NRM Announces 2025 Exhibitions and Program Highlights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Norman Rockwell Museum Announces 2025 Exhibitions and Program Highlights

Stockbridge, Mass. – December 19, 2024 – Norman Rockwell Museum announces today, the 2025 lineup of exhibitions, and highlights some key events and programs in the coming year. Continuing its focus on the breadth of American illustration art, the Museum offers three major exhibition opportunities, and three collection highlight installations. Visitors can explore diverse eras and forms of visual storytelling, including classic works by Rockwell, intricate photographic illustrations by Walter Wick, narrative portraits of notable women by Anita Kunz, cartoon art by the legendary artists of the Famous Cartoonist Course, and the striking published art of the Jazz Age

Norman Rockwell: Home for the Holidays
On view through February 23, 2025

This heartwarming exhibition features a collection of the artist’s iconic holiday-themed works celebrating the wonder of the holidays. Rockwell’s masterful storytelling captures the spirit of American life and the nostalgia of family gatherings, festive traditions, and togetherness.

Anita Kunz: Original Sisters, Portraits of Tenacity and Courage
On view through May 26, 2025

Illustrator Anita Kunz’s Original Sisters exhibition shines a light on changemaking women, both celebrated and overlooked in history. Featuring 285 powerful portraits from Kunz’s Original Sisters Project, this exhibition showcases trailblazing women who have made significant contributions to society, with three portraits specially commissioned to portray notable Berkshire figures.

Illustrators of Light: Rockwell, Wyeth, and Parrish from the Edison Mazda Collection
On view through January 4, 2026

On view to the public for the first time ever, a rare collection of original paintings created for lighting advertisements in the 1920s by Norman Rockwell and fellow illustrators including Maxfield Parrish and N.C. Wyeth. These luminous works were commissioned for Edison Mazda Lamps, a division of General Electric.

All for Laughs: The Artists of the Famous Cartoonist Course
March 1 through June 15, 2025

Discover the wit and humor of legendary cartoonists of the mid-century Famous Cartoonist Course, including Al Capp, Barney Tobey, Rube Goldberg, Willard Mullin, and more. The educational and artistic legacy of the influential correspondence course that taught aspiring artists the art of visual humor will be explored.
Sponsored by Sordoni Foundation, Inc.

2015.116.9, City Blocks from I SPY Fantasy,1994

I Spy: Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders
June 7 through October 26, 2025

Explore the captivating world of Walter Wick, the acclaimed photographer and creator of the I Spy and Hidden Wonders book series, among many others. With a career spanning over 50 years, Wick combines artistry, technical innovation, and mind-bending visual puzzles in his art. The exhibition will showcase his iconic photographic illustrations and sets, featuring miniature worlds, optical illusions, and more.

This exhibition is organized by the New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut in partnership with the artist, Walter Wick. I SPY:Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders! is made possible by The Saunders Foundation and the Cheryl Chase and Stuart Bear Family Foundation.

Hidden Worlds & Wonders: Outdoor Sculpture Show
July 12 through October 26, 2025

Join us for a juried exhibition of contemporary sculpture and installation art, displayed across the Museum’s picturesque 36-acre campus. Hidden Worlds & Wonders will invite artists to explore themes of imagination, perception, and discovery.

Jazz Age Illustration
November 8, 2025 through April 6, 2026

Step back into the vibrant world of the 1920s and 1930s with Jazz Age Illustration, a major exhibition exploring the art of popular illustration during this transformative American era. Featuring over 100 works by renowned artists such as Aaron Douglas, John Held Jr., and Frank E. Schoonover, the exhibition delves into the cultural impact of illustration during a time of dramatic social change.
Jazz Age Illustration is organized by the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, Delaware.

Coming Soon…

SUMMER 2026 / America’s 250th!

Norman Rockwell Museum presents an exhibition celebrating the United States semi-quincentennial featuring more than 100 iconic works that explore themes related to America’s legacy and promise. Anchored by the work of Norman Rockwell, exhibit themes will explore facets of history, culture, and art through illustration, the most democratic and far-reaching art form. The exhibition includes historic masterworks and a selection of thought-provoking responses by contemporary visual and performing artists who have expanded American storytelling traditions. On view in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in Summer, 2026 and traveling to an additional venue in the Fall.

Special Programs and Events

In addition to its exciting exhibitions, the Museum is pleased to offer a range of engaging family programs, educational tours, and special events throughout 2025:

Be a “World Changer” Family Programs
December 23 – 28, 2024 (except December 24 & 25)
Celebrate the contributions of trailblazing women in Anita Kunz’s exhibition with artmaking, storytelling, and gallery activities. Families will be inspired to create self-portraits and learn about historical figures who changed the world.

MLK Weekend
January 18-20, 2025
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Museum will offer special programs focused on civil rights, social justice, and activism. Family gallery talks and guided tours will highlight the contributions of civil rights heroes, with a special focus on the artwork of Norman Rockwell.

Warm up Family Programs
February 17 – 21st (except February 19th)
When the temperature drops, there is no better place to warm up than at Norman Rockwell Museum. Join us this week for special, family-focused programs including artmaking and gallery tours just for kids. Free with admission. Kids are always free.

All for Laughs: The Artists of the Famous Cartoonist School Exhibition Opening
Saturday, March 1
Join NRM curators for a first look at humorous works that both reflect the era they were created in and those that still resonate in our present day. Program and event details TBA.

Readings at Rockwell: A Literary Collaboration with The Mount
March – May 2025
Join us for Readings at Rockwell, a partnership with The Mount, featuring performances of stories by Shirley Jackson, Toni Morrison, and Edith Wharton. These readings will celebrate the powerful voices of these influential authors and their connection to Anita Kunz’s Original Sisters exhibition.

Mother’s Day Event with Anita Kunz
May 11, 2025
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a special event featuring Anita Kunz, where visitors can engage with the artist behind the Original Sisters exhibition, hear her insights, and create their own artistic tributes to influential women.

I SPY a Party!
Saturday June 7, 2025
Celebrate the opening of the summer’s exciting and whimsical new exhibition I SPY: The Hidden Wonders of Walter Wick. Further details TBA.

7th Annual Art of Brewing Festival
Saturday August 16
Returning for its 7th year, the annual Art of Brewing Festival offers guests a chance to sample the best craft brews in the region. Spend an afternoon with friends and families all while sampling local and regional beer, wine, cider, distilled drinks, and even coffee! Enjoy delicious food from local eateries and start a friendly competition with some lawn games. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and relax on a perfect Berkshire summer day. Plus, you’ll have an opportunity to see the incredible art that you find on all your favorite beverages and talk to some of the artists!

Jazz Age Illustration Exhibition Opening
November 8, 2025
Kick off the Jazz Age Illustration exhibition with an exciting opening event. Discover the stories behind the iconic illustrations of the Roaring Twenties and experience the cultural vibrancy of this dynamic era.

Family Gallery Tours & Artmaking Activities
Throughout 2025
The Museum offers family-friendly gallery tours and hands-on art making activities, including interactive discussions and special art projects related to ongoing exhibitions.

Tickets and More Information
For a full list of exhibitions, programs, and events, as well as ticket information, visit the Norman Rockwell Museum’s website at www.NRM.org.

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

Nichole Dupont, PR Counsel
nicholechaneldupont@gmail.com

Images and interviews available upon request

Image Credits:

Norman Rockwell, Happy New Year, 1945. Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, December 29, 1945. Norman Rockwell Museum Collection.

Norman Rockwell, All’s Right Says the Light–Sweethearts, 1922. Advertising illustration for Edison Mazda Lamps. Oil on canvas. Collection of GE Aerospace.

Barney Tobey, As long as there are people around – I’ll have cartoon material, 1956. Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, Robert E. Livesey/Famous Artist School Collection, NRM.2014.02.4384

Walter Wick, City Blocks from I SPY Fantasy, 1994. Pigmented inkjet photograph. Gift of Walter Wick and Linda Cheverton Wick. 2015.116.9LIC

Walter Wick, Clouds from I SPY Fantasy, 2021. Pigmented inkjet photograph. Gift of Walter Wick and Linda Cheverton Wick. 2024.5.28

Jay Jackson, Etta Moten Barnett Dancing, c.1940. Illustration for American Negro Exposition, 1940. Watercolor, ink, and charcoal on paper. Delaware Art Museum, Acquisition Fund, 2022. ©Estate of Jay Paul Jackson.

Norman Rockwell Museum Announces 2025 Exhibitions and Program Highlights

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