FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2025

Stockbridge, MA, February 6, 2025 – Norman Rockwell Museum is excited to announce the opening of a new exhibition, All for Laughs: The Artists of the Famous Cartoonist Course, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. The exhibition, which will run through June 15, 2025, explores the creative genius behind the Famous Artists Cartoonist Course, an influential mid-century training program that shaped generations of cartoonists and contributed to the golden age of American humor.

The Famous Artists Cartoonist Course, launched in 1956 by the Famous Artists School, was a groundbreaking correspondence course designed to teach aspiring cartoonists the tricks of the trade. With lessons written by some of the most renowned artists of the time, including Rube Goldberg, Al Capp, Milton Caniff, and Dick Cavalli, the course helped chart the path for future generations of comic artists. The course’s curriculum was designed to instill both the technical fundamentals and the joy of creating art for a mass audience, encouraging students to have fun with their craft—a philosophy that continues to resonate with today’s creators.

“Comic strips, gag cartoons, and humorous drawings have been widely appreciated by audiences across time and media outlets. During the twentieth century, the prospects for enthusiastic, well-trained comic artists appeared to be limitless,” said Norman Rockwell Museum Chief Curator Stephanie Haboush Plunkett. “We are honored to showcase the Museum’s outstanding collection of original artworks by the nation’s top cartoonists – the founding creators of the Famous Artists Cartoon Course who encouraged aspiring artists to hone their craft and pursue their dreams.”

Responding to public interest, the Famous Artists Cartoon Course was an outgrowth of the successful Famous Artists School’s commercial and fine art correspondence courses that were established in 1948, in Westport, CT.

The exhibition brings together a diverse selection of more than 75 works, including original process and finished artworks from the Permanent Illustration Collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum. These pieces offer a unique glimpse into the methods and creative approaches of the course’s contributing artists, whose legacy continues to influence cartooning today. Highlights include works from comic legends like Rube Goldberg, Al Capp, Willard Mullins, Virgil Partch, Whitney Darrow Jr., Harry Haenigsen, and Barney Tobey, who brought their unique perspectives and abilities to bear in the Famous Artists Cartoonist Course.

The program consisted of 24 distinct lessons, each with a focused theme, from The Comic Figure to Anatomy and Perspective. Each lesson was accompanied by an assignment that students were asked to complete and submit for assessment.

“Although the founding cartoonists did little actual teaching or critiquing of student work — tasks delegated to the course’s staff artists – they did develop curriculum and left behind a trove of their own work,” said Plunkett. “The attitude of these prominent cartoonists towards their students was straightforward: ‘Whatever your reason for taking this course, have fun with it! Successful cartoonists enjoy their job. You can’t create a funny drawing if you don’t enjoy creating it.”

All for Laughs will also feature a dynamic video component that delves into the history of the Famous Artists Cartoonist Course, with commentary and reflections from contemporary cartoonists and illustrators Emily Flake, Brian Hess, Louis Henry Mitchell, Marc Rosenthal, and Elwood Smith. These modern-day creators provide insights into the value and influence of the course and recreate some of its lessons in their own way.

Generously donated by Magdalen and Robert Livesey of Cortina Learning International, the most recent owners of the Famous Artists School, this selection of process and finished artworks from the Permanent Illustration Collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum offers insights into the creative and technical brilliance of the founding artists of the Famous Artists Cartoonist Course, whose influence endures today.

Lead exhibition sponsorship provided by the Sordoni Foundation, Inc.

Opening Programs

Can You Draw This? Educating America’s Cartoon and Comic Artists
Saturday, March 1, 4 – 5 pm

Join award-winning illustrator Ryan Hartley Smith and NRM Chief Curator Stephanie Haboush Plunkett for a lively talk about the art of cartoons and comics. The discussion will focus on the dramatic evolution of the field and the resulting changes in how cartooning is taught —  from the introduction of the popular Famous Artists Cartoon Course, in 1956, to the diverse stylistic and storytelling approaches of our time. Hartley Smith will illuminate cartooning’s rich history and lead participants through hands-on exercises with cartoon art—no drawing experience required! $25, includes admission; free for Members.

All for Laughs Exhibition Opening Members Reception
Saturday, March 1, 5 – 7 pm

Celebrate the new exhibition, All for Laughs: The Artists of the Famous Cartoonist Course with light refreshments and conversation in the galleries with cartoonists/illustrators Elwood Smithand Marc Rosenthal, and Famous Artists School owner Magdalen Livesey. Free for Members.

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
ndupont@nrm.org

Images and interviews available upon request