STOCKBRIDGE, MA – Norman Rockwell Museum announces a robust schedule of new illustration exhibitions for 2023, which will be on view in their galleries; some will also be available as online exhibitions and may tour to other museums. Highlights of upcoming programs are included.

EXHIBITIONS ongoing and NEW through December 2023 

Eloise and More: The Life and Art of Hilary Knight through March 12, 2023

Best known for his iconic illustrations of Eloise in the books by Kay Thompson, Hilary Knight has been creating art across a variety of media for seven decades. Eloise and More is the most comprehensive exhibition on the life and art of one of the most published and beloved illustrators of the last 70 years. Featured in the exhibition are Knight’s beloved Eloise picture book illustrations and preparatory studies. 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 Sturges 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 are on view. See related programs in event listings. READ MORE

Norman Rockwell’s Spirit of the Holidays through February 5, 2023

The modern portrayal of the holidays has been defined and shaped over the last two centuries through the artistry of illustrators like Thomas Nast, J.C. Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell, and Haddon Sundblom, among others. Through drawings and paintings printed on newspapers, magazines, Christmas cards, and memorabilia over time, illustrators have firmly implanted a vision of the season within the American psyche. READ MORE

Norman Rockwell Drawings, 1914-1976  EXTENDED through March 26, 2023 

A special exhibition featuring rarely seen Norman Rockwell drawings and preliminary studies from his six-decade career and coinciding with the release of Norman Rockwell: Drawings, 1911-1976, a new book of the same title, by Abbeville Press 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 prolific and masterful 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. READ MORE

NEW
Nora Krug: Belonging
March 18 through June 18, 2023

Award-winning artist Nora Krug’s powerful graphic memoir, Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home, and her most recent book publication, an illustrated edition of Yale historian Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, will be the focus of an exhibition at Norman Rockwell Museum from March 19 through June 18, 2023. Each book takes inspiration from the artist’s personal experiences as well as the events of history through engagement with deep topical research, museum artifacts and flea market finds, vintage photography, oral histories, and personal conversations, with the goal of trying to understand, reckon with, and depict the past in order to take something revelatory and useful away from it. Works from five other illustrated graphic novels will be features, as will the artist’s editorial work for the Los Angeles Times focusing on the human toll of the war in Ukraine.

More than 200 original drawings and paintings will be on view, as well as historical artifacts, letters, photographs, and toys that inspired the artist’s work.  Using text and images to tell a narrative story, graphic novels are are long form comics that have become popular throughout the world, as they engage readers with a wide range of subjects. Whether fictional or true to life, they are meaningful launch pads for further discovery, discussion, and research, for personal enjoyment and in educational settings.  Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, chief curator of the exhibition remarks that “Krug’s fresh approach to visual offers illuminates the power of published art and inspires new ways of seeing and understanding our world.” READ MORE

NEW
Tony Sarg: Genius at Play
June 10 through November 5, 2023

Tony Sarg: Genius at Play?is the first comprehensive exhibition exploring the life, art, and adventures of Tony Sarg (1880-1942), the charismatic illustrator, animator, puppeteer, designer, entrepreneur, and showman who is celebrated as the father of modern puppetry in North America. His vast knowledge of puppet technology was instrumental in his design of the inaugural Thanksgiving Day parade balloon for Macy’s Department Store in 1927, and in subsequent parade balloons and automated displays for the company’s festive holiday windows, which were imitated nationwide. The creator of a host of popular consumer goods, from toys and clothing to home décor, Sarg also envisioned fanciful illustrated maps and created mural designs for the Oasis Cafe in New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Grand Central Station, and other historic buildings.

Drawing from public and private collections of art and material culture, the exhibition features original illustrations, marionettes, animations, exhibition video, interactive shadow puppet theater, and ephemera, including stage sets, illustrated books, commercial products, and archival photographs. Exploring themes relating to Sarg’s prolific career and ongoing influence, this theatrical installation serves as a window into the creative process and achievements of an exceptional American artist and showman. Celebrating Sarg’s infamous 1937 Nantucket Sea Monster Hoax, a 30-foot inflatable balloon will greet visitors upon their arrival, a 25-stop audio tour will be available on the NRM mobile app, and a richly illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition. READ MORE

NEW
Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni
November 18, 2023 to May 27, 2024

Between Worlds is the first major American retrospective dedicated to the art and design of celebrated illustrator and graphic artist, Leo Lionni (1910-1999). As the old distinction between fine and applied art came up for lively reconsideration after World War II, Leo Lionni emerged as one of the international design community's indispensable pathfinders and bridge-builders. Idealistic and globally minded, Lionni viewed pithy, smart, deceptively simple graphic design as a worthy contribution to the post-war effort to reassert democratic values and establish a visual lingua franca to unite people across generations and cultural boundaries. A kind of twentieth-century Leonardo, he pursued his creative vision across several related domains, each of which will be explored in depth in this exhibition, including graphic design and advertising art; art direction at Fortune and Print magazines; illustrations for children's picture books; and printmaking, photography, drawing, painting, and sculpture.  Organized by Norman Rockwell Museum and co-curated by Steven Heller, arts writer/author, art director, and educator, together with Leonard Marcus, a foremost authority on children’s books and their creators; author or editor of more than 25 award-winning books.  READ MORE  

HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMS & EVENTS ongoing and/or by date
Full event listings will be posted throughout the year at NRM.org/events

Ongoing

Norman Rockwell’s Life & Art Guided Tours 
Daily, (except Wednesdays; closed) 

Tour & talk with a Museum docent; 30 min.  $10 per person in addition to admission, space is limited, reservations highly encouraged. See daily schedule at NRM.org/events

ONLINE SERIES Drawing Life with American Illustrators from Norman Rockwell’s Studio

Monthly on-demand web series featuring contemporary illustrators drawing and conversing from Rockwell’s Stockbridge studio. Each hour-long program delves into the artist’s perspectives on creative expression, the power of persuasion, Norman Rockwell, and the people’s art. $5 per episode, or $ 50 for series of 12.  MORE HERE

Upcoming episode release dates:

January 19: Liza Donelly

February 16: Victor Juhasz

March 16: Shawn Fields

April 20:  Elize McKelvey

May 18: Abigail Lashbrook

June 15: Amanda Calatzis

July 20: Nora Krug

Additional illustrators to be announced soon. 

February 18—21 & 23, 24
Winter School Vacation Week

Storytime in the “Eloise” Galleries at 10:45 am, 11:45 am, 12:45 pm, 1:45 pm 
Enjoy a reading of favorite tale from the board books illustrated by Hilary Knight. Free for kids & teens, and Members, or included with admission. No reservation required; adult accompaniment required. 

Art of Adventure! at 11 am & 2 pm
 Fun-filled family art-making activities inspired by the adventures of Eloise. Free for kids & teens, and Members, or included with admission. RSVP required; walk-up accommodated as space allows. Details and reservations at NRM.org/events

Saturday, March 18
Opening Weekend for Nora Krug: Belonging
Nora Krug in Conversation 
4:30—5:30 pm

History is personal in this conversation with award-winning artist Nora Krug. From unique, wide-ranging sources of inspiration and in-depth research, Krug’s provocative visual storytelling invites us to understand and reconcile the past in service of a brighter future. Tickets $25, includes free Museum admission after 3:30 pm. Book signing follows the talk. Reservations & information at NRM.org/events

April 17, 18 & 20, 21
Spring Break Family Week

Storytime in the Galleries at 10:45 am, 11:45 am, 12:45 pm, 1:45 pm
Enjoy readings from favorite illustrated storybooks. Free for kids & teens, and Members, or included with admission. No reservation required; adult accompaniment required. 

Art of Nature! at 11 am & 2 pm
Fun-filled family art-making activities inspired by springtime. Free for kids & teens, and Members, or included with admission. RSVP required; walk-up accommodated as space allows. Details and reservations at NRM.org/events

Saturday, June 10
A Night of Wonder Gala 
6:00 – 10:00 pm

Norman Rockwell Museum’ annual fundraising gala will offer a sparkling night of the unexpected, the mysterious, the coincidental, the puzzling, the unique, the surprising, the impossible, the unforgettable. 

A wonderous world inspired by the art of Tony Sarg, illustrator, innovator, showman, and puppeteer, whose exhibition grand opens this weekend. Creative cuisine, mystical drinks, parades, performances, and puzzles.  Costumes that reflect flights of fancy and imagination encouraged. All under a tent and on the magnificent grounds of Norman Rockwell Museum. Proceeds support the Museum. Tickets from $75 - $10,000. 

SUMMER FUN FOR KIDS & FAMILIES

Paint & Play in the Great Outdoors
Available Memorial Day – Labor Day, weather permitting.
Discover creative activities with outdoor easels, chalk, and the simple pleasures of favorite games: cornhole, frisbee, balls, checkers and more. Explore the grounds, nature trails, apple trees, gardens, and climbable sculptures by Peter Rockwell. 

Imagi-Nation Passports
Available every day! Chock-full of DIY art-making activities that inspire creativity, harness the power of wonder, and provide a great bonding experience for children and the young-at heart. Free with Museum visit

June - August 

Genius of Tony Sarg Exhibition Tours
 with Chief Curator Stephanie Haboush Plunkett

Thursdays: June 15, July 13, August 17 at 12:30 pm

Saturdays: June 24, July 22, August 26 at 12:30 pm

Details and reservations available in May at NRM.org/events

Saturday, July 15

Inaugural Art of Adventure Festival 
1:00 – 4:00 pm

Calling all explorers, curiosity-seekers, and pathbreakers! Journey on over to the Museum for an afternoon full of indoor and outdoor adventures, real and imagined, inspired by the creative pursuits of Tony Sarg: illustrator, puppeteer, author, designer, entrepreneur, and practical joker, whose exhibition is on view. Map-making, arts and crafts, games, food, and drink all combine in one unforgettable story-filled day. Visit NRM.org/adventure for more information. 

Saturday, August 19

5th Annual Art of Brewing Festival 
1:00 – 4:00 pm

A returning favorite event at NRM offering the best craft brews in the region, haute food truck cuisine, and creative illustration art that brings beer cans and bottles, and other brewed product packaging to life. In addition to tasting and comparing many craft brews, distillers, coffee brewers, and other food products made through fermentation are included.  All receive a free commemorative beer glass and other great gifts. Ticket info at NRM.org/beer. 

SAVE THE DATE a preview of holiday activities
Additional Fall and Winter programs to be announced

December 2 & 3
Main Street Stockbridge Recreation Weekend

Saturday, December 2

Norman Rockwell’s Life & Holiday Art Guided Tours 11 am, 12 pm & 2 pm Tour & talk with a Museum docent; 30 min. $10 per person in addition to admission, space is limited, reservations highly encouraged. 

Kids & Families Programs A World of Celebrations! 11 am & 2 pm Art-making and storytelling, inspired by Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni. Free for kids, teens, and Members, or included with admission. Reservations required or admitted as space allows.

Sunday, December 3 

Norman Rockwell’s Life & Holiday Art Guided Tours 11 am, 12 pm & 2 pm Tour & talk with a Museum docent; 30 min. $10 per person in addition to admission, space is limited, reservations highly encouraged. 

Tuesday, December 26 & Thursday December 28 – Saturday, December 30, 2023 *Closed Wednesdays

December School Break Week at NRM Family Activities

Storytime in the “Leo Lionni” Galleries at 10:45 am, 11:45 am, 12:45 pm, 1:45 pm 
Enjoy a reading of favorite tale from the collection of Leo Lionni. Free for kids & teens, and Members, or included with admission. No reservation required; adult accompaniment required. 

Art Activity! at 11 am & 2 pm 
Fun-filled family art-making activities inspired by the colorful stories of Leo Lionni. Free for kids & teens, and Members, or included with admission. RSVP required; walk-up accommodated as space allows. Details and reservations at NRM.org/events

General Visit Information and Hours

-Winter- Spring:  November 2022 – May 28, 2023: 10 am – 4 pm weekdays; closed Wednesdays; 10 am – 5 pm Saturdays & Sundays

-Summer- Fall: May 29—November 5, 2023: 10 am -5 pm daily, closed Wednesdays 

-Winter- Spring 2023-24:  November 6, 2023 – May 26, 2024

-Rockwell’s Studio: open for Guided Tours May 1—November 12

-Rockwell’s Life & Art Guided Gallery Tours offered year-round

-Terrace Café: Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day weekend, Museum admission not required. Early closing times posted for special events and weddings; see NRM.org/visit for details. 

-Museum Store: Open days and hours same as Museum hours; Museum admission not required.