Former First Lady Laura Bush To Present Award To Illustrator Jerry Pinkney at Norman Rockwell Museum
Photo of artist Jerry Pinkney in his Croton-On-Hudson studio. ©Norman Rockwell Museum.
Media may RSVP to presscontact@nrm.org.
Please provide your full name, date of birth, social security number, and equipment list. Media must RSVP by June 15 at 6 p.m.
Stockbridge, MA, June 7, 2016—Norman Rockwell Museum will recognize the important role that illustration has had on the lives of children, during its annual summer celebration to be held at the Museum on Friday, June 17, starting at 6 p.m. Special guest, acclaimed children’s book illustrator Jerry Pinkney will be presented with the Museum’s Artist Laureate Award during the evening event.
A former teacher and librarian who has been involved with major education initiatives throughout her life, Mrs. Bush once remarked that “a love of books, of holding a book, turning its pages, looking at its pictures, and living its fascinating stories goes hand-in-hand with a love of learning.” In December of 2001, the former First Lady called on Jerry Pinkney to provide illustrations for the “Home for the Holidays” display at the White House.
The June 17 Gala will begin at 6 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and a special preview of the new exhibition, Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World, with live music to be provided by Eli and the Hot Four. At 7 p.m., guests are invited to dinner on the Museum’s terrace, with an honoring of Mr. Pinkney to follow. A live auction will be held during the evening to benefit Norman Rockwell Museum’s education programs.
A limited number of tickets to attend the Gala are still available at the following prices: $10,000 (benefactor), $5,000 (patron), $2,500 (supporter), $1,000 (contributor), $500 (individual contributor), and $250 (gold star). For more information and to RSVP, contact the Museum at bgirvan@nrm.org or 413-931-2264. Click here for more details on the event.
Jerry Pinkney’s art has captivated the imaginations of readers throughout the world. The illustrator of more than 100 children’s books, he has earned the field’s highest honors, including the Caldecott Medal, Caldecott Honor Medals, and Coretta Scott King Awards. Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney was organized by Norman Rockwell Museum in 2010, going on to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, High Museum of Art, and the African American Museum in Dallas, among others. Imaginings, the Museum’s current exhibition of the artist’s work, is now on national tour.
The Artist Laureate Award honors the contributions of outstanding visual artists whose exceptional dedication to Norman Rockwell Museum and its mission have guided and advanced the work of the institution…
On view June 17 through October 30, 2016
Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World
Explore the schism between realist and abstract art, which relegated narrative painting—and especially illustration—to a lesser status in mid-twentieth century America. This fractured history will be examined through the work of noted artists, including Bo Bartlett, Robert Cottingham, Eric Fortsmann, Ralph Goings, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Alice Neel, Barbara Nessim, Robert Rauschenberg, Norman Rockwell, David Salle, Andy Warhol, Andrew Wyeth, Jamie Wyeth, and others.