The George Eastman Museum, founded in 1947, is the world’s oldest museum of photography and one of the largest film archives in the United States.  Its internationally renowned collection spans photography, cinema, and technology, including more than 400,000 photographs, 30,000 films, and 20,000 technology objects, as well as the complete set of masters for the moving image artworks of William Kentridge and Bill Viola.  The museum is located on the former estate of George Eastman—the entrepreneur and philanthropist who pioneered popular photography and motion picture film—in Rochester, New York.

As part of its long-term strategic plan, the museum is establishing Eastman Museum Los Angeles, a new museum for exhibitions, public programming, and youth education programs that explore the art, science, and social impact of photography and moving images. Other initiatives will include an artist residency program and the Eastman Museum’s internationally recognized workshops on historic photographic processes.

Los Angeles—one of the world’s leading centers of cinema, photography, contemporary art, and visual culture—currently lacks a museum dedicated exclusively to photography and the moving image.  Eastman LA will fill that gap by presenting simultaneous exhibitions across multiple galleries in one facility, including: 

• Main exhibitions—thematic, topical, historical, or about a single artist or group of artists

• Project Gallery exhibitions of recent works by single artists, with an emphasis on LA artists

• Exceptional exhibitions on the history of photography and photographic technology

• A permanent exhibition on the progress of moving image technology since its invention

• Installations of contemporary moving image artworks

• Collaborative projects with local organizations showcasing creative work by young people

The museum will host frequent public lectures and discussions by artists, curators, and scholars.  We will collaborate with schools and youth organizations to promote visual and media literacy, creativity, and STEM learning.  We will also partner on projects with local cultural and academic institutions.

A transformative opportunity now exists for Eastman Museum Los Angeles to acquire a permanent museum venue, which would be a new cultural landmark dedicated to photography and the moving image.