Norman Rockwell Museum
Announces January Programs and Events

Norman Rockwell Museum kicks off its 40th anniversary year in January with a diverse line-up of programs and events designed to appeal to audiences of all ages. Offerings include a special writing workshop, after-hours event for the twenty- and thirty-something crowd, and a new off-site exhibition celebrating Norman Rockwell's Stockbridge models.

Events

AfterHours@NRM
"Just for Laughs"
Thursday, January 15, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Kick-start your weekend with a lively evening of music, improv comedy, and caricatures, designed for the young and young-at-heart. Light complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. $8 Museum members; $15 non-members.

Workshops

"Writing from Life"
Sunday, January 11, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Join author and "upstreet" magazine editor Vivian Dorsel for a special workshop exploring ways to use your own experiences to inspire your writing. Bring your journals, letters, and other mementos, to stimulate your creative storytelling abilities. Beverages and snacks will be provided. $15 for Museum members, $25 for non-members. Registration required by January 5.

Art in Action
Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m.

Visit the Museum's Sunday afternoon drop-in art workshops this month for projects inspired by the art of Norman Rockwell and the exhibition "Over the Top: American Posters from World War I." Free for children. Adults free with Museum admission.

Talks

"Model Citizens"
Friday, January 2, 2:30 p.m.

Find out what it was like to pose for America's favorite illustrator from one of Norman Rockwell's own models. Free with Museum admission.

Tuesday Afternoon Gallery Talk
"Over Here: Winning World War I at Home"
Tuesday, January 13, 1:30 p.m.

Learn more about America's successful efforts during World War I, with William Cohn, visiting professor of American Studies, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut. This special gallery talk is being held in conjunction with the exhibition "Over the Top: American Posters from World War I." Free with Museum admission.

Exhibitions

"Over the Top: American Posters from World War I"
On view through January 25, 2009

View the inspiring series of illustrated posters that made an important and lasting contribution to America's successful war effort during World War I. Special tours of the exhibition will be held Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

"Norman Rockwell's Stockbridge Models:
A Norman Rockwell Museum Historic Preservation Project"
On view beginning January 14 Stockbridge Town Hall, Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Learn more about the faces behind the pictures in this special off-site exhibition of reference photos depicting Norman Rockwell's models in action. Free admission.

Admission Details

Norman Rockwell Museum is open daily. From November through April, general public admission is $15 for adults, $13.50 for seniors, $10 for college students, and free for visitors 18 and under (five per adult). Kids Free Every Day is a gift to families from Country Curtains, Blantyre, and The Red Lion Inn. This winter, the Museum welcomes visitors with free admission on Tuesdays. Weekday hours from November through April are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekend/holiday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Orientation talks are available daily, beginning on the hour. Antenna Audio Tour of select paintings from the Museum's permanent Norman Rockwell collection is available.

Norman Rockwell Museum
Announces Upcoming Events for December

Norman Rockwell Museum announces a lively series of events for the month of December. Activities include special holiday vacation week workshops for families, other family-friendly events, and a talk by noted illustrator Murray Tinkelman tied to our new exhibition, "Over the Top: American Posters from World War I." All events are free for children, and free for adults with regular Museum admission.

Family Events

"A Seasonal Sing-along for Families"
Saturday, December 6, 4 to 7 p.m.

Enjoy art-making, heart-warming treats, songs of celebration, and the wonder of Norman Rockwell's art. At 5 p.m., performance artist David Polansky will lead a seasonal sing-along with favorite songs from Chanukah and Christmas, and original music inspired by the season.

Holiday Week Art Making Workshops
Friday, December 26 through Wednesday, December 31, 1 to 4 p.m.

This festive week of drop-in art workshops will offer families the opportunity to unwind following the busy holiday season. All materials will be provided; bring your creativity.

Art in Action
Sundays, 1 to 4 p.m.

Visit the Museum's Sunday afternoon drop-in art workshops this month for projects inspired by the art of Norman Rockwell and the exhibition "Over the Top: American Posters from World War I."

Talks and Exhibitions

Tuesday Afternoon Gallery Talk
"Illustration of 1910-1920"
Tuesday, December 9, 1:30 p.m.

Learn about illustration created during the early twentieth century with professional illustrator Murray Tinkelman. This special gallery talk is being held in conjunction with the exhibition "Over the Top: American Posters from World War I."

New Exhibition
"Over the Top: American Posters from World War I"
On view through January 25, 2009

View the inspiring series of illustrated posters that made an important and lasting contribution to America's successful war effort during World War I.

Norman Rockwell Museum
Receives National Humanities Medal

Norman Rockwell Museum today received the National Humanities Medal, America’s highest recognition of work by individuals and institutions in the field of the humanities. It is one of nine recipients nationwide and the only museum among the winners.

The award was presented by President George W. Bush to Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director/CEO of Norman Rockwell Museum in a ceremony held today at the White House. In his citation, President Bush noted, “Norman Rockwell Museum is being recognized for studying and honoring the life, work, and ideals of an icon of American art. The museum has been the careful curator of the archives, illustrations, and benevolent spirit Norman Rockwell bequeathed to the nation.”

“I am delighted that the Norman Rockwell Museum has received the 2008 National Humanities Medal,” said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. “Norman Rockwell’s work is an essential part of American art and the 20th-century American experience, and the Museum’s work to preserve the legacy of this iconic American artist is truly deserving of this honor.”

“Norman Rockwell Museum is deeply honored to be the recipient of the National Humanities Medal,” said Ms. Norton Moffatt, who has served as director of the museum since 1986. “Norman Rockwell’s great gift was to capture on canvas our common humanity and crystallize universal feelings through his sensitive depictions of life’s fleeting moments. He was unsurpassed in illuminating the concerns and joys of everyday Americans. For 40 years, it has been the museum’s great pleasure to contribute to the field of American visual studies by exploring the art of Norman Rockwell and the illustrators who preceded and followed him.”

Fittingly, the medallion presented to Ms. Norton Moffatt at the White House was designed by illustrator and former medal winner David Macaulay—one of over 400 illustrators whose work has been presented by Norman Rockwell Museum.

National Humanities Medal

The National Humanities Medal, inaugurated in 1997, honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened Americans’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the field. Up to 12 medals can be awarded each year.

Other recipients of the 2008 National Humanities Medal include: Gabor S. Boritt, scholar and Civil War historian; Richard Brookhiser, biographer and historian; Harold Holzer, scholar and Civil War historian; Myron Magnet, journalist and author; Albert Marrin, children’s book author; Milton J. Rosenberg, radio show host and scholar; Thomas A. Saunders III and Jordan Horner Saunders, philanthropists; Robert H. Smith, philanthropist; and the John Templeton Foundation.

Past recipients of the National Humanities Medal include: Cynthia Ozick, John Updike, Fouad Ajami, Toni Morrison, Jim Lehrer, John Rawls, Barbara Kingsolver, Garrison Keillor, Studs Terkel, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Norman Rockwell Museum

Founded in 1969 with the help of Norman and Molly Rockwell, Norman Rockwell Museum is dedicated to education and art appreciation inspired by the enduring legacy of one of America’s greatest artists. The Museum houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of original Rockwell art, and presents the works of contemporary and past masters of illustration. The Norman Rockwell archive contains more than 200,000 photographs, letters, and other rare mementos.

Norman Rockwell Museum 40th Anniversary

In 2009, Norman Rockwell Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary. Since its founding in 1969, Norman Rockwell Museum has become the preeminent museum of American illustration art through research, publications, exhibitions and educational programming. During its anniversary, the Museum will be announcing initiatives central to the study and understanding of the art of illustration in American visual culture. In 2009, exhibitions curated by the Museum will be seen in 10 states across the nation, and the Museum’s Stockbridge campus will present its 100th exhibition and welcome its five millionth visitor.

Listen to coverage from WAMC.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/

http://www.neh.gov/news/archive/20081117a.html

Portrait Artist Everett Raymond
Kinstler To Speak at Norman Rockwell Museum

Norman Rockwell Museum will present an evening with renowned portrait artist Everett Raymond Kinstler on Saturday, November 22, starting at 5:30 p.m. Kinstler will talk about his illustrious career, which reflects an extraordinary personal journey through art. Among Kinstler's more than 1200 portraits are such well-known personalities as Tony Bennett, Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman and John Wayne; authors Arthur Miller, Ayn Rand, Tennessee Williams, and Tom Wolfe; and U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. The family event is free with regular Museum admission.

Everett Raymond Kinstler began his art career at age 16, drawing comic books and hundreds of book and magazine illustrations, as well as covers for paper back books. His illustrations for magazines, including "The Shadow" and "Doc Savage," had a great influence on the pop art school. He studied at the Art Students League, where he later taught from 1969 to 1974. Kinstler ultimately made the transition to portraitist, and soon established himself as one of the nation's foremost portrait painters. He has painted more than 50 cabinet officers, more than any artist in the country's history. In 1999, Kinstler received the Copley Medal from the Smithsonian, National Portrait Gallery, its highest honor. Kinstler is currently painting the official mayoral portrait of former NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. His work is featured in The National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Brooklyn Museum, among others.

Berkshire Sampler To
Be Held at Norman Rockwell Museum

Norman Rockwell Museum will present Berkshire Sampler, an afternoon celebrating the diversity of the Berkshires' cultural offerings, on Sunday, November 16, from 12 to 4 p.m. Organizations from across the county will join forces at Norman Rockwell Museum to offer a family-friendly cultural sampler of hands-on activities, performances, and demonstrations. The event is part of the Museum's ongoing family programming, and reflects the spirit of collaboration among area cultural institutions.

The day's activities begin with a performance from Berkshire Theatre Festival at noon, followed by a reading of local civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Dubois by the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail at 12:30 p.m. At 1 p.m., join the Stockbridge Library Historical Museum and Archives for a discussion on local living history, and enjoy a performance from Barrington Stage Company's Playwright Mentoring Program at 1:30 p.m. Sounds from the 18th and 19th century will fill the halls of the Museum with a performance by musical group Ampersand at 2 p.m., and the story of the Samuel Harrison House will unfold with a presentation by the Samuel Harrison Society at 3 p.m. Norman Rockwell Museum will offer in-gallery art activities throughout the day. Berkshire Sampler concludes with a reading of Edith Wharton courtesy of The Mount, the site of the late author's estate and gardens, at 3:30 p.m. Admission is free, with complimentary admission to the Museum for the afternoon.

Participating organizations for Berkshire Sampler include: Ampersand, Arrowhead/Berkshire Historical Society, Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Berkshire Carousel, Berkshire Creative, Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum, Berkshire Theatre Fetival, Bidwell House, Chester Train Station, The Friends of the National Archives (Northeast Region- Pittsfield, MA), Hancock Shaker Village, IS183, Jacobąs Pillow, MCLA Special Events, The Mount, Samuel Harrison House, Sheffield Historical Society, Stockbridge Library Historical Museum and Archives, Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail, and Word Street.

Norman Rockwell Museum
To Offer Free Tuesday Admission

Looking for a little uplift in tough economic times? Visit Norman Rockwell Museum to see compelling paintings of family, community, and democracy. Best of all, admission is now free on Tuesdays from November through April.

“We extend a warm welcome to all of our friends in the Berkshires and beyond,” says Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director/CEO of Norman Rockwell Museum. “Going into 2009, the Museum’s 40th anniversary year, we have an exciting line-up of programs and exhibitions that offers something for everyone, new and returning visitors alike. We want everyone to be able to enjoy these offerings.”

Norman Rockwell Museum’s Free Tuesdays program kicks off on Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11, during the opening week of the new exhibition Over the Top: American Posters from World War I. Also that week, the Museum is launching Tuesday Afternoon Gallery Talks, a monthly series of free talks by curators, artists, and guest speakers inspired by the changing exhibition on view. On November 11 at 1:30 p.m., Rob Doane, historian and assistant registrar at Norman Rockwell Museum, speaks on Norman Rockwell and the American Homefront, 1917–1919.

Free Tuesdays complements the Museum’s year-round Kids Free Every Day program, offering free admission to youth 18 and under, courtesy of Country Curtains, Blantyre, and the Red Lion Inn. Museum members enjoy free admission year-round, plus special invitations, offers, and Museum Store discounts.

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Illustration as Call to Action
At the Norman Rockwell Museum
"Over the Top: American Posters from World War I"
On View November 8, 2008 through January 25, 2009

Joan of Arc raises her sword. "Joan of Arc Saved France. Women of America, Save Your Country," reads the poster that bears her image. A stern-faced Statue of Liberty clutches the flame of freedom and points her finger: "You Buy a Liberty Bond Lest I Perish." Another poster bears a drawing of a helmeted soldier charging forward, head back, mouth open, gripping an American flag. "Over the Top for You," the poster reads.

These and dozens of other stunning images are on display at Norman Rockwell Museum in a new exhibition of illustrated posters from the First World War. Over the Top: American Posters from World War I opens on November 8, 2008, and runs through January 25, 2009. This timely exhibition explores the role of illustrated images in rallying Americans to the cause, and shaping public perceptions of the war.

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Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO
Presents Paper at NEH Conference

Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director/CEO of Norman Rockwell Museum, presented a paper today at a Washington, D.C. conference sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the largest funder of humanities programs in the United States, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) of the United Kingdom. The conference, called “Picturing the Nation,” brought together U.S. and U.K. scholars around the topic of national art and identity. Norton Moffatt was the sole speaker representing a U.S. museum.

In a talk titled “Chronicling America: The Art of Norman Rockwell,” Norton Moffatt argued that illustration art and, in particular, the work of Norman Rockwell, has played a crucial role in forging American identity. “Norman Rockwell’s art profoundly shaped American culture by creating common identity through images of what it meant to be American during seven decades during the 20th century,” Norton Moffatt noted in her talk. “His work helped to create a sense of national identity and shared heritage among widely disparate groups of individuals of differing backgrounds and immigrant cultures. Before the advent of television in American households, millions of viewers were exposed to Rockwell’s images through the Saturday Evening Post and other journals. The power of the visual image to create identity—to brand and market iconography—was pervasive.”

Today’s conference complements both cultural agencies’ special arts initiatives currently in progress. NEH’s “Picturing America” initiative brings great American art to schools and public libraries to help citizens learn about the people, events, and ideas that have shaped our nation’s history. Freedom of Speech, from Rockwell’s iconic Four Freedoms series in the collection of Norman Rockwell Museum, was one of 40 images chosen for “Picturing America.”

The joint NEH-AHRC conference ended with a memorandum of understanding for scholarly research and collaboration between the two nations.

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More news on Norman Rockwell Museum and the NEH.