FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2024

Stockbridge, Mass.—February 22, 2024—Norman Rockwell Museum announces the launch of Imagining Freedom, an interactive virtual exhibition that explores the history, artistic interpretations, and contemporary resonance of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s concept of four basic human rights, the Four Freedoms. The exhibition highlights the important role of Norman Rockwell and other artists in advancing and communicating these ideals, envisioned as core human rights for all people. The launch of this new virtual exhibition coincides with the 80th anniversary of the publication of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms portrayals in The Saturday Evening Post.

Imagining Freedom is Norman Rockwell Museum’s first immersive virtual exhibition. It is based on the Museum’s well-received traveling exhibition, Norman Rockwell: Imagining Freedom, which toured six cities in the US and France between 2017 and 2020 before returning to Stockbridge. Offered as a digital experience, Imagining Freedom gives viewers access to a wider range of rich content drawn from the Museum’s collections and archives, as well as offering new and compelling ways to engage with primary source materials.

“Viewing original artworks in person is an unforgettable experience, virtual exhibitions can foster even deeper and more sustained engagement with museum collections,” observed Rich Bradway, Norman Rockwell Museum’s Digital Innovation Officer, who has developed numerous digital learning initiatives at the Museum in recent years. “Imagine zooming in on the fine details of Rockwell’s meticulously painted works—closer than you could ever get in person.”

Imagining Freedom brings together over 400 artworks and objects organized into eight chronological and thematic galleries (see Exhibition Overview below) that can be browsed in an immersive 360-degree environment. Each individual artwork and object can be clicked to bring up a selection of additional materials, including audio and video content, reference photographs and studies, interviews, historical documents, letters, and artists’ statements. “We are excited to launch this virtual exhibition with at least six hours of content for students, teachers, and the general public to explore—more than three times as much as the original physical exhibition,” said Bradway.

Norman Rockwell Museum has seen its online audience grow substantially in the past ten years, to about two million online visitors annually. As digital audiences trend younger and more geographically diverse, virtual exhibitions and other online experiences serve the Museum’s important goal of increasing public access to its content and collections. “Norman Rockwell is a national treasure. Broadening the reach and impact of our Museum collections is a cherished priority for Norman Rockwell Museum. Thirty years ago, we began sharing our collections and exhibitions with museums across the nation and abroad, reaching more than 10 million viewers who may never have the opportunity to visit Stockbridge. We are now journeying in the virtual world—inviting viewers across the globe to access the powerful imagery and messages of Imagining Freedom, at a moment in time when freedom is vulnerable for many,” said Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt. “There will be more virtual exhibitions to come.”

In March, the Museum will launch a virtual field trip experience for K-12 students and educators. The virtual field trip has been designed to help teachers integrate Imagining Freedom into their classroom. Through the virtual tour experience, students can explore a curated selection of works of art on a theme that speaks to classroom curriculum.  Materials designed specifically for teachers will support learning through art in the classroom, including lesson plans that align with content standards, questions to spark guided discussion, and in-class activities to deepen learning.

The fee for accessing Imagining Freedom is $5 for the general public, available on the Museum’s website at NRM.org.

Exhibition Overview

Imagining Freedom is organized into galleries that online visitors may explore at their own pace. Gallery contents include artworks and objects that contextualize the history of FDR’s Four Freedoms; Rockwell’s paintings of these freedoms and other iconic works; contemporary visions of freedom and democracy; and paintings that update Rockwell’s works for the 21st century.

History and Significance of the Four Freedoms

Several chronologically ordered galleries immerse visitors in the history and artistic response of the Depression Era and World War II, with an emphasis on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms. These essential freedoms were first introduced in his 1941 address to Congress as rallying points for Americans in the global fight against fascism. The freedoms Roosevelt enumerated were Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. These ideas took hold with the public after a federal program invited artists to bring the freedoms to life in ways everyone could understand.

In 1942, Norman Rockwell decided to contribute to the war effort by illustrating the Four Freedoms. After grappling with the elevated subject matter, Rockwell portrayed these ideals using everyday scenes as his guide. His paintings were a phenomenal success. First published in The Saturday Evening Post, Rockwell’s Four Freedoms were featured on posters and prints to sell war bonds and stamps in a hugely successful publicity campaign that included a 16-city tour of the original paintings. Rockwell’s vision continues to resonate and inspire people today.

Rockwell in the Civil Rights Era

A gallery examines Rockwell’s turn toward socially conscious work during the Civil Rights Era. Paintings on display include The Problem We All Live With (1965), Murder in Mississippi (1965) and New Kids in the Neighborhood (1967). A spotlight gallery devoted to Murder in Mississippi shows Rockwell responding to contemporary events in a new way and embracing a starker, monochromatic painting style.

Contemporary Artists on Freedom

A gallery in two parts presents a selection of striking artworks by contemporary artists on the themes of freedom and democracy. These works were created by invitation in response to two questions from the exhibition’s curators: How might the notions of Four Freedoms be reinterpreted for our times? What does freedom look like today?

Other Contemporary Visions

An additional gallery presents other contemporary artists whose work is linked to Rockwell and concepts of democratic freedom. Artist Pops Peterson’s “Reinventing Rockwell” project updates the Four Freedoms and other iconic Rockwell paintings with contemporary characters and scenes. The Unity Project, a nonpartisan “get out the vote” campaign organized by Norman Rockwell Museum in 2020, showcases six artists’ dynamic illustrations commissioned to promote civic engagement and voter participation to exercise the right to vote.

About Norman Rockwell Museum

Norman Rockwell Museum illuminates the power of American illustration art to reflect and shape society, and advances the enduring values of kindness, respect, and social equity portrayed by Norman Rockwell. A comprehensive resource relating to Norman Rockwell and the art of illustration, American visual culture, and the role of published imagery in society, the Museum holds the world’s largest and most significant collection of art and archival materials relating to Rockwell’s life and work, while also preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting a growing collection of art by other American illustrators throughout history. The Museum engages diverse audiences through onsite and traveling exhibitions, as well as publications, arts, and humanities programs, including the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies, and comprehensive online resources.

NRM is open year-round, six days a week; closed Wednesdays. Admission is charged, Free for Kids & Teens. For details, visit the Museum online at www.NRM.org.

PRESS CONTACTS:

Margit Hotchkiss, Chief Marketing Officer
presscontact@nrm.org; 413.931.2240

Audrey Hackett, PR Counsel
ayhackett@gmail.com

Images, private press link to virtual exhibition, and interviews available upon request.