Bell and Susan Herzig. This panel is in conjunction with the current exhibition, Marcia Resnick: As It Is or Could Be in the Main Galleries and will be moderated by Jamie M. Allen, Stephen B. and Janice G. Ashley Curator and Interim Head. Our panelists include: Marcia Resnick: Photographer Marcia Resnick earned recognition as part of the legendary Downtown New York art scene of the 1970s and 1980s with portraits of major cultural figures such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, John Belushi, and Susan Sontag. Deborah Bell: Deborah Bell is Owner and President of Deborah Bell Photographs located in Chelsea. She is an experienced private dealer and gallery owner, who has also worked in museums and auction houses. Susan Herzig: Susan Herzig is Vice President at Paul Hertzmann, Inc. in San Francisco. As a gallerist and collector, her specialization is in 20th-century photography, including modernism, f.64, photojournalism, the Photo-Secession, post-World War II innovations, and conceptual photography from the 1970s and 1980s. This engaging conversation will include the role of artists and gallerists in the promotion of artworks, background on Resnick’s career, and conversation surrounding the ins and outs of the art world.
Artist Talk: Adam Ekberg George Eastman Museum 2023-05-08 | In conjunction with the exhibition Adam Ekberg: Minor Spectacles, Adam Ekberg will present an artist talk in the Dryden Theatre. Following his talk, visitors are welcome to visit his exhibition in the Project Gallery. Galleries will be open until 8 p.m. This exhibition includes more than 22 inkjet prints from Adam Ekberg’s ongoing body of work.
Wish You Were Here: Ed Kashi Abandoned Moments George Eastman Museum 2023-02-03 | Ed Kashi’s most recent monograph, Abandoned Moments: A Love Letter to Photography (Kehrer Verlag, 2021), features photographs made over a 40-year period, providing a window into his unique voice and craft and presenting glimpses of ordinary life, as well as extraordinary events, struggles, and triumphs. Kashi will share images and personal stories behind this body of work.Wish You Were HereFor more than 20 years, this popular photography lecture series has brought artists and photojournalists to Rochester to share their stories and photographs. Generously supported by Thomas N. Tischer, PhD.
Virtual Talk: Machines of Memory - Cataloging & Digitizing the Cinematographic Equipment Collection George Eastman Museum 2023-01-26 | The George Eastman Museum holds a world-renowned collection of cinematographic technology, including motion picture cameras and projectors and early picture viewing systems. These objects trace the invention, development, and advancement of motion picture technology. In 2021, the Eastman Museum received a major grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to support the project Machines of Memory: Cataloging and Digitizing the Cinematographic Equipment Collection. The project goal is to catalog and digitize more than 1,400 objects from this collection so people all over the world can access information about the collection for free online.GEM members are invited to this virtual talk with Technology Curator Todd Gustavson, who will highlight the historically significant items from the collection, such as the Edison Kinetoscope of 1894 (the world’s first 35mm motion picture viewer), the Lumière Cinématographe of 1895 (the world’s first 35mm motion picture camera and projector system), the Gaumont Elgéphone of 1906 (the world’s first 35mm sound synchronized motion picture projector), the Ciné-Kodak (the world’s first 16mm motion picture system), and the Technicolor three strip motion picture camera from 1932.
Behind the Scenes: Preserving and Preparing French Daguerreotypes for Exhibition George Eastman Museum 2023-01-18 | Learn more about French Daguerreotypes in the Gabriel Cromer collection and about how curators, conservators, and preparators work together to prepare these unique objects for exhibitions at the museum.
Adam Ekberg: Minor Spectacles George Eastman Museum 2023-01-18 | Whatever transpires in the blink of an eye can be either a minor occurrence or a great spectacle, depending on our perception of that event. What happens when we are the sole witness to an event? There is an inherent loneliness in not being able to share something, whether mundane or astonishing, with others. This loneliness permeates Adam Ekberg’s whimsical photographs that document the climax of orchestrated events. While the camera freezes them into still lifes, a sense of continuity—like the arc of a story—happens as one realizes that Ekberg (American, b. 1975) invented, manifested, documented, and concluded these events. The objects take on lives of their own, even though we know that such agency is impossible for a roller skate, a pumpkin, or a balloon to have without human intervention. Ekberg’s presence is underscored by his absence in the resulting pictures. Ekberg works with an intense focus on imagining, generating, and capturing each precise moment of whimsy. Through this absurdist approach, he invites us to slow down, be present, and pay attention to the ordinary. In doing so, this work suggests that we might find the extraordinary in the fleeting moment.This exhibition includes more than 22 inkjet prints from Adam Ekberg’s ongoing body of work.
Lumière Cinématographe George Eastman Museum 2023-01-17 | Curator of Technology Todd Gustavson, demonstrating the Lumière Cinématographe for students of the Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation.
In conversation - Anastasia Samoylova: Floodzone George Eastman Museum 2022-12-05 | Join artist Anastasia Samoylova and curator Jamie M. Allen for a conversation about Samoylova's body of work FloodZone, which is a poetic observation of everyday life in a community impacted by rising waters and recent hurricanes.
In Focus - Selections from the Collection: War and Conflict George Eastman Museum 2022-12-05 | Curatorial Associate Meghan Jordan will discuss her selections for the latest rotation in the Collection Gallery, which challenges us to think critically about how photography documents and disseminates information about war, and how photographers’ approaches to recording war have shifted over time.
Spirit Photography History & Demonstration George Eastman Museum 2022-10-31 | Just in time for Halloween, Historic Process Specialist Nick Brandreth and Department of Photography Cataloger Kate Kaluzny provide insight into the history and culture of spirit photography, using samples from the collection. Join us for this live virtual demonstration to learn more about a subject that fascinated a 19th-century audience and continues to captivate us today.
Platinum Printing George Eastman Museum 2022-10-18 | Platinum printing was one of the most popular printing processes at the turn of the century. Favored among photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, and Irving Penn, this very simple process doesn’t require complicated materials or darkroom techniques. Platinum prints produce uniquely warm black tones to reddish brown tones and can reproduce an incredible tonal range.Want to learn more? Join us in the Eastman Museum Darkroom on November 18th at 1 p.m. EST, 2022, for a virtual workshop on making your own Platinum prints Learn more and register at eastman.org/darkroom.
Vault to Wall: Daguerreotype George Eastman Museum 2022-10-03 | What happens after an object is selected to be exhibited in the Collection Gallery? The process shown in this video is an overview of what goes into bringing an object from storage to display.First, a curator chooses an object and retrieves it from the vault. The curator examines the object and confirms or adjusts its cataloging information in the museum’s collections database: title, date, medium, dimensions, and inscriptions. In the conservation lab, conservators examine and record the object’s condition to determine whether any treatment is needed. For this daguerreotype, the cover glass is cleaned, the daguerreotype package rebound with materials appropriate for long-term preservation, and the hinges of the case mended. Because daguerreotypes are viewed behind cover glass, the conservator takes advantage of the opportunity to photograph the bare plate, examine it, and document any further condition notes.In order to properly display this object, preparators create a mount to support it in an open position using an angle that will also enhance the viewing experience.The mount is created from a sheet of thermoplastic polyester, which is cut and then heated to create bends. When it is time for installation, preparators carefully place the object within the case, along with text that has been researched and written by the curator. By taking these steps, we ensure every work that will be on display is documented, protected, interpreted, and prepared for you to see in the gallery.
Digital Negative Making George Eastman Museum 2022-09-13 | You no longer need to limit yourself to just analog or just digital photography methods. Harness the precision of digital imaging to produce specialty negatives and expand your creative printmaking possibilities.Want to learn more? Join us in the Eastman Museum Darkroom on September 16th at 12 p.m. EST, 2022, for a virtual workshop on making your own Digital Negatives.Learn more and register at eastman.org/darkroom.
Learn How to Process Film with @CineStillFilm and the George Eastman Museum George Eastman Museum 2022-09-09 | Analog Academy is back! We've partnered with @CineStillFilm for another month-long workshop where we teach you all about film and processing it at home.These four one-hour live sessions give you hands-on instruction and feedback from experts! Hosted by Eastman Museum's Historic Process Specialist Nick Brandreth and CineStill’s Customer Solutions Manager Andre Domingues, you’ll learn:✎ How to set up your own at-home lab,✎ How to process black-and-white and color film,✎ Tips and tricks to make the process simpler;✎ And learn to care for your film throughout the process!Learn more about Analog Academy and register now at eastman.org/AnalogAcademySpots will go quick, as there are only 30 available spots for our Fall Class of 2022 Join the Academy today!
Hear from the Artist: Anastasia Samoylova: FloodZone George Eastman Museum 2022-08-22 | Artist Anastasia Samoylova introduces her exhibition, FloodZone, on view at the Eastman Museum through December 18, 2022. Learn more and visit the virtual 360 exhibition at eastman.org/floodzone
Collodion Chloride Printing Out Paper George Eastman Museum 2022-08-18 | Collodion chloride and gelatin chloride were some of the most popular printing papers in the late 19th and early 20th century. Both process are simple to make and extremely fun to use. And the best part? You can print outside with the sun! Want to learn more? Join us in the Eastman Museum Darkroom on August 26th at 1 p.m. EST, 2022, for a virtual workshop on making your own Collodion Chloride and Gelatin POP. Learn more and register at eastman.org/darkroom.
IN FOCUS—Beyond Bollywood: Perspectives on the South Asian Cinema Collection George Eastman Museum 2022-08-09 | Over the past two years, Project Film Specialists Erica Jones and Lydia Creech have processed, archived, and cataloged the majority of the South Asian Cinema Collection at the George Eastman Museum, including 532 out of 775 Indian film titles. With most of the films inspected and the end of the grant-funded project rapidly approaching, the museum faces broader questions about the future life of these important cultural objects. Erica and Lydia discuss their accomplishments and provide perspectives about the importance of this collection and its preservation. This program also include interviews with other archivists, scholars of Indian cinema, and members of the diasporic community about the future potential uses of the collections, their memories and connections to South Asian cinema, and what the presence of this unique collection as part of the George Eastman Museum archive means to them.This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services: Grant #MA-245614-OMS-20.
George Eastman Museum Virtual Community Forum George Eastman Museum 2022-06-27 | Urgent repairs are needed for the historic mansion’s chimneys and parapets to mitigate risks to public safety and to protect the mansion from water damage. We are seeking grant funding from New York State and the Regional Economic Development Council to support this project.You Can Help!Please support our project, National Historic Landmark Restoration—Chimneys and Parapets, by writing a letter of support by July 25, 2022.
All About Color: 35mm Film History & Demonstration George Eastman Museum 2022-05-16 | Early cinema was a revolution, especially when colored film was released. People were astonished to see vibrant images move across a screen as this new phenomenon took the world by storm. But what does it take to give 35mm silent motion picture film those colors?In this webinar, Historic Process Specialist Nick Brandreth will demonstrate the process of coloring 35mm motion picture film. Then, Anthony L'Abbate, preservation manager in the Moving Image Department, will discuss color film techniques, used during the silent era, such as tinting, hand color and stenciling. And the methods that we use today to preserve and restore these films.
In Conversation: Photography and Social Justice George Eastman Museum 2022-05-06 | Contemporary photographers Joshua Rashaad McFadden, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, and Devin Allen are shaping new perspectives of Black life in America through empathy, agency, representation, and love ethic. Join us for an in-depth virtual conversation on photography and social justice with the three artists, moderated by Dr. Ralph Basui Watkins. This program is supported by the Lipson Visiting Artist Fund and is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Joshua Rashaad McFadden: I Believe I'll Run On, on view at the Eastman Museum through June 19, 2022.
In Focus: One Hundred Years Ago: George Eastman 1922 George Eastman Museum 2022-05-04 | In this annual lecture on George Eastman’s life one hundred years ago, former Legacy Collection Archivist Jesse Peers will explore what George Eastman and Eastman Kodak Company were up to in 1922 through an illustrated talk on related objects and historic documents.Topics include the grand opening of Eastman Theatre, correspondence with then President Warren G. Harding, and rare footage of a playful Eastman with his companions at Oak Lodge. Join us as Jesse takes a break from his duties as Cycling Manager for Reconnect Rochester and joins us for an afternoon at the museum.This program coincides with the exhibition One Hundred Years Ago: George Eastman in 1922, on view in the second-floor sitting room through the end of the year.
In Focus: Photographing the Colorama Campaign George Eastman Museum 2022-05-04 | The Colorama was one of Eastman Kodak Company’s longest-running advertising campaigns. First conceived in 1949, these massive backlit transparencies were designed to demonstrate the brilliance of color photography and advertise Kodak color film to a mass market. Between 1950 and 1990, a new Colorama was installed every few weeks in Grand Central Terminal in New York City, resulting in a total of 565 colossal transparencies.Steve Kelly was one of the Kodak photographers whose works were featured in Kodak's Colorama campaign. In 2020, as part of the opening of the Thomas Tischer Visitor Center, the museum installed Kelly's Colorama No. 531 (Taj Mahal) outside the museum on a 48 feet wide by 14.4 feet tall structure. The original work measuring 60 feet by 18 feet was on display in Grand Central Terminal from June 2 to July 9, 1986.Join us as Steve discusses his 38-year career as a photographer for Kodak (1974-2012) and takes us behind the scenes of what it was like to work on the production of the remarkably innovative Colorama photographs. Additionally, he will share some of his other work done in the studio and around the world for Kodak’s print advertising, television, and corporate campaigns.
In Focus: Behind the Scenes of Dutch Connection George Eastman Museum 2022-05-04 | Every year, the Dutch Connection floral display is enjoyed by thousands of visitors hoping to catch an early glimpse of spring. But, what goes into putting it together?Join Landscape Manager Dan Bellavia as he takes us behind the scenes and shares what makes Dutch Connection possible, including the history of the event and the inspiration for the display.
In Conversation: Joshua Rashaad McFadden and Lyle Ashton Harris George Eastman Museum 2022-05-03 | Join us in celebrating the release of the exhibition catalogue for Joshua Rashaad McFadden: I Believe I'll Run On with a conversation between the artist and publication contributor Lyle Ashton Harris.About the Speakers:Joshua Rashaad McFadden works across genres—social documentary, reportage, portraiture, book arts, and fine arts—to critically examine race, masculinity, sexuality, and gender in the United States. Looking to the idea of “being-ness,” he considers the contemporary condition of Black life while referencing US history as a means to rediscover and define the Black self. Joshua Rashaad McFadden: I Believe I'll Run On is an early-career survey of the artist's work. His work has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, The Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, Time, Vanity Fair, and the Wall Street Journal. McFadden is an assistant professor of photography at Rochester Institute of Technology.Lyle Ashton Harris has cultivated a diverse artistic practice that explores intersections between the personal and the political, examining the impact of ethnicity, gender, and desire on the contemporary social and cultural dynamic. He is represented in the permanent collections of renowned institutions worldwide and has been exhibited internationally, including most recently in Photography’s Last Century at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and in Basquiat’s “Defacement”: The Untold Story and Implicit Tensions: Mapplethorpe Now at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Harris lives and works between New York City and the Hudson Valley, and is a professor of art at New York University.
Wish You Were Here : Granville Carroll - Beyond the Veil George Eastman Museum 2022-04-22 | Rochester-based artist Granville Carroll kicks off our annual Wish You Were Here series with a talk about his photographic works that conjure unknown cosmic universes, alien landscapes, and portals to alternate dimensions. Through the lens of Afrofuturism and Astroblack concepts, these digitally and physically manipulated images activate the imagination to reveal new realities and visions of the future as personal and collective origin stories.
Wish You Were Here: Eric Kunsman - Felicific Calculus George Eastman Museum 2022-04-22 | Eric T. Kunsman's artistic practice focuses on the often-neglected towns of the American southwest as well as the tensions of struggling rustbelt cities throughout the northeastern United States. He is drawn to objects left behind in these landscapes that hint at a unique human narrative, a story waiting to be told. His recent work Felicific Calculus explores technology as a social marker of race, class, and economics through his ongoing documentation of the nearly 1,500 pay phones remaining in and around Rochester, New York. Join us as the artist talks about his projects that challenge our perceptions of a place and how technology impacts our communities.Eric T. Kunsman is a photographer, book artist, educator at Rochester Institute of Technology, and fine printmaker at Booksmart Studio, which he owns and operates.
Wish You Were Here: Jasna Bogdanovska - Palimpsest George Eastman Museum 2022-04-22 | Jasna Bogdanovska is a photographer, educator, art director, traveler, and explorer of different cultures. Through her global travels, she conceptualizes the environment from a humanistic perspective, combining individual and collective narratives of migration, identity, mythology, and a sense of belonging.Bogdanovska has exhibited her work internationally in solo and group exhibitions and has worked on advertising campaigns for Dr. Scholl's, T-Mobile, and Dove. In 2017, she was the runner-up to represent the Republic of Macedonia at the Venice Biennale.
Joshua Rashaad McFadden - I Believe Ill Run On George Eastman Museum 2022-04-21 | Artist Joshua Rashaad McFadden (American, b. 1990) uses photography to engage some of the most challenging subject matter of our time. Working across genres—social documentary, reportage, portraiture, book arts, and fine arts—he critically examines race, masculinity, sexuality, and gender in the United States. His work reveals the destructive impact of these constructs on Black Americans. Looking to the idea of “being-ness,” he considers the contemporary condition of Black life while referencing US history as a means to rediscover and define the Black self. Joshua Rashaad McFadden: I Believe I'll Run On is an early-career survey of the artist's work on view at George Eastman Museum from November 5, 2021 - June 19, 2022. This video from November 5, 2021 features the artist speaking about his work in the Eastman Museum's Dryden Theatre.
Darkroom Magic: What is a Gelatin Emulsion? George Eastman Museum 2022-03-21 | So what is a gelatin emulsion and how can you make one?To get started we're going to swell and melt some gelatin in distilled water. Then we have to add a chemical called a “halide”. Once our halide is dissolved we're going to use a syringe to add silver nitrate to the mix. The silver and halide combine to make MILLIONS of tiny light sensitive crystals suspended within the gelatin.Eventually the emulsion will be coated on glass, flexible plastic or paper. This “Emulsion” is the basis for all modern photo materials.So if you’ve shot a roll of film, you’ve used a gelatin emulsion! Want to learn how to make your own emulsion? At home, from scratch, just like George Eastman? Then come join us in the Eastman Museum Darkroom and visit our website for more information.
Dutch Connection & Floral Cyanotype Demonstration George Eastman Museum 2022-02-14 | Inspired by the museum’s annual floral display, Dutch Connection, we’ll be showing how to make cyanotypes using natural specimens. One of the simplest and safest forms of photography, cyanotypes require minimal chemistry and make beautiful blue photographs.In this virtual demonstration, Landscape Manager Dan Bellavia will talk about the flowers and history of Dutch Connection, giving us a quick behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create this display. Then, Historic Process Specialist Nick Brandreth will make some cyanotypes using flowers taken from Dutch Connection.
Darkroom Magic: What is a Carbon Print? George Eastman Museum 2022-02-09 | Carbon prints are a fascinating process that creates beautiful, textured prints. What makes these so unique in the history of photographic processes? A carbon print is made by soaking a “Carbon Tissue.” Which has a thin layer of dried gelatin that has colored pigment added to it in a chemical like potassium dichromate. This means you can add any color pigment you want. For this print I’m using black sumi ink as my pigment. But you can experiment with different pigments and inks to create different colored carbon tissue. In places where light strikes the carbon tissue, the gelatin will harden. When we want to reveal the final print, that means we just need to wash away any of the gelatin that hasn’t hardened with warm water. No chemicals are needed for developing. Finally, because the print is made by selective hardening, the finished print has a relief which has a sculptural feeling to it. The hardened gelatin gives it a unique texture. While the process to make the tissue can be a bit complicated, the materials needed are basic and the results are simply beautiful. If you’re ready to learn to make your own Carbon prints, join us in the Eastman Museum Darkroom: eastman.org/Darkroom.
Ask GEM: How did we conserve George Eastmans blueprints? George Eastman Museum 2022-02-03 | Blueprints are a delicate, but important material in the museum’s collection. Sarah Casto, assistant conservator at the George Eastman Museum, shares how we conserved the original blueprints from George Eastman’s gardens, originally created in 1903, so that we can preserve these documents and continue to use them in our research. When the bluepionts came to the conservation lab, they had many tears that likely occurred from handling and use as an architectural document. Most of the tears were repaired on the back with pressure-sensitive tape sometime in the past. The tape was beginning to discolor with age, and new tears were forming along the edges of the tape, a sign that the tape should be removed. Heat was the best method to remove this particular tape. This tool is a hot air pencil - it blows a gentle, controlled stream of warm air at the tape. The heat softened the adhesive and allowed our conservators to remove the plastic tape carrier with a spatula. Then they removed any remaining adhesive using an adhesive pick-up eraser. The adhesive appeared dark because it also contains dirt from the back of the blueprint.Next, they surface cleaned the back of the blueprint. To do this, our conservators grated white vinyl eraser into small crumbs and gently rolled these crumbs over the surface of the blueprint. This technique increases the surface area of the eraser to remove dirt more quickly without causing abrasion to the paper. They used a block eraser to carefully clean the edges of the tears, where the small eraser crumbs could become trapped or cause more damage. Surface cleaning is important so that dirt does not become embedded in the new repairs. They carefully brushed away all of the eraser crumbs using a soft brush.Once clean, the tears were repaired from the back using wheat starch paste and Japanese paper. Paste has excellent aging properties and the paper is both thin and strong, providing a much more stable mend than tape. The paste was applied to strips of Japanese paper, which were positioned over the tears and lightly burnished into place. Our conservator used polyester fabric to keep their tools from sticking to the wet paste and paper. The mended areas were dried under blotting paper and weight to prevent the new mends from causing any distortions as they dried. Some areas of the blueprint were completely detached when the tape was removed, and needed to be reassembled like a small puzzle. In all, there were over 60 inches of tears to repair. After the repairs were dry, the blueprint was turned face-up so they could examine the mended tears from the front. The last step, although not necessary, was to “inpaint” some of the repaired tears. Inpainting makes the tears less visible, which helps viewers read the lines and text more easily. Using a very fine brush, the conservators applied a layer of gelatin to the tears, followed by watercolors. The gelatin prevents the watercolors from sinking deeply into the paper fibers, and the watercolors help minimize the visibility of the white paper support along the torn edges. The blueprint was photographed before and after treatment, and this video compresses approximately 35 hours of treatment into 3.5 minutes.
Hear from the Artist: James Tylor: From an Untouched Landscape George Eastman Museum 2022-02-01 | Artist James Tylor introduces his exhibition, From an Untouched Landscape, on view at the Eastman Museum through June 5, 2022. Learn more and visit the virtual 360 exhibition at eastman.org/Tylor.
In Conversation: Artist James Tylor and Guest Curator Marina Tyquiengco George Eastman Museum 2022-01-21 | Join us for an in-depth discussion of our newest exhibition, James Tylor: From an Untouched Landscape. In this virtual talk, guest curator Marina Tyquiengco and artist James Tylor, joining from Australia, will discuss the artist's training as a photographer and carpenter and how he takes his practice beyond those mediums to examine under-told and often unseen histories of Aboriginal peoples.James Tylor is a multidisciplinary artist with Nunga (Kaurna Miyurna), Māori (Te Arawa), and European ancestry.Marina Tyquiengco (CHamoru), is the Assistant Curator of Native American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Vault to Wall: Kodachrome 35mm Film, ca. 1936 George Eastman Museum 2022-01-12 | What happens after an object is selected to be exhibited in the Collection Gallery? The process shown in this video is an overview of what goes into bringing an object from storage to display. First, a curator chooses an object and the collection manager retrieves it from the vault. The collection manager examines the object and confirms or adjusts its cataloging information in the museum’s collections database: title, date, medium, dimensions, and any inscriptions on the object. In the conservation lab, conservators document the object’s condition and determine whether any treatment is needed. For this box of film, there is minor surface cleaning, adhesive and tape removal, and the addition of paper hinges to the interior to hold the box closed. The shipping bag is humidified to help relax folds. Next, the object is taken to the photography studio to be photographed. The resulting digital master files, which document the object at that moment in time, are used to create files for a variety of uses, including publication and online access. For three-dimensional objects, there are four to eight angles that need to be captured to properly document the full object.When it is time for installation, preparators work with the curator to carefully place the object in a case. A label containing identifying information about the object along with text that has been researched and written by a curator is added next to the work. By taking these steps, we ensure every work that will be on display is documented, protected, interpreted, and prepared for you to see in the gallery.
Darkroom Magic: A Colorful Tip for Making Daguerreotypes George Eastman Museum 2022-01-10 | Did you know in order to make the perfect daguerreotype, one of the earliest black and white photographic processes, you need to take a very colorful step? Historic process specialist Nick Brandreth shares a quick tip for creating great daguerreotypes at home. Want to learn more? Join us in the Eastman Museum Darkroom on January 28 at 1 p.m. EST, 2022, for a virtual workshop on making daguerreotypes at home. Learn more and register at eastman.org/darkroom.
In Focus: Kodak Picture Spots: Then and Now George Eastman Museum 2021-11-18 | One hundred years ago, the Kodak "Picture Ahead" marketing campaign was introduced into the American landscape. Over time, these markers evolved from their earliest appearances as roadside markers highlighting particular subjects to photograph, to their later Kodak Picture Spot iterations and installations within world's fairs, local and national parks, and Disney theme parks.These signs helped to promote picture-taking behavior throughout much of the past century and were the subject of Leslie K. Brown's popular Focus 45 talk in 2016. Her subsequent PhD dissertation drew largely from the George Eastman Legacy Collection, corporate archives, and her own Kodak family history. To commemorate the centennial of the Kodak "Picture Ahead" campaign, Brown will revisit their presentation with some updates and new additions to provide a historical overview of this cultural phenomenon.This talk is in conjunction with the display One Hundred Years Ago: George Eastman in 1921, currently on view in the Sitting Room through the end of the year.
Hear from the Artist: Joshua Rashaad McFadden: I Believe Ill Run On George Eastman Museum 2021-11-16 | Artist Joshua Rashaad McFadden introduces his exhibition, I Believe I'll Run On, on view at the Eastman Museum through June 19, 2022. Learn more and visit the virtual 360 exhibition at eastman.org/McFadden.
Nitrate Picture Show is Back! George Eastman Museum 2021-11-11 | We’re excited to announce that the Nitrate Picture Show will be returning June 2-5, 2022! Be sure to mark your calendars. Tickets go on sale Monday, December 6, 2021, at 9 a.m. EST. Over the past two years, we’ve continued working hard on planning and preparing for the 6th Nitrate Picture Show. We believe that the program of films from around the world will rival those of years past and include something for every film fan. Ultimately, it’s the rare experience of watching original nitrate prints projected in the cinema while surrounded by other enthusiasts that really makes the Nitrate Picture Show unique. We look forward to seeing you in the Dryden Theatre for the 6th Nitrate Picture Show!
In Focus: Selections from the Collection: Tourism & Photography George Eastman Museum 2021-10-15 | Today, tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world, but traveling for pleasure reaches far back into history. The invention of photography in 1839 helped to expand our visual understanding of the world, especially for those without the means to travel.In this virtual presentation, Lily Jones, Boyer Cataloguer in the Department of Photography, will discuss her selections for the upcoming iteration in the Collections Gallery, which highlights how the history of photography has intersected with the evolution of tourism in the United States and abroad.This project has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this talk, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Darkroom Magic: Albumen Prints George Eastman Museum 2021-10-15 | They say you can't make an omelet without cracking some eggs. Well, the same is true for making albumen prints! Learn the two most popular printing processes of the nineteenth century: salt and albumen in our next online workshop, Friday, October 22, 2022, 12-3 p.m. ET. Register now at eastman.org/workshops (limited spaces remain!).
Ask GEM: How do you work with light sensitive objects from the collection? George Eastman Museum 2021-10-07 | Our staff always take the utmost care when working with our collection objects. Sometimes, an object is in a further state of deterioration or more sensitive to environmental conditions, requiring even more precautions to be taken when cataloging, photographing, or otherwise handling it. The Pencil of Nature (1844–46) by William Henry Fox Talbot—the first commercially published book illustrated with photographs made of negatives—is one of those objects The salted paper prints in the book are not properly fixed, which means that they are extremely sensitive to light-induced deterioration, such as fading and discoloration. Because of the light sensitivity, The Pencil of Nature is rarely accessed and the original object cannot be exhibited. There are approximately forty surviving copies of the book, and the Eastman Museum is lucky to have two of them, one of which includes all 24 original image plates. This book is part of an initiative to catalog and digitize the museum’s Alden Scott Boyer collection, which includes over 10,000 objects important in the history of photography. The object’s rarity and sensitivity to light meant that the cataloging and digitizing needed to be performed with utmost care with the supervision of our conservators, Taina Meller and Sarah Casto.The entire process, from the time The Pencil of Nature was first taken out of its box to when it was returned, had to be done under red safelight conditions. Boyer Project Cataloger Lilyan Jones examined the book and added it to our collection database. In the photography studio, Boyer Project Photographer Mireya Salinas took high-resolution images of the book covers and of each individual spread and page. These images serve as an accurate representation and record of the book, and they can be used for research and exhibition purposes, in publications, and on our online collections.This project has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this talk, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
In Conversation: Jess T. Dugan and Vanessa Fabbre George Eastman Museum 2021-10-05 | Join us for a conversation with photographer Jess T. Dugan and social worker Vanessa Fabbre on the making of To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults, on view in the museum's Project Gallery through January 2, 2022. The conversation will be moderated by Jamie M. Allen, Stephen B. and Janice G. Ashley Associate Curator, Department of Photography.For over five years, Dugan and Fabbre traveled throughout the United States seeking individuals whose experiences exist within the complex intersections of gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, sexuality, socioeconomic class, and geographic location. Together they moved from coast to coast, to big cities and small towns, documenting the life stories of transgender and gender nonconforming older adults, an important but largely underrepresented population. The project’s participants have a wide variety of life narratives spanning the last ninety years, offering an important historical record of transgender experience and activism in the United States.
In Conversation: Artists Bea Nettles & Joan Lyons George Eastman Museum 2021-09-28 | An in-depth conversation with Bea Nettles and Joan Lyons. The artists will discuss their formative work in the 1970s and the photographic community in Rochester at that time, including Rochester Institute of Technology and Visual Studies Workshop.This talk was moderated by Jamie M. Allen, Stephen B. and Janice G. Ashley Associate Curator, Department of Photography.
In Focus: Conserving South Asian Films George Eastman Museum 2021-09-13 | In this behind-the-scenes virtual presentation, Film Project Specialists Erica Jones and Lydia Creech discussed their work preserving the museum's South Asian film collection and gave a tour of the film vault at Kodak 350 where the films are stored.
Ask GEM: Are silent films really silent? George Eastman Museum 2021-08-17 | With the return of Silent Tuesdays to the Dryden Theatre this September, we are exploring the experience - and a bit of the history - of seeing silent movies on the big screen. Here, Jared Case, curator of film exhibitions, gives us some background:"Silent film" is a bit of a misnomer. Because although the films were produced without sound, they were (and are!) almost never exhibited silently.The technology to capture and record sound on film along with the images was not mastered until the mid-1920s, and it wasn't in common use until later in that decade. That means that for most of the first 35 years of motion pictures, theaters had to provide their own accompaniment with the films.Most often, the films were accompanied by someone playing a piano or an organ as the film was projected on the screen, although other instruments were used as well. As the motion picture industry became more organized, some of the bigger films had entire scores written for them, to be performed individually or by a large orchestra if they were available. More often, a music cue sheet was provided. These cue sheets indicated intertitles or action in the film, along with moods for particular scenes and a piece of popular music that could be used to accompany the images.Today, there are musicians who specialize in accompanying silent films by extemporaneously composing music using information such as the year of release, the country the film was produced in, and the production company responsible for the film. Here at the Dryden Theatre, we are lucky to have just such an individual in Dr. Philip C. Carli. His extensive knowledge of film history and music of all types informs his accompaniment as he sits at the piano. Familiar with many of the titles we show, Carli has a sense of what the film is about, its style, and the music that would best enhance the emotions of the images on the screen. He uses no sheet music, only a deep understanding of the history of the filmmakers and music of the era that he's retained from years of research. As his fingers stroke the keys, Carli keeps his eyes on the screen, making slight adjustments on the fly as the action and the tone of the film change.Like many of the positions in an archival cinema, silent film accompaniment requires a rare individual to make the presentation seamless. But that is the mission of the Dryden Theatre: to re-create the cinematic experience as it was originally intended, from the film and projectionist in the booth all the way down to the man behind the piano.Come to the Dryden to experience silent films on Tuesday evenings this fall - find the full schedule and purchase tickets at eastman.org/Dryden.
