Norman Rockwell: Murder in Mississippi
In 1964, after The Problem We All Live With ran in Look magazine, Norman Rockwell received many letters criticizing his choice of subject, but irate opinions did not stop him from pursuing his course. In the 1965 painting Murder in Mississippi, he illustrated the Philadelphia, Mississippi, slaying of civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney. The anatomy of this particular work illuminates Rockwell’s process. Veering from his habit of working on five or six projects at a time, Rockwell ignored other commissions. The result was an intensive five-week session in which he produced charcoal preliminaries, an oil color study, and the large final painting.
Remembering Mississippi
Saturday, June 21, marks the 50th anniversary of the 1964 slaying of civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney in Philadelphia, Mississippi—a pivotal moment in America’s Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In the beginning of 1965, Norman Rockwell embarked on an intensive five-week session to illustrate the tragic news story that took place during 1964’s Freedom Summer, ignoring other commissions in the process—the result was one of his most intense works.
New Perspectives: The Problem We All Live With
A New View of Norman Rockwell's "The Problem We All Live With" By Devan Casey, Museum Intern When you walk into the main gallery at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts you see a collection of Rockwell’s world famous and carefree illustrations depicting small town America. For me one wall in this gallery does not seem to fit in with the light hearted theme. The two paintings have a serious tone case upon them−not Mr. Rockwell’s usual style. I found myself face to face with murder, hate, and Norman Rockwell’s more controversial paintings. These two images are Murder in Mississippi (1965) and The Problem We All Live With (1964).
Imagining Freedom to Launch at NRM.org
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.
Exhibition Opens – Norman Rockwell: Imagining Freedom
Returning to Stockbridge following a six city tour that has taken Rockwell’s art and the work of other creators to New York, Detroit, Washington DC, Normandy, France, Houston, and Denver, Norman Rockwell: Imagining Freedom explores the indelible odyssey of the Four Freedoms, humanity’s greatest and sometimes most elusive ideals.
Hope in Times of Despair: Message from the Director
Hope in Times of Despair: Message from the Director
The Problem We All Live With, Norman Rockwell. 1963. Story illustration for Look, January 14, 1964. From the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum. Image © Norman Rockwell Museum. All Rights Reserved.
Dear Community,
When the civil rights movement was at its height during my childhood in the 1960s, visual images brought to the world the violence, terror, […]
What Makes Good History? (Grades 9-12)
WHAT MAKES GOOD HISTORY? (GRADES 9-12)
The value or significance of Norman Rockwell’s representations of the Civil Rights movement as sources of historical information.
OBJECTIVES
- Students will gain an understanding of the events represented in The Problem We All Live With.
- Students will develop critical thinking skills by analyzing different sources of visual information.
- Students will reflect on the subjective nature of historical information.
MATERIALS
- Postcard or digital file of The Problem We […]
Winter-Spring 2006 From the Director, Laurie Norton Moffatt
Winter-Spring 2006 From the Director, Laurie Norton Moffatt
It gives me enormous pleasure to announce the launch of a major new project at the Norman Rockwell Museum that will transform the accessibility of our Museum collections; advance research and understanding of Norman Rockwell’s work; preserve a unique archive of an important American artist; and link the Museum to major research centers and scholars around the world. This project has been recognized as a national […]
Norman Rockwell Museum Shares Norman Rockwell’s Civil Rights Era Works on Google Cultural Institute
In celebration of Black History Month, Norman Rockwell Museum has partnered with Google to share artworks and artifacts from its permanent collection, that illustrate Norman Rockwell’s dedication to civil rights. Available through the Google Cultural Institute website, "Norman Rockwell In The Age of the Civil Rights Movement" presents Rockwell’s paintings, rarely seen studies, reference photos, and correspondence relating to his important works created during the period; the online exhibition joins over 4000 new items –including 80 exhibits and three expeditions—that document different moments throughout African American history.
Norman Rockwell Museum Galleries Reinterpreted with “Norman Rockwell: Heroes, Humor, and Growing Up”
In conjunction with its current exhibition, "Roz Chast: Cartoon Memoirs," which also celebrates family, life’s humorous moments, and standing up to adversity, Norman Rockwell Museum will reinstall its main galleries to focus on these thematic elements, and offer an in-depth look at the artist’s process. "Norman Rockwell: Heroes, Humor, and Growing Up" will be on view at the Museum through October 18, 2015.
Norman Rockwell Museum Celebrates a Century of Norman Rockwell Exhibitions with European Debut
In May of 1914, a young Norman Rockwell entered artwork in his first exhibition: a group show at the New Rochelle Public Library in New Rochelle, New York. He was 20 years old. One hundred years later, a traveling exhibition of some of Rockwell’s most iconic original works is making its European debut. Organized by Norman Rockwell Museum, American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell will be on view at the Fondazione Roma-Arte-Musei in Rome, Italy, from November 11, 2014 through February 8, 2015.
American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell
One of the most popular American artists of the past century, Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) was a keen observer of human nature and a gifted storyteller. For nearly seven decades, while history was in the making all around him, Rockwell chronicled our changing society in the small details and nuanced scenes of ordinary people in everyday life, providing a personalized interpretation—albeit often an idealized one—of American identity. His depictions offered a reassuring visual haven during a time of momentous transformation as our country evolved into a complex, modern society. Rockwell’s contributions to our visual legacy, many of them now icons of American culture, have found a permanent place in our national psyche.
Rockwell Museum on Tour
Current and Upcoming Traveling Exhibitions
Past Traveling Exhibitions
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2010
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| February 4 – May 16, 2010 | Dinotopia: The Fantastical Art of James Gurney | The Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE | |||
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Portrait of a Young Artist
This weekend Norman Rockwell Museum will hold a special reunion for all former models of Norman Rockwell. To create his iconic works, the artist found help from both neighbors and family members, who posed as the subjects pictured in Rockwell's illustrations. In anticipation of our new exhibition, "Jarvis Rockwell: Maya, Illusion, and Us" (opening July 13), we thought it would be fun to look at some of the work that contemporary artist Jarvis Rockwell helped create as a model for his father.
Archives and Library
ARCHIVES AND LIBRARY
Reference photo for: Going and Coming 1947
Reference photo for: Murder in Mississippi
INTRODUCTION
The Norman Rockwell Museum Archives (“the Archive”) are the largest and most comprehensive archival collection relating to the life and art of Norman Rockwell, and a repository for collections relating to the art of illustration, both historical and contemporary. […]
Hometown Hero, Citizens of the World: Rockwell in Stockbridge
June 5 through October 1, 2004
Norman Rockwell painted some of the greatest works of his career during the 1960s. It was a time of turbulence in Rockwell’s personal life as well as in the world. Hometown Hero, Citizen of the World: Rockwell in Stockbridge, examines the powerful paintings and fascinating ephemera from the last 25 years of Rockwell’s life in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
The exhibition, featuring more than […]
Changing Times: Norman Rockwell’s Art for Look Magazine
Changing Times: Norman Rockwell’s Art for Look Magazine
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), “Springtime in Stockbridge,” 1971. Oil on canvas, 32” x 68”. Story illustration for “Look,” June 1, 1971.Norman Rockwell Museum Collections. ©Norman Rockwell Family Agency. All rights reserved.
CURRENTLY ON VIEW UNTIL MAY 1, 2018
In the 1960’s, leaving behind his beloved story-telling scenes, Norman Rockwell threw […]
The Art of Norman Rockwell
THE ART OF NORMAN ROCKWELL
Country Doctor,Norman Rockwell Saturday Evening Post story illustration April 12, 1947.
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THE ART OF NORMAN ROCKWELL | View Collection
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Girl Reading the Post, 1941. Cover illustration for The […]
Norman Rockwell in the 1960s
Norman Rockwell in the 1960s
An exhibition organized by Norman Rockwell Museum
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The Final Impossibility: Man’s Tracks on the Moon (Two Men on the Moon) Norman Rockwell. 1969. Story illustration for Look, December 30, 1969. Collection of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. © Norman Rockwell Family […]