Rochester, N.Y., July 9, 2020—The George Eastman Museum has announced it will reopen to the public on Sunday, July 19, at 11 a.m. The museum, which has been closed since March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was unable to open when Phase IV began in the Finger Lakes due to the ongoing construction of the Thomas Tischer Visitor Center. The museum will be open for museum members only on Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., before opening to the general public on Sunday, July 19.
“We are excited to welcome visitors back to the George Eastman Museum this summer and have taken all of the necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of our guests,” said Bruce Barnes, Ron and Donna Fielding Director, George Eastman Museum. “Despite the temporary required suspension of construction, we are making tremendous progress with our new Thomas Tischer Visitor Center and its ESL Federal Credit Union Pavilion. We look forward to completing the project in October of this year, including the unveiling of our new cafe and store.”
The Eastman Museum is finalizing its reopening plan with the health and safety of staff and visitors as the top priority. Upon reopening, new safety measures will be in place, including the following:
- All visitors and staff members will be required to wear face coverings/masks while inside the museum building and while on the grounds when not able to maintain 6-feet social distancing
- Advance tickets are encouraged and can be purchased online at eastman.org/tickets
- Hand sanitizing stations will be provided for visitor use throughout the museum
- When possible, non-automatic doors and entryways will be push only
- Narrow paths throughout the museum will become one-way, with alternative routes available
- Visitors in different parties are expected to maintain a proper social distance from each other when possible during their time at the museum
The museum has installed three new exhibitions in its gallery spaces since closing in March, which will be on view when the museum reopens on July 19.
Gathering Clouds: Photographs from the Nineteenth Century and Today
July 19, 2020–January 3, 2021
Main Galleries
Gathering Clouds traces the complex history of photography’s relationship with clouds from the medium’s invention to Alfred Stieglitz’s Equivalents. The exhibition demonstrates that clouds played a seminal role in the development and subsequent reception of photography in the nineteenth century. At the same time, with Equivalents serving as a connection between past and present, the exhibition features contemporary works that forge new aesthetic paths while responding in various ways to the history of cloud photography. Generously sponsored by Midtown Athletic Club.
James Welling: Choreograph
July 19, 2020–January 3, 2021
Project Gallery
James Welling’s recent body of work integrates several strands of his artistic exploration over the past forty years. Each Choreograph is a large inkjet print combining images of dance, architecture, and landscape in layers of distinctive, luminous color. The works prompt associations with bodies in motion, eliciting sensations of momentum, force, and rhythm. Generously supported by the Rubens Family Foundation.
History of Photography
July 19, 2020–January 3, 2021
History of Photography Gallery
Commemorating the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment’s ratification, which granted American women the right to vote, this installation examines how photography has portrayed, and fundamentally shaped, perceptions of women and feminist movements since the mid-1800s. Sponsored in part by ESL Federal Credit Union.
At this time, movie theaters, including the Dryden Theatre, are not yet permitted to open in New York State. Furthermore, the construction of the Thomas Tischer Visitor Center will also delay the reopening of the theater. The Dryden is slated to reopen to the public on August 18 if allowed by the state. The Dryden will implement similar safety measures upon reopening, including reduced seating capacity, hand sanitizing stations, and social distancing. The theater will also encourage online ticketing to avoid large gatherings inside the box office area.
**NEW Museum Hours**
- Wednesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Closed Monday and Tuesday
Admission Pricing
- Members: FREE
- General Admission: $15
- Seniors (65+): $13
- Students (w/ID) and youth ages 5–17: $5
- Children 4 & under: FREE
- EBT or SNAP cardholders & their families: FREE
- Active-duty military personnel & their families: FREE
More information about visiting the museum, including new health and safety protocols, is available at eastman.org/welcomeback.
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 National Historic Landmark 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, 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, through its two joint master’s degree programs with the University of Rochester, makes critical contributions to the fields of film preservation and of photographic preservation and collection management. For more information, visit eastman.org.
