Discover three new ways to experience the museum’s workshops with online demonstrations, virtual workshops, and private virtual tutorials
Rochester, N.Y., March 1, 2021—The George Eastman Museum has been providing artists, educators, and enthusiasts ways to explore photographic and moving image processes for decades through its on-site Process Workshops. From how to make a tintype to turning digital negatives into prints, these in-person workshops drew people from around the world to learn from the museum’s experts. This year, the Eastman Museum is offering new ways to experience its workshops from wherever you are located. The virtual Historic Process Demonstrations, Online Workshops, and Private Virtual Tutorials will all be led by Historic Process Specialist Nick Brandreth.
Historic Process Demonstrations are a great start for anyone interested in learning more about these techniques. You don’t need to have your own darkroom or any previous experience. Each webinar includes a live, virtual demonstration of a process along with a brief look into its history and use from curators and experts across the museum. Topics for 2021 include AZO paper, 35mm silent film, gelatin emulsion dry plates, stereographs, and salt printing.
Online Workshops are the perfect opportunity to expand your skills and see first-hand how to replicate photographic processes on your own. Limited to ten participants, each three-hour virtual workshop includes guidance on how to reproduce these processes, full recipes, and a PDF manual with instructions. The 2021 workshops cover the following processes: AZO paper, 35mm daguerreotypes, gelatin emulsion dry plates, and albumen & salt printing.
Private Virtual Tutorials are available to those who want to dive deeper and get one-on-one instruction on a particular process. The private sessions can be customized based on the individual or group, and are taught by Historic Process Specialist Nick Brandreth. For information on availability and pricing, contact workshops@eastman.org.
Visit eastman.org/workshops for more information. Upcoming demonstrations and workshops are outlined below.
Friday, March 5, 1 p.m.
PROCESS DEMONSTRATION: AZO Paper
$12 | Free to GEM members
Printing photographs at home was not an easy feat in the 19th century, but the creation of AZO paper made it much easier and required minimal equipment. AZO paper was a popular brand name for Kodak’s take on “gaslight paper,” which allowed photographers to make contact prints from their own negatives at home. In this webinar, Historic Process Specialist Nick Brandreth will give a demonstration showing how AZO-style paper is made, and Technology Collection Manager Erin Fisher will share a brief history of this paper and its legacy. Registration is required: visit eastman.org/workshops.
Note: This demonstration does not include specific instructions or guidance on how to make your own AZO paper. If you are interested in diving deeper and getting the full recipe, please attend our AZO Paper Workshop; e-mail workshops@eastman.org for information.
Friday, April 30, 12–3 p.m.
PROCESS WORKSHOP: Make Your Own 35mm Daguerreotypes
$375 | $350 GEM members
Make real daguerreotypes with your own 35mm camera without expensive processing equipment or dangerous chemicals! In this three-hour online workshop, you will be shown how to polish, sensitize, shoot, and process daguerreotypes using the Becquerel method, which does not include the use of mercury fumes. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to make precious, tiny daguerreotypes suitable for exhibition or jewelry. Online workshop includes three hours of instruction and Q&A via Google Meet, as well as a PDF manual with instructions and recipes. Registration is required: visit eastman.org/workshops.
About the 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 400,000 photographs, 28,000 motion picture films and three million archival objects related to cinema, 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 book publishing program, and its L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation’s graduate program (in collaboration with the University of Rochester) makes critical contributions to film preservation. For more information, visit eastman.org.
