Norman Rockwell Museum

March Events at Norman Rockwell Museum Include Programs with Artist James Gurney and Photographer Gregory Crewdson

Published on 21 February 2010 by DHeck in Press Release - Current

Norman Rockwell Museum announces a creative series of exhibitions, programs, and events planned for the month of March. Highlights include a painting workshop with Dinotopia
artist/creator James Gurney, an evening lecture with acclaimed photographer Gregory Crewdson, and a writing workshop with author/educator Vivian Dorsel.

Exhibitions

Norman Rockwell: A Life in Art
March 6 through June 20
Connect with Norman Rockwell through this in-depth exhibition featuring original artworks spanning the breadth of his career, and personal mementos and family photographs from the Norman Rockwell archives.

24th Annual Berkshire County High School Art Show
February 6 through March 7
Our annual showcase of artwork from Berkshire County’s talented youth. Enjoy vibrant works from the region’s next generation of artists. Sponsored by Legacy Banks and The Massachusetts Cultural Council.

To Rockwell, With Love: Fan Mail and The Saturday Evening Post
Through May 16, 2010
Step back in time to explore Norman Rockwell’s imagery for The Saturday Evening Post, which prompted an outpouring of reader reaction during the artist’s forty-seven year tenure with the magazine. Shifting American values, reform and the New Deal, World War II and the rise of national identity, the Baby Boom and the growth of the middle class, and the politicization of the American populace are some of the themes that will be brought to life in this engaging and informative installation, which features archival fan correspondence and original Saturday Evening Post tear sheets.

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera
Through May 31, 2010
Find a fascinating parallel universe to Norman Rockwell’s paintings in the meticulously composed photographs that informed his work. Based on the recently released book Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera and advances in the Museum’s ProjectNORMAN digitization project, the exhibition pairs Rockwell’s photographic references with original artwork to reveal, frame-by-frame, the creation of the artist¹s iconic paintings.

Norman Rockwell’s Stockbridge Models: A Norman Rockwell Museum Historic Preservation Project
Stockbridge Town Hall, Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Ongoing Learn more about the faces behind the pictures in this off-site exhibition of photographs of Rockwell’s models posing for his paintings. Free admission. Open weekdays only.

Programs for Kids and Families

Creativity Center
Wednesdays through Mondays, through March 31
Explore your “inner Rockwell” by creating your own works of art in the Museum’s Creativity Center. Free for children. Adults free with Museum admission.

Kids Create! A Pre-School Art Program
Wednesday, March 31, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Interactive, hands-on gallery experiences for young art lovers and their caregivers. Kids $2, grownups free.

Programs for Adults and/or All Ages

Meet Rockwell’s Models!
Wednesday, March 3, 2:30 p.m.
Meet the models that inspired Norman Rockwell’s beloved illustrations. Free with Museum admission.

Uncovering the Covers of the Post
Thursday, March 11, 12:30 p.m.
Joyce K. Schiller, Ph.D., Norman Rockwell Museum Curator of the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies, will offer a lively look at shifting trends in fashion, haberdashery, and furnishings of the 20th century through Saturday Evening Post imagery. Bring lunch, beverages and dessert are provided. $6, $4 Museum members, or free with Museum admission.

The Artist & The Photograph: Contemporary Perspectives
Saturday, March 27, 5:30 p.m.
Acclaimed photographer Gregory Crewdson will explore contemporary pathways in the art of photography, from assembled narration to the moving image.
$10, $7 Museum members.

Workshops for Adults and/or All Ages

Picture This: Writing with Photographs
Saturday, March 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Join author/educator Vivian Dorsel for a special writing workshop on the use of photographs as inspirational visual memoirs that can spark the creative process. $15, $10 for Museum members.

Painting What Doesn’t Exist: An Afternoon with James Gurney
Saturday, March 13, 1 to 4 p.m.
Award-winning fantasy artist and creator of Dinotopia, James Gurney explores ways to incorporate detail and imagination into realistic fantasy settings. At 1 p.m. the artist will discuss step-by-step techniques used to create his work, followed by hands-on art making and a book signing of Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist. Free with Museum admission, kids and teens free.

Focus Group: Museums, Libraries, and Schools Connect A Workshop for Educators
Saturday, March 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Educators and librarians are invited to join Museum education staff for a presentation of ProjectNORMAN, the upcoming digital database of Norman Rockwell’s work. Refreshments will be served. Free. To register, call 413.298.4100, ext. 260, or e-mail prog@nrm.org.

Acclaimed Photography Exhibition Continues at Norman Rockwell Museum with Extended Series of Programs and Events

Published on 20 February 2010 by DHeck in Press Release - Current

Reference photo for Norman Rockwell’s The Runaway, 1958. Photographer unidentified. Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, Niles, IL. From the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum.

A landmark exhibition that has shed new light on Norman Rockwell’s art and artistry, continues its successful run at Norman Rockwell Museum with an extended series of related programs and events. “Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera” explores Rockwell’s richly detailed study photographs, created by the artist as references for his iconic paintings. Covered by such diverse outlets as “Vanity Fair,” NPR Radio, and “The Smithsonian Magazine,” the exhibition was organized with author and guest curator Ron Schick, whose companion book of the same name was released late last year by Little, Brown and Company; landing on several best-of book lists for 2009.

Made possible through ProjectNORMAN, the Museum’s long-term digital preservation project, and a grant from “Save America¹s Treasures,” “Norman

Rockwell: Behind the Camera” brings together approximately 120 prints of Rockwell’s study photographs and 25 original paintings and drawings linked to the photographs on display. The photographs- painstakingly staged by Rockwell and involving an array of models, costumes, props, and settings- exist as fully realized works of art in their own right. In addition to original art from Norman Rockwell Museum’s collection, several significant works from such noted institutions as The Brooklyn Museum, The National Air and Space Museum, The Columbus Museum of Art, The Memorial Art Gallery, and The Eastman Kodak Company, are also featured in the exhibition. The result is a fascinating frame-by-frame view of the development of some of Rockwell’s most indelible images. Generous support for “Norman Rockwell:

Behind the Camera” is provided by the Stockman Family Foundation.

Related Programs and Events

The Artist & The Photograph: Contemporary Perspectives Saturday Series
February 27, March 26, and April 24, 5:30 p.m.

Spend inspiring evenings with noted photographers, who will explore contemporary pathways in photography, from assembled narration to the moving image. A reception with the artists will follow. $10, $7 Museum members.

Featured artists include:

-Kevin Sprague (February 27)

-Gregory Crewdson (March 26)

-Jonathan Doster (April 24)

Picture This: Writing with Photographs
Saturday, March 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This engaging writing experience with author/educator Vivian Dorsel explores the use of photographs as inspirational visual memoir that can spark the writing process. $15, $10 Museum members.

A Workshop for Educators
Focus Group: Museums, Libraries, and Schools Connect
Saturday,March 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Educators and librarians are invited to join Museum education staff for a presentation of ProjectNORMAN, the upcoming digital database of Norman Rockwell’s work. Refreshments will be served. Free. To register, call 413.298.4100, ext. 260, or e-mail prog@nrm.org.

Camera Clinic: Get More Out of Your Digital Camera
Saturday, April 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Talented photographer Sabine Vollmer von Falken will help you navigate your digital camera to achieve outstanding results. Fledgling and experienced photographers are welcome. $12, $8 Museum members.

Uncovering the Covers of the “Post”
Thursday, May 13, 12:30 p.m.

Norman Rockwell Museum Chief Curator Stephanie Plunkett takes visitors “behind the camera” to explore Norman Rockwell’s extensive use of photography in creating his famous covers for “The Saturday Evening Post.” Beverages and dessert provided. $6, $4 Museum members, or free with Museum admission.

Norman Rockwell’s American Dream: An Evening with David Kamp
Saturday, May 29, 5:30 p.m.

Enjoy a discussion with author David Kamp, contributing editor to “Vanity Fair,” whose commentary on “Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera” appeared in the magazine’s November 2009 issue. $10, $7 Museum members, or free with Museum admission.

Norman Rockwell Museum Announces New Illustration Art Acquisitions

Published on 19 February 2010 by DHeck in Press Release - Current

Norman Rockwell Museum announces the recent acquisition of several important original works of art by noted American illustrators, including its namesake Norman Rockwell, Charles Dana Gibson, James Montgomery Flagg, Victor C. Anderson, Winfield Scott Lukens, Tom Lovell, Thomas Fogarty, Fletcher Martin, and Saul Tepper. The donations will enhance the Museum’s growing collection of illustration art.

“We are delighted that ardent collectors of America’s important visual culture are choosing Norman Rockwell Museum as a home for their beloved illustration collections,” noted Laurie Norton Moffatt, the Museum’s Director and CEO. “Norman Rockwell Museum is the home of American illustration, and we are growing a collection of illustration art that tells the story of America. We are grateful to have received gifts of inestimable cultural value- important Norman Rockwell paintings and beautiful cultural icons by other noted illustrators- Norman Rockwell Museum is the best home for this wonderful art. The Museum has received more than two dozen works valued at more than $10 million, since the start of our comprehensive campaign.”

As the custodians of the world’s largest collection of original artwork by Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), the Museum continues to collect works by the beloved illustrator. Through the generosity of the Rodger P. Nordblom family, the Museum has acquired two 1919 paintings the artist created for “The Country Gentleman”: “Fishing Trip, They’ll Be Coming Back Next Week”

and “The Catch.” The paintings were part of a series of cover illustrations Rockwell created for the magazine between 1917 and 1920, following the antics of four fictional young boys: Master Reginald Claude Fitzhugh, Tubby Doolittle, Rusty Doolittle, and Chuck Peterskin. The illustrations were published consecutively, in order to complete a narrative about the boys’

varying degrees of success during a fishing trip.

Another theme which Rockwell revisited several times during his career, was the story of children disobeying a “No Swimming” sign. For the June 15, 1929 cover of “The Saturday Evening Post,” the artist created an illustration which featured a bashful young girl averting her eyes from the disorderly display, while passing by the familiar hand-painted sign. The striking oil on canvas painting for the cover has been generously donated to the Museum by Jeanie Kull Low and John T.C. Low; the original model for the little girl, Ms. Low had always wished that the painting eventually be donated to Norman Rockwell Museum in her memory.

Representing work created by other artists, two of the Museum’s most recent acquisitions come courtesy of acclaimed portrait artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, who began his career as an illustrator. With artwork featured in the Museum’s permanent collection, Mr. Kinstler is perhaps best-known for his singular portrayals of such celebrated figures as John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, and President Ronald Reagan; his most recent donations to Norman Rockwell Museum are important works by two significant Golden Age

Illustrators: Charles Dana Gibson and James Montgomery Flagg. Gibson

(1867-1944) created indelible images from the 1890s through 1910, which defined the age; remembered for his creation of the iconic Gibson Girl, the artist also produced illustrations for many popular books and magazines of the day. The Museum’s latest acquisition of original Gibson art, is one of

56 illustrations the artist created for author Robert W. Chambers’ 1911 novel “The Common Law;” the finished work was originally a gift from Gibson to fellow illustrator James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960).

Flagg enjoyed his own considerable success and fame as an artist; at his peak, he was reported to have been the highest paid magazine illustrator, and is perhaps best-known for creating the 1917 World War I recruitment poster featuring Uncle Sam alongside the caption “I Want YOU for U.S. Army.”

As an aspiring illustrator, Everett Raymond Kinstler contacted Flagg during his youth, hoping to learn all that he could from a true master. A masterful artist himself today, he has generously donated to the Museum two rare oil paintings created by Flagg, ensuring the preservation and ongoing access to the accomplishments of his artistic mentor.

Other recent illustration art acquisitions include “Nurse with a Wounded Soldier,” a poignant 1943 study by Fletcher Martin (1904-1979), an artist war correspondent for “Life,” which published the final illustration on the magazine’s cover; this important donation is one of a series from Norman Rockwell Museum Trustee Steven Hirsch, which will enhance the Museum’s holdings from the World War II period. Recalling a different era, the Museum has also received a late 1890s frontier-themed painting by Winfield Scott Lukens (active 1896-1905), donated by contemporary illustrator and Norman Rockwell Museum Trustee Wendell Minor; and “The Man Without a God,” an early 1920s illustration by Victor C. Anderson (1882-1937). The Anderson work, whose theme recalls Norman Rockwell’s iconic 1942 painting “Freedom of Speech,” was donated by Norman Rockwell Museum National Council Member Robert T. Horvath, an accomplished artist and library director from Saint Michaels, Maryland. Inspired by his early interest in comics, Mr. Horvath has had a passion for illustration throughout his life, and over the years has donated many significant artworks to the Museum’s collection, including a fine pen and ink drawing by Norman Rockwell’s teacher Thomas Fogarty, and oil paintings by Rockwell’s studio mate, illustrator Edmund Ward. Collected through the years, Mr. Horvath’s outstanding collection of illustration art is generously intended for Norman Rockwell Museum.

Through the decades, the art of illustration has looked deeply into society, reflecting and shaping a rapidly changing world. Gifts of art to Norman Rockwell Museum makes continued scholarship possible for researchers today and into the future. To learn more, or to make your own tax-deductible donation of original Norman Rockwell or illustration art, please contact Norman Rockwell Museum’s Curatorial Department at 413.298.4100, ext. 208

February Events at Norman Rockwell Museum To Include School Vacation Week Art Workshops

Published on 17 January 2010 by DHeck in Archive, Press Release - Current

Norman Rockwell Museum shares the love during the month of February with a lively series of programs, events, and exhibitions. Highlights include drop-in art workshops during school vacation week, a special evening with noted photographer Kevin Sprague, and the opening of an exhibition of original Rockwell art and personal mementos, and the Annual Berkshire County High School Art Show.

Exhibition Openings

24th Annual Berkshire County High School Art Show

February 6 through March 7 Our annual showcase of artwork from Berkshire County’s talented youth. Enjoy vibrant works from the region¹s next generation of artists. Sponsored by Legacy Banks.

“Norman Rockwell: The Making of an American Icon”
February 13 through June 20

Connect with Norman Rockwell through this in-depth exhibition featuring original artworks spanning the breadth of his career, and personal mementos and family photographs from the Norman Rockwell archives.

Workshops for Kids and Families

Paint Up a Storm!
School Vacation Week Workshops
Monday through Friday, February 15 through 19, 1 to 4 p.m.

Paint up a storm in this exciting program for budding artists. Children will experiment with a variety of painting media and techniques to create colorful, memorable works of art. Ages 7 and up. Take one or take them all. $6, $5 Museum members.

Note: The Museum will be open the entire school vacation week until 5 p.m., including Tuesday, February 16.

Got Ink? Creating a Graphic Novel
Teen Art Workshop
Saturday, February 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Gifted educator/graphic novelist Tim Callahan will guide young cartoonists through the process of moving an idea from first frame to finished comic. Ages 13 and up. $8, $6 Museum members.

Programs for Adults and/or All Ages

The Artist & The Photograph: Contemporary Perspectives Saturday, February 27

Photographer Kevin Sprague explores contemporary pathways in the art of photography. $10, $7 Museum members.

24th Annual Berkshire County High School Art Show Opens February 6 at Norman Rockwell Museum

Published on 12 January 2010 by DHeck in Press Release - Current

The Annual Berkshire County High School Art Show returns for its 24th year at Norman Rockwell Museum with a special exhibition opening to be held on Saturday, February 6, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Enjoy an afternoon in celebration of the talented young artists from Berkshire County high schools. The opening event will include refreshments, the chance to meet the artists behind the works on view, as well as a special 2 p.m. lecture for budding artists and their families, provided by Massachusetts illustrator/cartoonist John Roman.

This year the High School Art Show showcases 118 works of art from 14 different schools in Berkshire County. Students submit original works to the yearly exhibition in a variety of media, including painting, drawing and sculpture. The young artists learn how to prepare their work for a gallery show, acquire a personal understanding of the exhibition process, and have the opportunity to exhibit their work in a professional museum setting.

Admission to the High School Art Show is free for all Berkshire County high school students and their families and teachers, and to others with regular Museum admission. The exhibition is generously sponsored by Legacy Banks and The Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Participating schools in the 24th Annual Berkshire County High School Art Show include: BArT Charter School, Berkshire School, Drury High School, Lee Middle and High School, Lenox Memorial High School, Miss Hall’s School, Monument Mountain Regional High School, Mount Everett Regional High School, Mount Greylock Regional High School, Pittsfield High School, St. Joseph Central High School, Taconic High School, and Wahconah Regional High School.

“American Icons” passes offer great value to visitors.

Published on 04 January 2010 by DHeck in Press Release - Current

Joint ticketing program back by popular demand

Berkshire County, MA – Four Berkshire County cultural venues have partnered to offer visitors selection and value with their “American Icons” joint admission program. Visitors at participating museums can purchase a joint admission ticket for two sites, three sites, or to all four – Chesterwood, Hancock Shaker Village, The Mount and Norman Rockwell Museum – and receive discounted admission at each site.

The program, which offers a comprehensive experience of the best that the Berkshires has to offer at a great price, begins for a third season on May 29, 2010 and is slated to run through October 11. Visitors can discover the rich history and culture of four American cultural treasures located in the heart of Berkshire County, offering a unique opportunity to explore the life, work, and creative process of sculptor Daniel Chester French, artist Norman Rockwell, writer Edith Wharton, and the innovative community of the Shakers. Visitors can purchase an adult ticket for two of the four sites for $28, three sites for $38, or visit all four within 4 days for $48. Tickets are available at all four participating sites.

Chesterwood, located in Stockbridge, is the country home, studio and gardens of Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), America’s most acclaimed sculptor of public monuments including the Minute Man in Concord, MA and the Abraham Lincoln statue for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. French’s six foot final plaster model of Lincoln for the Memorial will return from an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art and be placed on view in the Studio on opening day. Family activities are planned on May 29 to “welcome home Mr. Lincoln.” Gardens and natural landscape will be celebrated in our programs and events for 2010.

Hancock Shaker Village, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is situated on a picturesque expanse of farm, field, and woodland. The fully restored Village includes 18 authentic Shaker buildings, 22,000 examples of Shaker furniture and artifacts, as well as heritage farm animals and historic gardens. Tours, demonstrations, lectures, and a variety of activities for children and families are available, as well as the Village Harvest Café and Museum Store. The Discovery Room offers hands-on opportunities for kids of all ages to try their hand at chair seat weaving, working at a loom, trying on Shaker-style clothing or milking a life sized replica of a cow. Hancock Shaker Village celebrates its 50^th Anniversary as an outdoor history site in 2010, with additional programming, workshops, and family celebrations. For more information, call 413.443.0188 or visit www.hancockshakervillage.org.

The Mount, located in Lenox, Massachusetts, is the 50-acre National Historic Landmark estate of Pulitzer Prize winning author Edith Wharton. The Mount’s house and gardens were designed in 1902 by Wharton as a place to enjoy “country cares and joys.” The classic revival home and spacious gardens, which were created as a series of “outdoor rooms”, are an expression of the spirit of Edith Wharton and her architectural interests. A visit to The Mount will provide a glimpse of the life and lifestyle of this creative Berkshire County resident. The Mount is open daily from May 1^st through October 31^st. The Mount’s café on the terrace is open for lunch, wine, and other refreshments from early June through Labor Day. For more information, visit www.edithwharton.org.

Norman Rockwell Museum is located on 36 acres in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where Norman Rockwell spent the last 25 years of his life. The Museum houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of Rockwell art, an archive of the artist’s papers and effects, and Rockwell’s historic Stockbridge studio, open to visitors from May through October. Since its grassroots founding in 1969, it has become the country’s preeminent museum of American illustration art and the legacy of Norman Rockwell. Norman Rockwell Museum is open year-round: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. May through October, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. weekdays, (closed Tuesdays) November through April and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. weekends and holidays. For more information, call 413.298.4100 or visit www.nrm.org

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

Laura Wolf
Director of Marketing, Hancock Shaker Village
413.443.0188 x213
lwolf@hancockshakervillage.org

Norman Rockwell Museum Exhibition Examines American Culture Through Rockwell’s Original Fan Mail Correspondence

Published on 04 January 2010 by DHeck in Press Release - Current

“To Rockwell, With Love: Fan Mail and ‘The Saturday Evening Post’”
On view January 16 through May 16, 2010

Historical records are filled with references to well known people. Not until the 19th century, however, did the concept of celebrity explode in mass media. Unlike many other artists, Norman Rockwell was neither underappreciated nor unknown during his lifetime. As an illustrator for the widely disseminated “Saturday Evening Post,” Rockwell achieved celebrity status early, and his covers were so popular that thousands of readers felt comfortable enough to personally correspond with the artist about his work. A new exhibition offers a revealing look at the correspondence between Norman Rockwell and his public, and the cultural events which coincided with the artist’s work; “To Rockwell, With Love: Fan Mail and ‘The Saturday Evening Post,’” will be on view at Norman Rockwell Museum from January 16 through May 16, 2010.

In his autobiography “My Adventures as an Illustrator,” Norman Rockwell wrote that “fan mail is the only contact I have with the people I do covers for. It’s the only way I can gauge reaction to a cover… I thrive or conversely wither, according to public reaction to my work.”

Rockwell created illustrations for “The Saturday Evening Post” during six decades (1916 through 1963), and was featured on the magazine’s cover more than any other artist; he once remarked that “‘The Post’ was the greatest show window in America for an illustrator.” Rockwell’s pictures showcased both global and economic changes along with various private aspects of American life. “To Rockwell, With Love” exhibits 41 original tear sheets featuring the artist’s illustrations, along with a selection of actual letters written in response by “Saturday Evening Post” readers; the exhibition was made possible through ProjectNORMAN, the Museum’s ongoing digitization of the existing collection of Norman Rockwell’s reference materials and personal objects.

“As I began going through the general fan mail, it became apparent that there was nothing ordinary or general about them,” says Norman Rockwell Museum archivist Jessika Drmacich, who curated the exhibition. “These letters act as an extraordinary lens into American culture via one of the most circulated periodicals of the 20th century.”

Shifting cultural values, reform and the New Deal, World War II and the rise of national identity, the Baby Boom and the growth of the middle class, are some of the themes brought to life through image and word in the exhibition.

Illustrations and mail are presented in chronological order starting from the Jazz Age (1923) to the dawn of the 1960s, offering an enlightening look back on the American 20th century. Unlike many celebrities, Norman Rockwell read and categorized most of his fan correspondence, and “To Rockwell, With Love” presents the work and correspondence through such themes as the 1920s and 1930s; World War II; Post War; and Love. Digital reproductions of some of the artist’s more famous fan mail are also represented in the exhibition, alongside personal photos of such celebrities as Bing Crosby, Hedda Hopper, Richard Nixon, and Edward Kennedy.

“I am unable to stifle my admiration of your artistry in revealing deep human emotion, expectancy and high elation by a glance or look on the faces of your subjects,” wrote one reader from New South Wales, Australia, in 1955; “You cannot imagine the pleasure I get from the unhurried contemplation of your pictures.” Such letters make it clear that Norman Rockwell’s artistry was admired far and wide, and by a diverse group of readers; commenting on “The Golden Rule,” Rockwell’s humanitarian-themed April 1, 1961 cover for “The Saturday Evening Post,” a Buddhist Lama from New York City wrote, “I especially appreciate this picture which does speak from the heart to the heart better than all the political Summit Meetings…

may the spirit of art, understanding of human problems express itself upon your canvases in the future in this troubled atomic age…”