“Couriering reflects what registrar’s do best, which is to ensure the care, condition, and safety of artworks,” said Martin Mahoney, Collections Manager & Registrar. “When we unpack Norman Rockwell’s paintings at other museum sites, the enthusiasm of staff who have grown up with Rockwell images, but who may be seeing his original paintings for the first time, is palpable. This aspect of the experience is always rewarding and is just the beginning, since audiences expressing similar sentiments will soon follow.” After packing and loading artworks for travel, couriers “ride shot-gun in direct non-stop transit,” often for many hours until reaching their final destination. After unloading, unpacking, and checking the condition of each object, curatorial staff oversee the installation before heading back to Stockbridge to take on their next challenge. 

For detailed information about any of the Norman Rockwell Museum’s traveling exhibitions, please contact Mary Melius, Manager of Traveling Exhibitions, at 413-931-2245 or   mmelius @ nrm.org

Untitled (Fortune Teller at Thanksgiving), cover illustration for The New Yorker, November 30, 1992. (c)William Steig. All rights reserved.

I think I feel a little differently than other people do. For some reason I’ve never felt grown up. ―William Steig

William Steig: Love & Laughter explores the richness of the artist’s imagery―from his 1930s Small Fry series recalling the colorful Bronx neighborhood of his youth, New Yorker covers and cartoons, and symbolic drawings offering commentary on the human condition, to beloved picture books like Shrek!, the inspiration for blockbuster DreamWorks animated films. Love, laughter, and everyday life, emerge in intuitive drawings in which friends are giving and couples are loving, “just not every single minute.” An astute observer of the world around him, the acclaimed King of Cartoons was captivated by children and had a deep affection for cats, dogs, and every manner of creature, evident in hilarious scenarios inspired by his ongoing speculations about what they might be thinking and what they would say or do―if only given the chance.

Fee: $25,000 for a time period of eight to twelve weeks plus shipping and insurance
Contents: approx. 200 original artworks; artifacts, reference materials and personally significant objects; documentary and reference photographs
Insurance: all risk fine arts, wall to wall
Security: high, all works must be within sight of a trained security officer/staff member at all times during public hours
Environment: light level 18 to 22 foot candles for paintings and 5 to 7 foot candles for works on paper and other light restricted objects. Humidy 50% plus of minus 5% and temperature 68-72 degrees, no direct sunlight and no direct contact with light fixtures or heating, air conditioning, ventilation, or electrical outlets
Shipping: air ride, climate controlled
Space: 304.65 running feet or approx. 2588 square feet.

"No Swimming," Norman Rockwell. 1921. Oil on canvas, 25 1/2" x 22 1/4". Cover illustration for "The Saturday Evening Post," June 4, 1921. ©1921 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN. From the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum.

Dayton Art Institute; Dayton, Ohio
November 12, 2011 – February 5, 2012

Winnipeg Art Gallery; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; March 3, 2012 - May 20, 2012

Crocker Art Museum; Sacramento, California
November 10, 2012 – February 3, 2013

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; Bentonville, Arkansas
March 7, 2013 – June 2, 2013

One of the most popular American artists of the past century, Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) was a keen observer of human nature and a gifted storyteller. For nearly seven decades, while history was in the making all around him, Rockwell chronicled our changing society in the small details and nuanced scenes of ordinary people in everyday life, providing a personalized interpretation—albeit often an idealized one—of American identity. His depictions offered a reassuring visual haven during a time of momentous transformation as our country evolved into a complex, modern society. Rockwell’s contributions to our visual legacy, many of them now icons of American culture, have found a permanent place in our national psyche.

Huge Sale, Elwood H. Smith. Illustration for Barron’s, 2009. ©2009 Elwood H. Smith. All rights reserved.

—Elwood H. Smith

As a boy growing up in Alpena, Michigan, Elwood H. Smith loved comic books and early twentieth-century cartoon characters, particularly those drawn by George Herriman, the creator of Krazy Kat. Encouraged by his parents and his high school art teacher, Nancy Boyer-Feindt, he developed his drawing ability, taking the Famous Artists School cartoon correspondence course and attending art school at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. After working as an advertising art director in Chicago, illustration brought him to New York and his own comic style began to take form.

An acclaimed humorous illustrator, Smith is best known for his whimsical comic characters that lend pointed perspectives to the written word. His intelligent, inventive drawings have appeared on the covers and pages of Forbes, Fortune, Time, Newsweek, Bloomberg, GQ, Money, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, among other noted publications, and have enhanced the corporate profiles of Sony, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Pizza Hut, AT&T, McDonald’s, Cellular One, and Bell Atlantic. Stalling, Hot Diggity Dog, Catfish Kate and the Sweet Swamp Band, See How They Run, The Truth About Poop, Raise the Roof!, and Bug Muldoon are among his many illustrated children’s books. He has also enjoyed exploring the world of animation in creative productions like Kyoti Kapers, Little Green Monkey, and Sweet Dreams, which bring the artist’s drawings to life.

Fee: $12,000 for eight to twelve week exhibition period                 
Insurance: all risk fine arts, wall to wall
Contents: approximately 240 original artworks in 108 frames; introductory and biographical panels and object/extended identification labels; dvd
Security: high, all works must be within sight of a trained security officer/staff member at all times during public hours
Environment: light level -18 to 22 foot candles for paintings and 5 to 7 foot candles for works on paper and other light restricted objects; Humidity -50% plus or minus 5% and temperature 68 – 72 degrees, no direct sunlight and no direct contact with light fixtures or heating, air conditioning, ventilation, or electrical outlets
Space:  1800 square feet
Shipping: Air ride, climate controlled vehicle

"Girl Reading the Post" ©1941 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN Norman Rockwell Museum Digital Collections

An exhibition organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum

Louisiana State University Museum of Art, Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA November 17, 2012 – January 20, 2013

Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed. And perhaps, therefore, this is one function of the illustrator. He can show what has become so familiar that it is no longer noticed. The illustrator thus becomes a chronicler of his time.

—Norman Rockwell

In the minds of many people, The Saturday Evening Post and Norman Rockwell are synonymous. Americans, who lived through the rapid growth and change of the twentieth century, view the Rockwell covers as an identifiable and comfortable image of their life in the United States.

At the start of his career, Norman Rockwell’s secret ambition was to have his work published on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post. He viewed the Post as the greatest show window in America for an illustrator. Rockwell’s career with the Post lasted 47 years.

Fee: $16,000 for a time period of eight to twelve weeks, plus shipping & insurance

Contents: 323 original tear sheets (including one composite), 6 decade panels, 14 ½” x 11 ½” x 1 ¼” plus introductory and biographical panels 20” x 16” x 1 ¾” and photograph panels 19” x 15” x 1 ¾” with one no photography sign 14” x 11” 1 ¾”
Shipping: 6 crates, each crate weighs 325 pounds, dimensions 41” x 50” x 22” or 63” x 38 ½” x 25 ½” depending on availability and one box (approximately 40 pounds and 24 ¾” x 18 ¼” x 27”)
Insurance: Borrowers will be responsible for insuring the exhibition while it is in their care both during transportation and while on display.
Security: Moderate, security hardware required
Environment: Light level—10-foot candles, humidity—50% plus or minus 5%, no direct sunlight
Space: hang 4 up, 920 sq ft or 100 lf
Speaker: Available upon request. Fee, lodging and transportation costs additional

Character study of Scrat from "Ice Age" by Peter de Sève. n.d. Colored pencil on Dura-Lar paper. TM & ©Twentieth Century Fox Films Corporation. All rights reserved.

—Chris Wedge, Blue Sky Studios Founder and Director

Ice Age to the Digital Age takes a behind the scenes look at the world of digital animation with the artists of Blue Sky Studios, creators of the blockbuster films Robots, Ice Age and its popular sequels, and the recently released hit, Rio. Years in the making, their stunning animations bring artistry and technology together to transform visual concepts into believable, fantastical worlds for the big screen. From first conception to finished frame, this lively exhibition explores the revolutionary process of 3D animation through the eyes and achievements of a world-class creative team.

Fee: for an eight to twelve week period: $50,000

Contents: More than 250 Framed Objects relating to the creation of the animated films of Blue Sky Studios, including Ice Age (2002), Robots (2005), Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), and Rio (2011); artifacts that have inspired Blue Sky characters; life-size environmental recreations of the Blue Sky Sculpture Studio and the Lost Boys Animation Studio; four interactive drawing stations with light boxes; four digital interactive activity stations; seven video installations featuring the artists and directors of Blue Sky Studios discussing their art and their technical process; televisions with looped DVDs included; video installation highlighting the history of Blue Sky Studios and information relating to the animation process; projection equipment and screen, with character surround; plus panels and labels, including introductory and section panels, and object identification labels

Insurance:  All risk fine arts, wall to wall

Security:  High, all works must be within sight of a trained security officer/staff member at all times during public hours

Environment:  Light level 18 to 22 foot candles for paintings and 5 to 7 foot candles for works on paper and other light restricted objects, humidity 50% plus or minus 5% and temperature 68 to 72 degrees, no direct sunlight and no direct contact with light fixtures or heating, air conditioning, ventilation, or electrical outlets

Shipping: Exclusive use service with couriers

Space:  304.35 running feet or 2588.55 square feet

Reference photo for Norman Rockwell's "Boy in a Dining Car, 1946. Photo montage created by Ron Schick. Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, Niles, IL. From the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum.

Heritage Museums & Gardens, Sandwich, MA          May 5 – September 3, 2012

Vero Beach Museum of Art, FL                              October 13, 2012 – January 13, 2013

McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas                  June 5, 2013 – September 1, 2013

Photography has been a benevolent tool for artists from Thomas Eakins and Edgar Degas to David Hockney. And to illustrators, always on the lookout for better ways to meet deadlines, the camera has long been a natural ally. But the thousands of photographs Norman Rockwell created as studies for his iconic images are a case apart. A natural storyteller, Rockwell envisioned his narrative scenarios down to the smallest detail. Yet at the easel he was an absolute literalist, who rarely painted directly from his imagination.

From the beginning of his career Rockwell employed professional models, but in time the long hours of static poses impeded his evolving naturalism. Adopting photography in the late 1930’s, he began to call on friends and neighbors to model and bring new flesh-and-blood realism to his work. Their cooperative enthusiasm in front of the camera and unassuming tolerance for his demands enabled Rockwell to capture difficult poses and nuanced expressions more spontaneous than any professional model could deliver. Photography opened a door to the keenly observed authenticity that defines Norman Rockwell’s art. And for us today it is a revelation to discover that so many of his most memorable characters were, in fact, real people.

Curator and author Ron Schick is the first to undertake a frame-by-frame study of the Norman Rockwell Museum’s newly digitized photography archive, the product of a just-completed two-year “Save America’s Treasures” project that has preserved the artist’s archive of almost 20,000 negatives and made accessible the full range of the artist’s photography. The book Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera was published by Little, Brown and Company in 2009.

Fee: $50,000

Security: High, all works must be within sight of a trained security officer/staff member at all times during public hours.

Environment: Light level -18 to 22 foot candles for paintings and 5 to 7 foot candles for works on paper and other light restricted objects. Humidity -50% plus or minus 5% and temperature 68 – 72 degrees, no direct sunlight and no direct contact with light fixtures or heating, air conditioning, ventilation, or electrical outlets.