The Beat

Auburn, NY (Jan. 16, 2020) – The Schweinfurth Art Center and Auburn Public Theater are hosting a nine-week art film series that will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Feb. 4, 2020. The films cover music, painting, animation, and photography, as well as art collecting.

"We are very excited to bring back our winter film series," said Schweinfurth Program Director Davana Robedee. "Whether you are interested in high quality animation, the lives of famous art collectors, or you want to 'go on tour' with Bob Dylan, there's a film for you in this series."…

After nearly two months of darkness, the mansion will reopen to the public full of springtime blooms through March 1

Rochester, N.Y., January 13, 2020—The historic mansion at the George Eastman Museum will reopen to the public on Friday, February 14, with its Dutch Connection floral show. The annual display is a welcome treat in the midst of winter, with thousands of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, amaryllis, freesias, and spring annuals in various vibrant shades filling areas of George Eastman’s historic mansion. Tropical orchids courtesy of the Genesee Region Orchid Society will also be on display throughout the mansion. Dutch Connection will be on view through March 1.

Cartagena will premiere works of art created for this exhibition

Rochester, N.Y., January 9, 2020—The George Eastman Museum has announced a new photography exhibition, Alejandro Cartagena: Photo Structure / Foto Estructura, which will open on January 31, 2020, in the museum’s Project Gallery.  Co-organized by the George Eastman Museum and the Chrysler Museum of Art, the exhibition will present the latest work, including several new pieces, by artist Alejandro Cartagena (Mexican, b. Dominican Republic, b. 1977). The exhibition and its accompanying audio tour will be presented in both English and Spanish.

A variety of traditional indoor and outdoor cultural activities make a full day on Feb. 22

Victor, NY—For its 17th annual Native American Winter Games, Friends of Ganondagan will again offer numerous activities that harken back to 17th-century winters when Ganondagan was an active Seneca town, and winter was a busy time both indoors and out.

On Saturday, February 22 from 10 am-4 pm, the public will experience family-friendly Haudenosaunee experiences through a variety of traditional Seneca winter activities. These include the competitive game of snowsnake, racing small wooden snowboats (akin to Pinewood Derby), meeting sled dogs and watching a dog sled demonstration, and learning how to use snowshoes.

Support from Thomas Tischer, ESL Federal Credit Union, and New York State Council on the Arts made project possible

Rochester, N.Y., January 6, 2020—The George Eastman Museum broke ground today on the Thomas Tischer Visitor Center, including construction of the ESL Federal Credit Union Pavilion, which will serve as the museum’s new main entrance, located next to the Dryden Theatre. Through the new entrance, visitors will be served by a new admissions desk, gathering places, a renovated education and meeting hall, a more mission-focused shop, and a relocated café that includes seating in the historic Palm House. The project is expected to be completed by July 2020.

Macedon, NY -- It’s a Throwback Wine and Chili weekend at JD Wine Cellars! Join us for 10^th Annual Chili tasting at JD Wine Cellars, January 25^th and 26^th from 12p – 5p.   It’s been 10 years since we opened our doors to the Tasting room and to commemorate 10 wonderful years, we dug through past chili recipes and picked two of the most popular to bring back for this special anniversary.

Auburn, NY (Jan. 2, 2020) – The Schweinfurth Art Center galleries and gift shop will be closed Jan. 6, 2020, through mid-April 2020 after the current exhibits, "Quilts=Art=Quilts" and "Narrative Quilts," close on Jan. 5. During the shutdown, the art center will be installing a new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system that will allow the use of the second floor gallery, classroom, and sewing studio year-round.

Grant awarded from the New York State Office for Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation 

Rochester, N.Y., December 23, 2019—The George Eastman Museum has received a grant award of $600,000 for the restoration of the museum’s historic garden structures from the New York State Office for Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation through Title 9 of the Environmental Protection Act of 1993, in conjunction with the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council. The restored structures on George Eastman’s estate, a National Historic Landmark, will include the pergola in the Schuyler C. Townson Terrace Garden, the grape arbor in the Rock Garden, and the loggia in the West Garden. The project will also improve accessibility of the museum’s gardens for those with impaired mobility. The total cost of the project is estimated at $900,000.

Auburn, NY (Dec. 21, 2019) - Don't let the after-holiday blues get you down. Come to the Schweinfurth Art Center 8 to 11 p.m. Jan. 10 for our Empty Walls Art Party! The one-night pop-up art event will include an interactive art activity on the walls of the main gallery, which will be empty following the end of the Quilts=Art=Quilts exhibition.

$300,000 grant award from the National Endowment for the Humanities leverages support from local foundations and private donors to improve environmental conditions for museum’s collections

Rochester, N.Y., December 10, 2019—The George Eastman Museum recently completed a major upgrade to the crucial environmental conditions of its collection storage areas. The Environmental Improvements Implementation Project, at a total cost of $1,246,000, included the replacement and upgrade of 30-year-old systems that controlled the temperature and humidity for the photography vault, technology vault, and photography study center. The project was funded with a $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities; grants from the William and Sheila Konar Foundation, the ESL Charitable Foundatio…