June 28, 2025 • 26 mins
Independence Day is on the horizon, and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge is holding a special celebration of America through the arts! "We Hold These Truths" will feature music, history, food, fun, and much more for people of all ages. Rockwell's known for his iconic paintings and drawings that highlight the experiences of mid-century America, which makes it a fitting place to celebrate our independence. Kathryn Potts, the museum's Chief Learning and Engagement Officer, joins the show this week to share the details of the upcoming event and all the campus has to offer.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England
Weekend where each and every week right here we come
together we talk about all the topics important to you
and the place where you live. It's good to have
you back with us again this week. I'm Nicole Davis.
If you're a consistent listener to the show, you know
that lately we've been doing a lot of segments about
the nation's semicin Quintennial otherwise known as the two hundred
(00:29):
and fiftieth anniversary, because leading up to that we've had
all kinds of events and celebrations going on, and we'll
keep talking about that, of course, but each and every year,
regardless of the year or anniversary, we celebrate Independence. Stay
July fourth in Stockbridge. It is going to be a
day packed with food and music and fun and a
lot of history at the Norman Rockwell Museum now Norman Rockwell.
(00:51):
If you don't know who he is, many think he's
essentially one of the best visual voices of the American
experience back in mid century America. He did a bunch
of great Maga covers. Is a pretty good chance you've
probably seen at least one of his paintings let's talk
about the event and learn a bit more about Norman
Rockwell with Catherine Potts. She is the chief Learning and
Engagement officer at the museum. Catherine, it's great to have
(01:14):
you here, and let's start by getting a bit of
a primer about Norman Rockwell in his work Well.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Norman Rockwell is probably one of the best known and
loved illustrators of the twentieth century. And the reason the
Norman Rockwell Museum is here in Stockbridge is that he
made Stockris, Massachusetts, his home for the last twenty five
years of his life, and he also portrayed New England,
(01:43):
and his friends and neighbors often figure in his work
as a models. And we always say about Norman Rockwell
that he was a painter. He was a storyteller with
a paintbrush, and all of his works that are on
view at the museum were often based on illustrations that
(02:04):
were made for The Saturday Evening Post. And that was
a magazine. I think many of your listeners probably remember it,
but for those of you who don't know, it was
a kind of weekly magazine that came out and Norman
Rockwell's images were on the cover week after week. After week,
and for that reason he became a very well known
and probably one of the best known American artists.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
What I really appreciate about his work is that it
is a look into everyday life. I mean, obviously, there
are the famous paintings of his, the Four Freedoms. We've
seen those, of course, the Thanksgiving meal and then the
free speech painting where there's the man standing up in
the crowd at town meeting, but all the other images
that he created. What I appreciate about it is that
(02:46):
this is just normal, regular people have the time doing everyday,
regular things, and that's important I think, to document.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, absolutely, And you know, he really was a kind
of master of finding humor and even sometimes pathos and
really commonplace subjects where they were things like, you know,
a little girl looking in the mirror and imagining what
it would be like to be grown up one day,
or a young couple that's going to get their marriage
license and they have a whole their whole lives ahead
(03:15):
of them, and he really I think shined a light
on American culture and values, and in particular New England.
Though it's funny, and I'm sure many of your listeners
will be surprised. He was not a New England or
by birth, and he grew up in New York City
(03:37):
and spent the first, you know, twenty five years of
his life living in Westchester. And it was only when
he decided that he wanted to actually leave the New
York area that he moved first to Arlington, Vermont, and
then later, as I said, to stock Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And I think that Stockbridge is where we associate with
him now, of course, not just because of the museum,
but all sorts of other reasons. But let's talk about
your museum. It was founded back in nineteen sixty nine.
What do you have on display at the museum and
what do you have in your collection?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Well, we have the best and most important collection of
Norman Rockwell's art, and that includes all of the Saturday
Evening post covers that are on display in our lower gallery.
So you actually can see him over the course of
a career that lasted many, many decades, from his first
(04:29):
illustration that was done in nineteen sixteen to the last
illustrations that he did, which we're actually done right after
the assassination of JFK. And this is a person who
witnessed all his changes in technology and government and civil
rights that occurred over the course of that twentieth century.
And when you're at the museum, you'll see not only
(04:52):
the covers, but you also see the paintings that were
created so that they could be photographed and turned into covers.
And so those paintings are as you mentioned, the for Freedoms,
the wonderful paintings that he did of the civil rights movement.
I think one of the most important paintings in our
collection is a work called The Problem We All Live With,
(05:13):
which is the story of a little girl walking to
school in New Orleans in nineteen sixty flanked by federal
marshals and right after the federal support Supreme Court case
to overturn segregation in the school. So these are really
important kind of historical milestones both for the country and
(05:33):
for Norman Rockwell. And you'll also see a lot of
works that I think are really downright funny. You know,
he finds, you know, a little small and sometimes quirky characters,
and he always, even when he's maybe poking fun at
a subject, it's always done with a lot of respect
(05:56):
and love and appreciation. And I always, I always like
the work that kind of sometimes well, you illicit surprise
and delight, and that's really I think what the experience
of coming to see our museum is all about. I
also should say, and I'm not sure everybody knows this,
but we are also the center of American illustration. So
(06:19):
when you come to our museum, you'll not only see
works by Norman Rockwell, as we've been discussing, but you
also have the opportunity to see some of the most
important examples of American illustration. And we can talk about
this in a little bit, but I wanted to mention
we have a show this summer of an artist named
Walter Wick and he is maybe not a household name,
(06:41):
but you know his work. He is the photographic illustrator
and author and a creator of the I Spy book
that you even grew up reading. And they're these wonderful
kind of you know, kind of works that t are
like brain teasers, and they sort of make you look
and look and look, and their riddles and games and
(07:04):
all kinds of topics, treasure hunts, things that he has
portrayed in his books and are also on view, and
you actually see some of the models that he built
in order to take a photograph that would end up
being in a book, which is why he's in our
Museum of Illustration because he's a photographic illustrator. Anyway, super
(07:25):
fun show and great for the kid.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
And I love that because I am an exennial, as
they say, and I definitely had the eye spy grips
growing up. Oh yeah, I do. I love those. So
we'll definitely talk a bit more about that in just
a few minutes. But I do want to get to
this big event that's coming up here in just a
matter of days. Fourth of July, of course, and Norman
Rockwell had some beautiful pieces surrounding freedom the American lifestyle
(07:50):
the fourth of July. Tell me a little bit about
what you have planned for this event called We Hold
These Truths.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yes, So it's as you said on July fourth, from
ten to four, and it's a program that's happening both
inside and outside the museum. Inside we will have discussions,
art making and tours of some of the really iconic
works that we've just been talking about that are Norman
Rockwell's paintings that explore the themes of democracy and independence
(08:22):
and kind of American identity. And for the morning, we
will have a folk singer named Doug Michikin who will
be playing of songs that reflect American independence and democracy
and identity, and he'll be kind of responding as a
musician to some of the paintings that Rockwell has created.
We'll have our fabulous museum guides that will be presenting
(08:45):
very short tours, so if you're interested, you can come
in the museum, you'll hear some music, and you'll learn
something about Norman Rockwell. And then the centerpiece of the
day is a public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
This is a document that I think we all think
we know, but it's a really important founding document for
our country. And we will be doing a public recitation
(09:09):
or reading with area members of our community, community leaders,
elected officials, people who are run community and also cultural
organizations in and around Berkshire County. And we have about
over thirty readers that have already agreed and they will
(09:30):
be reading just a segment of the declaration, and in
the end everyone there will read the last part of
the Declaration, which is the pledge to hold these truths
to be self evident, and we will then following the reading.
This whole program is organized co organized with the Guthrie Center,
(09:53):
and they will have Abe and Annie Guthrie. They are
the son and daughter and grandson and granddaughter of first
Arlo Guthrie and then Woody Guthrie, and they will play
from American folk songs and also some Guthrie favorites. And
all of the events, the reading and the music that
(10:16):
the Guthries are playing will be out of doors on
our beautiful grounds at Norman Rockel Museum, so people should
bring a picnic or buy a picnic from us even better,
and a blanket and spend the afternoon with us. We
will also have holiday themed art making activities that are
in our galleries. Everything in the museum is available to
(10:38):
anyone who buys a ticket to the museum. But I
really want to emphasize kids at eighteen and under are
free at Norman Rockwell Museum. So this is a great
outing for families and even if you don't have kids
in tow I think there's so much to learn and
experience over the course of this day.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Kids might not necessarily be old enough to experience, and
maybe older kids could, but they might not be old
enough to really understand rock Wells are. But it sounds
like it's going to be a great family day for
everybody involved, no matter the age, you've got, the artwork,
you've got a picnic, the weather better behave. I mean overall,
a lovely day in the rain days oh my gosh,
(11:18):
I mean with the string we've had this year, I
don't even want to know, but really it does sound
like just a lovely day and I think that it's
going to be a great event.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
I hope everybody will come. I also have some things
I just wanted to mention that are coming up if
people are busy with family and aren't able to come
on the fourth. We do have some programming around the
show that we were previously discussing, the I Spy welter
Wick Exhibition, and on every Saturday throughout the summer we
(11:51):
have art making that is open to families and again
kids are free at the museum, so you can grab
your kids and there's always something for kids. On Saturday
mornings from actually Saturdays from eleven to three o'clock, we
have educators and art making and art projects, and we're
(12:12):
doing some really fun things over the course of the summer,
like a treasure hunt that will be outside on our
grounds again inspired by Walter Wick's amazing art. And then
on middle of July, we're actually going to have Walter
Wick will be here in person, and he will be
signing books, and he'll be doing a talk and gallery talk.
(12:34):
And then my favorite thing that I'm really looking forward
to is on July nineteenth, he's doing a talk for
kids about his journey of becoming an artist, and he'll
have advice for some of the young artists in the audience,
and again he'll be signing books. So it would be
I think, a great event for the whole for all ages.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Really, kids are out of school. You need something to
do with them that's kind of educational, but you want
to make sure that it's interactive as well. I mean,
if you are listening and you have not seen the
I Spy books, they are so much fun and even
as an adult, I could sit there staring at those
for hours.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah. And actually, the funny thing is, I think this
is not a show that's just for the kids, as
you rightly say, And I think some of the people
who are enjoying looking at the work are grown ups.
And you know, all of us as grown ups, we
don't really get much opportunity in our life to kind
of explore and just you know, kind of relive some
of those moments from childhood, whether it's making art and
(13:33):
trying your hand with you know, different kinds of art making,
and even just looking at work that you know, kind
of excites your imagination. And that's really what the show
is all about.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
What else is on display at the museum right now?
I know you've got the I Spy exhibit, obviously Norman
Rockwell's post covers and a lot of other works of his,
But you mentioned you do have other exhibits. What else
can people see?
Speaker 2 (13:55):
We have one other small exhibit which is only available
for the next year. It's an installation of work by
Norman Rockwell that was done under the auspices of a
basically a work for hire, and it was for a
company that was producing the Edison Mosque light bulb. And
(14:19):
that company, you know, it's Ge so. Ge was the
inventor of the I guess, first commercially available light bulb,
and Ge this is you know, back in the nineteen twenties,
had this idea that they should ask some of the
most foremost American illustrators to kind of, you know, make
(14:41):
images that told people why they should buy light bulbs
and why electricity as opposed to gas lamp lights and lanterns,
was the way to go for the future. And so
there are approximately let's say, like ten eight to ten paintings,
some by Norman Rockwell that you really have never seen.
They've never been a on a public view and they
(15:02):
talk about the importance of electricity. And there's some beautiful,
very painterly works where you can see Norman Rockwell being
inspired by the Dutch masters like Fermire or even Rembrandt.
And there are really works that you would I think,
(15:24):
you know, would never have the opportunity to see. So
I it's called the Masters of Light Exhibition, and it's
something really special. So I really give that a big
thumbs up. And it's funny to think about an artist
who's you know, appreciated and I think revered as Rockwell
doing something that is as commonplace as making advertisements. And
(15:47):
you know, many American artists in the first half of
the twentieth century, this is before photography was really the
main way that products were advertised. And so you see
the painting that inspired the advertisements, and you see that
these are like real paintings with you know, gold frames
on them, and they get photographed and shrunk down and
(16:08):
presented in a magazine and they were just you know,
like eight and a half by eleven, but they started
out as you know, oil paintings. And that was that exhibition,
I think for me, was the biggest surprise of everything,
of anything I've seen so far in my tenure at
the museum.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
It kind of reminds me. I was at the Museum
of the Moving Image a few weeks ago in New
York City and they have this incredible Jim Henson exhibit,
and I know it's a little bit different obviously than
paintings by Norman Rockwell, But I don't think a lot
of people know that Jim Henson for the first few
years of his career was doing advertisements. You know, he
was doing little commercials and things like that, and little
(16:46):
short films for advertisements for coffee and all this other stuff.
And I think it's kind of normal for some artists
that some big artists that we've known to kind of
get their feet wet in that way and kind of
developed their style. So that's really interesting to me. Again,
I didn't know that Norman Rockwell did, adds, but I'm
looking at the all's right, says the light painting with
(17:08):
a beautiful lamp. And I mean, you've got to go
to the museum to go see this if you're listening.
But it's really quite something.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
I agree, and I think that you'll come away with
a deeper appreciation for what Rockwell did as an artist
and maybe also at the art of illustration. My colleague,
are chief curator, always talks about like what is illustration anyway,
and she has this great way of talking about it,
and she says that illustration is art that has a
(17:36):
job to do. And you know, Norman Rockwell made those
covers of the Saturday Evening Post because he had to
sell a magazine and because he wanted he wanted people
to take that magazine off the news stand, or he
wanted people to buy the Edison Massive light bulbs. And
it's quite extraordinary to see then, later on as his
(17:58):
career develops, see him taking these same communication and storytelling
skills and putting them towards you know, bigger themes, more
important themes like American themes of freedom or the civil
rights movement. And he took all of that understanding about
how to communicate directly with people, and how to change
minds and how to get people to act. And that's
(18:20):
really what illustration is all about. And that's why I
think those paintings of you know, as you mentioned the
freedom of speech, or one that people know very well,
freedom from want, which is the painting that looks like
Thanksgiving supper. And these are works that really stay in
our heads because we remember them because he was able
(18:40):
to create these images that are kind of how we
remember and know these very fundamental American values. When I
think about Thanksgiving, I have that image in my head.
Or when I think about the importance of freedom of speech,
I think about that painting by Norman Rockwell with the
ma and standing up and you know, all at the
(19:02):
town meeting and everybody listening to him, because we don't
do enough of that right now, you know, we don't
always really listen to one another, especially when somebody is
saying something that we don't necessarily agree with. And that painting,
I think is kind of a model for how not
only a town should work, but like how our culture
in our country should work. And those are instilling the
(19:24):
values that we all share, yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Core American values. It doesn't matter what side of the
aisle you're on. And you bring up a really good
point in that Norman Rockwell people might think of him
as oh, this old you know, painter, illustrator, Fuddy dundy
sort of guy. A lot of his work is very
relevant even today. I mean not just the civil rights
the civil rights grouping of portraits that he did, but
(19:49):
so many of his works could very well be seen
I think today as contemporary in a way.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Yeah, one hundred percent. And I think, you know, the
idea of you know, this program that we have about
celebrating America and using Rockwell and music to kind of
appreciate what makes our country really unique and what values
do we have, and how we have to not only
you know, know those values and teach them, which is
(20:19):
our educational mission, but also we have to hold tight
to those values. And you know, we've worked very hard
to make sure that the museum is a nonpartisan, that
this is a place where people with all different opinions
should come in and you know, feel that they're seen
and that they can relate to Norman Rockwell because he
is I think an artist that many people can connect with,
(20:42):
and that's very powerful.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
You're in Stockbridge, and it's gorgeous out there. Berkshire's beautiful
this time of year. But if people listening here in
eastern Massachusetts might not be able to get out to
the museum that easily. I noticed you have a virtual exhibition,
so tell us a little bit about what that involves.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
So we have something called It's Virtual Exhibition, and we
actually use this with schools, So if any of your
listeners are teachers, we have also launched a virtual field trip,
which is kind of replicates the experience of going to
the museum for schools that couldn't otherwise, you know, get
the buses to get here, or take the time to
(21:19):
be here, or maybe they don't live close to Norman
Rockwell Museum. And this goes for people as well, who
you know, are interested in learning more. We have this
virtual experience which is a deep dive. It's called Imagining Freedom,
and it is an exhibition that follows the kind of
(21:41):
evolution of Norman Rockwell's paintings that focus on the Four
Freedoms and it tells the story. And this is a
little bit of background, but I think it's interesting the
Four Freedoms. You know, we're actually initially talked about by
President Roosevelt, and in nineteen forty one, kind of before
(22:03):
the war started, before Pearl Harbor, he had made a
speech to the nation where he kind of tried out
this idea of for freedoms. And the reason he wanted
to do that, and this is really what this exhibition
talks about, is that he knew that America would soon
have to enter the war and he wanted Americans to
be very mindful of the freedoms that they would be
(22:25):
fighting for because he knew that we would eventually have
to join what was in the World War that was
already started. And then Pearl Harbor happened in the United
States States entered the war, and these paintings, which are
the kind of cornerstone of this exhibition, were the way
I think many Americans learned about why it was important
(22:46):
to fight for our country. And they actually also went
on tour by the federal government and they were used
as the images of them were used to sell war
bonds for the war, and so they raised really in
contemporary terms like over a billion dollars to help the
(23:07):
United States war effort. And this exhibition kind of chronicles
Rockwell's work with the Four Freedoms. How these ideas evolved
and how Rockwell himself also evolved, and you see in
this exhibition that folks can access from home. They will
learn how Rockwell also left the Saturday evening posts and
(23:29):
started working for another magazine called Look Magazine, where he
could really explore more contemporary issues that he was really
interested in. And this is in the sixties. Times were changing,
and he makes works such as The Golden Rule, which
is a very famous work by Rockwell, which kind of
presents a very humane and I would say, beautiful message
(23:51):
about the Golden Rule that you do unto others as
you would have done to you. And I could have
said that more eloquently, so excuse me, but you got
the idea I do. And it's a painting that brings
together all different kinds of people from all walks of life.
And that was really a direction that rock Will evolved into.
(24:11):
And this exhibition kind of chronicles that those changes that
happened over the decades from the nineteen thirties all the
way through to the end of his life in the
eighties then seventies, using Wow nineteen seventy eight.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
There is so much I've got to get out there
to Stockbridge. But if somebody wants to a come to
your Fourth of July event or b wants to come visit,
tell us all we need to know about doing so.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
So everything at our museum is available on our website.
We sell tickets on the website. You can also you
can register for this event if you like, or you
can just show up so you can decide at the
last minute. You don't have to make plans and advance.
But if you wanted to, say, take a tour of
(24:57):
Norman Rockwell's studio, which is one of the one of
the things I should have mentioned earlier, Norman rock cloth
actual art studio is available to visit as part of
a tour at the museum. So any of these experiences
that we've talked about you can learn more about on
our website, including the virtual experience. And so we really
(25:17):
think about Norman Rockwell Museum as a fun of fully
integrated virtual and in person experience. And whether you can
visit us in person or you can visit us online,
I think there's a lot of rich content and resources
for you.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Well, Catherine, this has been such an experience. Thank you
for the education, Thank you for the time. It has
been really good talking to you and I hope you
have a great event and a wonderful summer out at
the museum.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Thank you, Nicole, this is great. Thank you everybody, and
please come. We can't wait to see you off.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join us again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England
Weekend where each and every week right here we come
together we talk about all the topics important to you
and the place where you live. It's good to have
you back with us again this week. I'm Nicole Davis.
If you're a consistent listener to the show, you know
that lately we've been doing a lot of segments about
the nation's semicin Quintennial otherwise known as the two hundred
(00:29):
and fiftieth anniversary, because leading up to that we've had
all kinds of events and celebrations going on, and we'll
keep talking about that, of course, but each and every year,
regardless of the year or anniversary, we celebrate Independence. Stay
July fourth in Stockbridge. It is going to be a
day packed with food and music and fun and a
lot of history at the Norman Rockwell Museum now Norman Rockwell.
(00:51):
If you don't know who he is, many think he's
essentially one of the best visual voices of the American
experience back in mid century America. He did a bunch
of great Maga covers. Is a pretty good chance you've
probably seen at least one of his paintings let's talk
about the event and learn a bit more about Norman
Rockwell with Catherine Potts. She is the chief Learning and
Engagement officer at the museum. Catherine, it's great to have
(01:14):
you here, and let's start by getting a bit of
a primer about Norman Rockwell in his work Well.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Norman Rockwell is probably one of the best known and
loved illustrators of the twentieth century. And the reason the
Norman Rockwell Museum is here in Stockbridge is that he
made Stockris, Massachusetts, his home for the last twenty five
years of his life, and he also portrayed New England,
(01:43):
and his friends and neighbors often figure in his work
as a models. And we always say about Norman Rockwell
that he was a painter. He was a storyteller with
a paintbrush, and all of his works that are on
view at the museum were often based on illustrations that
(02:04):
were made for The Saturday Evening Post. And that was
a magazine. I think many of your listeners probably remember it,
but for those of you who don't know, it was
a kind of weekly magazine that came out and Norman
Rockwell's images were on the cover week after week. After week,
and for that reason he became a very well known
and probably one of the best known American artists.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
What I really appreciate about his work is that it
is a look into everyday life. I mean, obviously, there
are the famous paintings of his, the Four Freedoms. We've
seen those, of course, the Thanksgiving meal and then the
free speech painting where there's the man standing up in
the crowd at town meeting, but all the other images
that he created. What I appreciate about it is that
(02:46):
this is just normal, regular people have the time doing everyday,
regular things, and that's important I think, to document.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, absolutely, And you know, he really was a kind
of master of finding humor and even sometimes pathos and
really commonplace subjects where they were things like, you know,
a little girl looking in the mirror and imagining what
it would be like to be grown up one day,
or a young couple that's going to get their marriage
license and they have a whole their whole lives ahead
(03:15):
of them, and he really I think shined a light
on American culture and values, and in particular New England.
Though it's funny, and I'm sure many of your listeners
will be surprised. He was not a New England or
by birth, and he grew up in New York City
(03:37):
and spent the first, you know, twenty five years of
his life living in Westchester. And it was only when
he decided that he wanted to actually leave the New
York area that he moved first to Arlington, Vermont, and
then later, as I said, to stock Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And I think that Stockbridge is where we associate with
him now, of course, not just because of the museum,
but all sorts of other reasons. But let's talk about
your museum. It was founded back in nineteen sixty nine.
What do you have on display at the museum and
what do you have in your collection?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Well, we have the best and most important collection of
Norman Rockwell's art, and that includes all of the Saturday
Evening post covers that are on display in our lower gallery.
So you actually can see him over the course of
a career that lasted many, many decades, from his first
(04:29):
illustration that was done in nineteen sixteen to the last
illustrations that he did, which we're actually done right after
the assassination of JFK. And this is a person who
witnessed all his changes in technology and government and civil
rights that occurred over the course of that twentieth century.
And when you're at the museum, you'll see not only
(04:52):
the covers, but you also see the paintings that were
created so that they could be photographed and turned into covers.
And so those paintings are as you mentioned, the for Freedoms,
the wonderful paintings that he did of the civil rights movement.
I think one of the most important paintings in our
collection is a work called The Problem We All Live With,
(05:13):
which is the story of a little girl walking to
school in New Orleans in nineteen sixty flanked by federal
marshals and right after the federal support Supreme Court case
to overturn segregation in the school. So these are really
important kind of historical milestones both for the country and
(05:33):
for Norman Rockwell. And you'll also see a lot of
works that I think are really downright funny. You know,
he finds, you know, a little small and sometimes quirky characters,
and he always, even when he's maybe poking fun at
a subject, it's always done with a lot of respect
(05:56):
and love and appreciation. And I always, I always like
the work that kind of sometimes well, you illicit surprise
and delight, and that's really I think what the experience
of coming to see our museum is all about. I
also should say, and I'm not sure everybody knows this,
but we are also the center of American illustration. So
(06:19):
when you come to our museum, you'll not only see
works by Norman Rockwell, as we've been discussing, but you
also have the opportunity to see some of the most
important examples of American illustration. And we can talk about
this in a little bit, but I wanted to mention
we have a show this summer of an artist named
Walter Wick and he is maybe not a household name,
(06:41):
but you know his work. He is the photographic illustrator
and author and a creator of the I Spy book
that you even grew up reading. And they're these wonderful
kind of you know, kind of works that t are
like brain teasers, and they sort of make you look
and look and look, and their riddles and games and
(07:04):
all kinds of topics, treasure hunts, things that he has
portrayed in his books and are also on view, and
you actually see some of the models that he built
in order to take a photograph that would end up
being in a book, which is why he's in our
Museum of Illustration because he's a photographic illustrator. Anyway, super
(07:25):
fun show and great for the kid.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
And I love that because I am an exennial, as
they say, and I definitely had the eye spy grips
growing up. Oh yeah, I do. I love those. So
we'll definitely talk a bit more about that in just
a few minutes. But I do want to get to
this big event that's coming up here in just a
matter of days. Fourth of July, of course, and Norman
Rockwell had some beautiful pieces surrounding freedom the American lifestyle
(07:50):
the fourth of July. Tell me a little bit about
what you have planned for this event called We Hold
These Truths.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yes, So it's as you said on July fourth, from
ten to four, and it's a program that's happening both
inside and outside the museum. Inside we will have discussions,
art making and tours of some of the really iconic
works that we've just been talking about that are Norman
Rockwell's paintings that explore the themes of democracy and independence
(08:22):
and kind of American identity. And for the morning, we
will have a folk singer named Doug Michikin who will
be playing of songs that reflect American independence and democracy
and identity, and he'll be kind of responding as a
musician to some of the paintings that Rockwell has created.
We'll have our fabulous museum guides that will be presenting
(08:45):
very short tours, so if you're interested, you can come
in the museum, you'll hear some music, and you'll learn
something about Norman Rockwell. And then the centerpiece of the
day is a public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
This is a document that I think we all think
we know, but it's a really important founding document for
our country. And we will be doing a public recitation
(09:09):
or reading with area members of our community, community leaders,
elected officials, people who are run community and also cultural
organizations in and around Berkshire County. And we have about
over thirty readers that have already agreed and they will
(09:30):
be reading just a segment of the declaration, and in
the end everyone there will read the last part of
the Declaration, which is the pledge to hold these truths
to be self evident, and we will then following the reading.
This whole program is organized co organized with the Guthrie Center,
(09:53):
and they will have Abe and Annie Guthrie. They are
the son and daughter and grandson and granddaughter of first
Arlo Guthrie and then Woody Guthrie, and they will play
from American folk songs and also some Guthrie favorites. And
all of the events, the reading and the music that
(10:16):
the Guthries are playing will be out of doors on
our beautiful grounds at Norman Rockel Museum, so people should
bring a picnic or buy a picnic from us even better,
and a blanket and spend the afternoon with us. We
will also have holiday themed art making activities that are
in our galleries. Everything in the museum is available to
(10:38):
anyone who buys a ticket to the museum. But I
really want to emphasize kids at eighteen and under are
free at Norman Rockwell Museum. So this is a great
outing for families and even if you don't have kids
in tow I think there's so much to learn and
experience over the course of this day.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Kids might not necessarily be old enough to experience, and
maybe older kids could, but they might not be old
enough to really understand rock Wells are. But it sounds
like it's going to be a great family day for
everybody involved, no matter the age, you've got, the artwork,
you've got a picnic, the weather better behave. I mean overall,
a lovely day in the rain days oh my gosh,
(11:18):
I mean with the string we've had this year, I
don't even want to know, but really it does sound
like just a lovely day and I think that it's
going to be a great event.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
I hope everybody will come. I also have some things
I just wanted to mention that are coming up if
people are busy with family and aren't able to come
on the fourth. We do have some programming around the
show that we were previously discussing, the I Spy welter
Wick Exhibition, and on every Saturday throughout the summer we
(11:51):
have art making that is open to families and again
kids are free at the museum, so you can grab
your kids and there's always something for kids. On Saturday
mornings from actually Saturdays from eleven to three o'clock, we
have educators and art making and art projects, and we're
(12:12):
doing some really fun things over the course of the summer,
like a treasure hunt that will be outside on our
grounds again inspired by Walter Wick's amazing art. And then
on middle of July, we're actually going to have Walter
Wick will be here in person, and he will be
signing books, and he'll be doing a talk and gallery talk.
(12:34):
And then my favorite thing that I'm really looking forward
to is on July nineteenth, he's doing a talk for
kids about his journey of becoming an artist, and he'll
have advice for some of the young artists in the audience,
and again he'll be signing books. So it would be
I think, a great event for the whole for all ages.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Really, kids are out of school. You need something to
do with them that's kind of educational, but you want
to make sure that it's interactive as well. I mean,
if you are listening and you have not seen the
I Spy books, they are so much fun and even
as an adult, I could sit there staring at those
for hours.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah. And actually, the funny thing is, I think this
is not a show that's just for the kids, as
you rightly say, And I think some of the people
who are enjoying looking at the work are grown ups.
And you know, all of us as grown ups, we
don't really get much opportunity in our life to kind
of explore and just you know, kind of relive some
of those moments from childhood, whether it's making art and
(13:33):
trying your hand with you know, different kinds of art making,
and even just looking at work that you know, kind
of excites your imagination. And that's really what the show
is all about.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
What else is on display at the museum right now?
I know you've got the I Spy exhibit, obviously Norman
Rockwell's post covers and a lot of other works of his,
But you mentioned you do have other exhibits. What else
can people see?
Speaker 2 (13:55):
We have one other small exhibit which is only available
for the next year. It's an installation of work by
Norman Rockwell that was done under the auspices of a
basically a work for hire, and it was for a
company that was producing the Edison Mosque light bulb. And
(14:19):
that company, you know, it's Ge so. Ge was the
inventor of the I guess, first commercially available light bulb,
and Ge this is you know, back in the nineteen twenties,
had this idea that they should ask some of the
most foremost American illustrators to kind of, you know, make
(14:41):
images that told people why they should buy light bulbs
and why electricity as opposed to gas lamp lights and lanterns,
was the way to go for the future. And so
there are approximately let's say, like ten eight to ten paintings,
some by Norman Rockwell that you really have never seen.
They've never been a on a public view and they
(15:02):
talk about the importance of electricity. And there's some beautiful,
very painterly works where you can see Norman Rockwell being
inspired by the Dutch masters like Fermire or even Rembrandt.
And there are really works that you would I think,
(15:24):
you know, would never have the opportunity to see. So
I it's called the Masters of Light Exhibition, and it's
something really special. So I really give that a big
thumbs up. And it's funny to think about an artist
who's you know, appreciated and I think revered as Rockwell
doing something that is as commonplace as making advertisements. And
(15:47):
you know, many American artists in the first half of
the twentieth century, this is before photography was really the
main way that products were advertised. And so you see
the painting that inspired the advertisements, and you see that
these are like real paintings with you know, gold frames
on them, and they get photographed and shrunk down and
(16:08):
presented in a magazine and they were just you know,
like eight and a half by eleven, but they started
out as you know, oil paintings. And that was that exhibition,
I think for me, was the biggest surprise of everything,
of anything I've seen so far in my tenure at
the museum.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
It kind of reminds me. I was at the Museum
of the Moving Image a few weeks ago in New
York City and they have this incredible Jim Henson exhibit,
and I know it's a little bit different obviously than
paintings by Norman Rockwell, But I don't think a lot
of people know that Jim Henson for the first few
years of his career was doing advertisements. You know, he
was doing little commercials and things like that, and little
(16:46):
short films for advertisements for coffee and all this other stuff.
And I think it's kind of normal for some artists
that some big artists that we've known to kind of
get their feet wet in that way and kind of
developed their style. So that's really interesting to me. Again,
I didn't know that Norman Rockwell did, adds, but I'm
looking at the all's right, says the light painting with
(17:08):
a beautiful lamp. And I mean, you've got to go
to the museum to go see this if you're listening.
But it's really quite something.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
I agree, and I think that you'll come away with
a deeper appreciation for what Rockwell did as an artist
and maybe also at the art of illustration. My colleague,
are chief curator, always talks about like what is illustration anyway,
and she has this great way of talking about it,
and she says that illustration is art that has a
(17:36):
job to do. And you know, Norman Rockwell made those
covers of the Saturday Evening Post because he had to
sell a magazine and because he wanted he wanted people
to take that magazine off the news stand, or he
wanted people to buy the Edison Massive light bulbs. And
it's quite extraordinary to see then, later on as his
(17:58):
career develops, see him taking these same communication and storytelling
skills and putting them towards you know, bigger themes, more
important themes like American themes of freedom or the civil
rights movement. And he took all of that understanding about
how to communicate directly with people, and how to change
minds and how to get people to act. And that's
(18:20):
really what illustration is all about. And that's why I
think those paintings of you know, as you mentioned the
freedom of speech, or one that people know very well,
freedom from want, which is the painting that looks like
Thanksgiving supper. And these are works that really stay in
our heads because we remember them because he was able
(18:40):
to create these images that are kind of how we
remember and know these very fundamental American values. When I
think about Thanksgiving, I have that image in my head.
Or when I think about the importance of freedom of speech,
I think about that painting by Norman Rockwell with the
ma and standing up and you know, all at the
(19:02):
town meeting and everybody listening to him, because we don't
do enough of that right now, you know, we don't
always really listen to one another, especially when somebody is
saying something that we don't necessarily agree with. And that painting,
I think is kind of a model for how not
only a town should work, but like how our culture
in our country should work. And those are instilling the
(19:24):
values that we all share, yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Core American values. It doesn't matter what side of the
aisle you're on. And you bring up a really good
point in that Norman Rockwell people might think of him
as oh, this old you know, painter, illustrator, Fuddy dundy
sort of guy. A lot of his work is very
relevant even today. I mean not just the civil rights
the civil rights grouping of portraits that he did, but
(19:49):
so many of his works could very well be seen
I think today as contemporary in a way.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Yeah, one hundred percent. And I think, you know, the
idea of you know, this program that we have about
celebrating America and using Rockwell and music to kind of
appreciate what makes our country really unique and what values
do we have, and how we have to not only
you know, know those values and teach them, which is
(20:19):
our educational mission, but also we have to hold tight
to those values. And you know, we've worked very hard
to make sure that the museum is a nonpartisan, that
this is a place where people with all different opinions
should come in and you know, feel that they're seen
and that they can relate to Norman Rockwell because he
is I think an artist that many people can connect with,
(20:42):
and that's very powerful.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
You're in Stockbridge, and it's gorgeous out there. Berkshire's beautiful
this time of year. But if people listening here in
eastern Massachusetts might not be able to get out to
the museum that easily. I noticed you have a virtual exhibition,
so tell us a little bit about what that involves.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
So we have something called It's Virtual Exhibition, and we
actually use this with schools, So if any of your
listeners are teachers, we have also launched a virtual field trip,
which is kind of replicates the experience of going to
the museum for schools that couldn't otherwise, you know, get
the buses to get here, or take the time to
(21:19):
be here, or maybe they don't live close to Norman
Rockwell Museum. And this goes for people as well, who
you know, are interested in learning more. We have this
virtual experience which is a deep dive. It's called Imagining Freedom,
and it is an exhibition that follows the kind of
(21:41):
evolution of Norman Rockwell's paintings that focus on the Four
Freedoms and it tells the story. And this is a
little bit of background, but I think it's interesting the
Four Freedoms. You know, we're actually initially talked about by
President Roosevelt, and in nineteen forty one, kind of before
(22:03):
the war started, before Pearl Harbor, he had made a
speech to the nation where he kind of tried out
this idea of for freedoms. And the reason he wanted
to do that, and this is really what this exhibition
talks about, is that he knew that America would soon
have to enter the war and he wanted Americans to
be very mindful of the freedoms that they would be
(22:25):
fighting for because he knew that we would eventually have
to join what was in the World War that was
already started. And then Pearl Harbor happened in the United
States States entered the war, and these paintings, which are
the kind of cornerstone of this exhibition, were the way
I think many Americans learned about why it was important
(22:46):
to fight for our country. And they actually also went
on tour by the federal government and they were used
as the images of them were used to sell war
bonds for the war, and so they raised really in
contemporary terms like over a billion dollars to help the
(23:07):
United States war effort. And this exhibition kind of chronicles
Rockwell's work with the Four Freedoms. How these ideas evolved
and how Rockwell himself also evolved, and you see in
this exhibition that folks can access from home. They will
learn how Rockwell also left the Saturday evening posts and
(23:29):
started working for another magazine called Look Magazine, where he
could really explore more contemporary issues that he was really
interested in. And this is in the sixties. Times were changing,
and he makes works such as The Golden Rule, which
is a very famous work by Rockwell, which kind of
presents a very humane and I would say, beautiful message
(23:51):
about the Golden Rule that you do unto others as
you would have done to you. And I could have
said that more eloquently, so excuse me, but you got
the idea I do. And it's a painting that brings
together all different kinds of people from all walks of life.
And that was really a direction that rock Will evolved into.
(24:11):
And this exhibition kind of chronicles that those changes that
happened over the decades from the nineteen thirties all the
way through to the end of his life in the
eighties then seventies, using Wow nineteen seventy eight.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
There is so much I've got to get out there
to Stockbridge. But if somebody wants to a come to
your Fourth of July event or b wants to come visit,
tell us all we need to know about doing so.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
So everything at our museum is available on our website.
We sell tickets on the website. You can also you
can register for this event if you like, or you
can just show up so you can decide at the
last minute. You don't have to make plans and advance.
But if you wanted to, say, take a tour of
(24:57):
Norman Rockwell's studio, which is one of the one of
the things I should have mentioned earlier, Norman rock cloth
actual art studio is available to visit as part of
a tour at the museum. So any of these experiences
that we've talked about you can learn more about on
our website, including the virtual experience. And so we really
(25:17):
think about Norman Rockwell Museum as a fun of fully
integrated virtual and in person experience. And whether you can
visit us in person or you can visit us online,
I think there's a lot of rich content and resources
for you.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Well, Catherine, this has been such an experience. Thank you
for the education, Thank you for the time. It has
been really good talking to you and I hope you
have a great event and a wonderful summer out at
the museum.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Thank you, Nicole, this is great. Thank you everybody, and
please come. We can't wait to see you off.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join us again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com