Director’s Note: Making Space to See George Eastman

New Perspectives on George Eastman — a future permanent exhibition in Eastman’s mansion — will transform our visitors’ experience and advance our mission to inclusively serve the diverse Greater Rochester community. Since the mansion’s principal rooms were restored in 1990, our docent-led and audio tours have focused on Eastman’s life as a wealthy entrepreneur. There has never been a permanent exhibition about him.

The planned exhibition will present contemporary views of Eastman that are relevant and accessible to all audiences, including students and those who have historically been underserved by the museum. It will include historic objects, multimedia interactives, a new docent tour and multiple audio tours, and educational packages for school groups and families.

To better understand the interests and concerns of our diverse community, we collaborated with Causewave Community Partners to assemble input through interviews, focus groups, and online surveys. A survey of about 900 people followed by four focus groups provided an understanding of perceptions of Eastman and the museum, as well as what key audiences are interested in learning about him. We found that many participants have negative (sometimes misinformed) impressions of Eastman. In particular, people misunderstand when he lived and hold him accountable for discrimination at Eastman Kodak Company decades after his death in 1932. Such negative opinions deter visits to his namesake museum.

Yet, the participants are interested in a contemporary and relevant exhibition about Eastman — and want to know everything about him. They seek a cohesive narrative approach; relevance to current topics throughout; historical context without editorializing or excuses; and forthright information on complex and controversial issues. They want a presentation of “the man, not the myth.”

A balanced and transparent telling of Eastman’s story is essential to build trust in the exhibition and the museum. Of course, the new exhibition and related content will cover the big stories of Eastman’s successes and contributions as an entrepreneur and philanthropist. Crucially, they will also include lesser-known aspects of Eastman’s life that remain relevant today, such as the challenges faced by his single-parent family; the importance of STEM learning; his blocked initiative to upgrade housing for those in poverty; his financial support for higher education (including Black colleges); and his continuing impact on life in Rochester. The exhibition will also explore areas where Eastman has been subject to criticism, such as discriminatory practices during his lifetime at Eastman Kodak Company, Eastman Savings & Loan, and the Eastman Theatre. As we prepare the exhibition, we will broadly solicit iterative feedback on storylines, content, and experiences that might be included (see p. 14).

This essential project will require extensive renovation of currently unrestored spaces on the mansion’s first and second floors to create the new galleries. Entering a suite of three first-floor galleries directly from the Colonnade, visitors will be introduced to Eastman and his estate before they enter the restored interior of his mansion. The exhibition will continue in four galleries on the second floor. For people with limited mobility, the construction project will include key improvements in the mansion — a selfservice elevator and an accessible lavatory on the first floor.

We expect that the total cost of the project — including the creation and installation of the exhibition — will be about $4 million. The museum has already raised $2,260,000 from New York State and federal grants, private foundation grants, and individual donations.

Creating the mansion galleries and New Perspectives on George Eastman is among the museum’s highest priorities, but it depends on successful fundraising. For more information on opportunities to support this transformative project, please contact Lisa Seischab at (585) 327–4942 or lseischab@eastman.org.

Bruce Barnes, PhD

Ron and Donna Fielding Director

May/June 2024 Bulletin