STOCKBRIDGE, Mass —The Norman Rockwell Museum released it’s schedule for the months of September through November.

Exhibits:

In addition to the “Imprinted: Illustrating Race” and “In Our Lifetime: Paintings from the Pandemic” exhibits which will be on view until October 31, the museum is introducing 2 more.

Norman Rockwell Drawings, 1914-1976 
On view September 10, 2022 through January 7, 2023

A new exhibition featuring rarely seen Norman Rockwell drawings and preliminary studies from his six-decade career. 

The exhibit coincides with the release of a new book of the same title which will become available in early October. 

The book was written by museum curators Stephanie Haboush Plunkett and Jesse Kowalski. 

Though best known for his painted magazine covers and illustrations for stories, books, and advertisements, Norman Rockwell was also a draftsman who utilized drawing as an essential underpinning of his art. 

Select drawings by Rockwell’s teachers, predecessors, and contemporaries will also be included, from the Museum’s American Illustration collection.

Rockwell’s drawing process made it possible for him to envision every aspect of a final work before it was begun. 

Rockwell rarely began a painting at the oil-on-canvas stage. By the time a canvas was on his easel, he would have completed several stages of preparation, including the creation of sketches, photographic references, and at least one highly detailed tonal drawing to be traced onto canvas.

Eloise and More: The Life and Art of Hilary Knight 
On view November 12, 2022 through March 12, 2023

Eloise and More is the most comprehensive exhibition on the life and art of one of the most published illustrators of the last 70 years.

Featured in the exhibition are Hilary Knight’s Eloise picture book illustrations and preparatory studies, as well as a colorful, large-scale Eloise-themed folding screen. 

The exhibition will also include Knight’s early advertising assignments; magazine illustrations; merchandising sketches; concept art and posters for Broadway musicals; fashion designs; sketchbooks, final work for several books, and personal photographs and mementos will be on view. 

Original artworks by Knight’s accomplished parents Katherine Sturgess Dodge and Clayton Knight, who inspired his work, will also be included. 

Following Thompson’s death in 1998, Knight drew and painted five more books featuring Eloise, selections from which will be on view.

Events: 

Norman Rockwell’s Stockbridge Studio Tours
Daily from 10:40 a.m. – 3:40 p.m. (closed Wednesdays), through November 13, 2022

New guided tour & talk in Rockwell’s actual Studio, moved from his former Stockbridge backyard to the Museum’s campus. 

Set to the historically accurate time when he was painting Golden Rule in 1961; discover personal details about Rockwell and his process. 

Approximately 20 minutes. Reserve tour time and museum admission here.  NRM.org/Visit. Fees apply. Free for kids & teens, museum members, and active military.

Opening Weekend Family Days
Saturday, November 12, and Sunday November 13 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. 

Celebrate the opening weekend of the new exhibition Eloise & More: The Art of Hilary Knight with activities for children of all ages including story-time and artmaking. 

Curator talks will be available on Saturday only. 

Free with museum admission; free for kids & teens and members. Advance tickets recommended. 

Norman Rockwell’s Drawings: A Conversation and Book Signing
Saturday, September 17, 4:30 until 5:30 p.m.

Norman Rockwell Drawings, 1911 – 1976 in exhibition and book form, celebrates more than six decades of rarely-displayed drawings that reveal the full scope of Rockwell’s work as a draftsperson. 

Museum curators and special guest Louis Henry Mitchell will discuss the range of sketches, illustrated letters, caricatures, and comics that illuminate and contextualize the different stages and elements of Rockwell’s drawing practice.

A book signing follows the conversation. $25 per person. Books may be pre-ordered at time of reservation to guarantee availability. Tickets available Thursday, August 25, 2022. 

Virtual Events: 

Drawing Life from Norman Rockwell’s Studio with Illustrator Loveis Wise
Monthly, beginning Thursday, September 15 at 1 p.m. 
 
The Rockwell museum welcomes this new hour-long online series consisting of sketching and conversation about creative expression, the power of persuasion, and the people’s art. 

On-demand episodes available the third Thursday of every month beginning 1 p.m.

$5 per Episode or $50 for Series of 12. 

Illustration And Race: Rethinking the History of Printed Images
Friday, September 23, 7 until 8:30 p.m. - Saturday, September 24, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies will hold a welcome and introductory discussion on Friday. The symposium presentations and panels will be held on Saturday. 

The event features conversations with illustrators, art directors, authors, and scholars who will explore more than 300 years of racial representation in published art and the role of mass-circulated imagery as a force in shaping public perception about people and groups of people. 

Presented in conjunction with Imprinted: Illustrating Race, the Museum’s current exhibition, this symposium will spark dialogue about the ways that art, advertising, and systems of publishing have helped to frame public opinion, and how the art of illustration has become a force for change today. Interactive with Q&A.

Program fee for all sessions: $35; NRM Members $20; Students & Educators $10

Art of and by Veterans with Combat Artists Victor Juhasz and Elize McKelvey
Friday, November 11, Veterans Day

There will be a virtual salute to Veterans through the eyes of illustrators Victor Juhasz and Elize McKelvey, who have documented real-life experiences of American servicemembers. 

View on demand free of charge beginning Friday, November 11, and on the Museum’s social channels.