Photo of Susan LeRoy Merrill. Courtesy: Daisy Rockwell.
Susan LeRoy Merrill
June 4, 1942 – October 24, 2017
I share with you the passing of Susan LeRoy Merrill, artist, author, vibrant spirit, and mother of trustee Daisy Rockwell. Susan is also survived and cherished by beloved husband Carl Sprague, son Ruslan and daughter Elena, son-in-law, Aaron, granddaughter Serafina, and Rockwell family members. Susan taught us so very much about living, with joy and panache, about dying with dignity and gratitude for a life fully lived, and about letting go with grace. She created her last days this summer as she wished to live, painting, surrounded by friends, family and her beloved Corgis. Her art brought much joy and taught us to look at the natural world around us, the world of animals, and even bugs! Her children’s book, I Live in Stockbridge, still available through the Museum, is a personal walk through a town she loved and where she raised her family. There are many chapters to share about Susan’s life, but none is more beautiful than the eulogy her daughter Daisy wrote below. Our hearts go out to Daisy, Carl, all of Susan’s family and many friends.
~ Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director/CEO, Norman Rockwell Museum
Susan Merrill, “The Swing.” 38.5″ x 27.5″. Acrylic on canvas. ©Susan Merrill.
“When my mother called me in early June and told me she’d been diagnosed with a glioblastoma and only had three months to live, she immediately launched into a description of her plans for her remaining days: most notably, she must complete a series of 12 small paintings of bugs beneficial to gardeners before she died. The tumor had started in the communication section of her brain, but did not affect her ability to paint until the end, and she was able to complete her paintings in record time. As her usual exceptional communication abilities began to deteriorate over the summer, she taught us many precious lessons about embracing life and accepting death. It was a summer of charades, drawings, diagrams and laughter over the amazing-sounding unrecognizable words and sounds that came out of her mouth. Only at the end, when she could no longer write or draw, and nearly all her words were unrecognizable, did she show signs of frustration and sadness. The end came mercifully swiftly, and she died last night in her favorite room of her favorite house, surrounded by beloved humans and corgis in a shower of Bach by a roaring fire. We will all carry with us her color, her humor, her word play and her way of re-inventing the world through the power of creative imagination.
Some of her paintings and prints of her bug series are available at her Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/SusanMerrillPainting. Funds raised will help defray medical and other costs accumulated by her household during this difficult period.” ~ Daisy Rockwell
NRM and Berkshire Immigrant Center host Naturalization Ceremony Celebrating New American Citizens
Stockbridge, MA – October 28, 2024 – Norman Rockwell Museum served as a fitting backdrop for a naturalization ceremony held in the Museum’s galleries. In a standing-room-only event, 28 individuals from 20 different countries, including Bhutan, Brazil, El Salvador, Haiti, Iraq, Liberia, Russia, Ukraine, and other nations, took the solemn Oath of Allegiance, officially becoming citizens of the United States.
The Berkshire Eagle features “Unity Project”
STOCKBRIDGE — As the 2024 election season enters its final moments, you can inspire friends, family, neighbors and strangers to cast a ballot with one of six digital get-the-vote-out campaign posters courtesy of The Unity Project 2024.
Rural Intelligence Reviews “Anita Kunz: Original Sisters”
History pop quiz: Can you name the leader of the largest pirate fleet in history? Who was the first person to fly solo, non-stop, from England to North America, a more difficult trip than Charles Lindbergh’s eastbound flight? What about the youngest playwright to win a New York Drama Critics’ Circle award, or the author of the first English language autobiography? The feats themselves may be entirely unknown to you, and the commonality between each may surprise you: All of these individuals were women. No, it isn’t Women’s History Month. Not yet...
NRM presents a rare series of Edison Mazda Lamps advertising illustrations by Rockwell, Parrish, Wyeth, and other Golden Age artists
Stockbridge, Mass.––October 17, 2024––Norman Rockwell Museum is honored to present Illustrators of Light: Rockwell, Wyeth, and Parrish from the Edison Mazda Collection, an exhibition featuring a rare series of paintings created to illustrate early twentieth-century lighting advertisements. This special exhibition highlights the artworks of Rockwell and fellow Golden Age illustrators Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, Dean Cornwell, Stanley Arthurs, Worth Brehm, and Charles Chambers. On view from November 23, 2024, through January 4, 2026, Illustrators of Light: The Edison Mazda Collection celebrates the innovative spirit of Edison Mazda Lamps (a division of General Electric) through luminous artworks exalting the warmth and impact of incandescent light. Sixteen original works, including eight by Rockwell, are on loan for the first time through the generosity of GE Aerospace and were previously displayed privately at Nela Park, the headquarters for General Electrics Lighting division in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Daily Heller features “Anita Kunz: Original Sisters”
Toronto-based Anita Kunz has employed a distinct contemporary classical style of painting to create some caustic caricature and satire of the late 20th and 21st centuries (though to see her, you wouldn’t know she’s been working as long as she has). Her assignments as an editorial illustrator, however, like many of her generation, have not been consistent. So, she’s turned inward and outward to find inspiration for current projects.
NRM Welcomes New Board Members and Colleagues
Stockbridge, MA – October 10, 2024 – Norman Rockwell Museum (NRM) is pleased to announce several key appointments to its staff and Board of Directors, enhancing the Museum’s commitment to illuminating the power of American illustration art. "We are thrilled to welcome these talented and arts-forward individuals to our Board and team," said Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt. "Their diverse backgrounds and their innate passion for bringing together art narratives and creative equity will advance and enhance our mission." Board Members Katherine Bergeron and Randy Grimmett, and staff members Russell Lord, Cody Baffuto, and Riley Andersen join a vibrant community dedicated to preserving the original art of America’s best-loved artist and serve as caretakers of a unique cultural legacy.