"Tasha Tudor's Spirit of the Holidays" on view at Rockwell Museum

12:00AM / Monday, November 21, 2005Print Story | Email Story

Tasha Tudor's "Not a Creature Was Stirring"

Stockbridge - Throughout an illustrious career spanning seven decades, Tasha Tudor has delighted an international audience with her joyful writings and enchanting images. One of the most popular and beloved artists of our time, Tudor is the author of more than 20 books, has illustrated nearly 100, and has been the focus of many published works about her distinctive lifestyle, one that is reminiscent of life in the mid-19th century. This celebrated artist, now aged 90, is the subject of a unique holiday-themed exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum. "Tasha Tudor's Spirit of the Holidays" will be on view at the Museum from November 25, 2005 through February 5, 2006. The exhibition illuminates the season with charming, rarely seen examples of the artist's original art for greeting cards and children's books created for holiday celebrations - from Christmas to Valentine's Day and Easter. Original portraits of Tasha Tudor as a girl by her mother, Rosamond Tudor, delicate childhood drawings, original handwritten manuscripts, miniature doll cards, hand-decorated boxes and Easter eggs, photographs, and almost one hundred first-issue holiday cards dating from the early 1940s onward are among the heartwarming treasures to be enjoyed. Her art reflects the simple pleasures that can be had in life by savoring each passing season, celebrating special days, and cherishing the most fleeting moments. "Tasha Tudor's art and inspirational lifestyle holds special meaning for generations of readers throughout the year, but her holiday imagery brings the warmth of the season to life. We look forward to sharing outstanding original works and artifacts from two rarely exhibited collections with visitors to the Norman Rockwell Museum," notes curator of illustration art Stephanie Plunkett. Hallmark works from the collections of Jeanette Chandler Knazek and Gerald Knazek and Edward B. Hills will be on view. Tudor continues to produce her signature watercolors at her idyllic, rural Vermont farm, where she has cultivated an intimate world of her own making. The artist's studio is her kitchen, where she sits, balancing her work in her lap. Her appreciation for simpler times, in particular, American life during the 1830s, is reflected both in her lifestyle and in her illustrative style. Spinning and weaving flax into cloth, sewing her own period dresses, cooking on a wood-burning stove, milking goats, and hand-dipping candles to light her rooms, she also spends hours working in her vegetable and flower gardens and on illustrations for current projects. Tudor's lifestyle has always included significant time devoted to the enjoyment of holiday traditions she shares with family and friends. From the illustrations in her first published children's book, "Pumpkin Moonshine," Tudor has pursued her interest in depicting holiday stories and scenes. She has been the recipient of many awards, including two Caldecott Honors, for her delicate watercolor and ink illustrations that evoke the sentimentality of a bygone era. This exhibition has been made possible, in part, with support from Greylock Federal Credit Union, Roberts & Associates Realty, Inc., and Williams & Sons Country Store. A companion exhibition will be on view at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, the "Home of Little Women," in Concord, Massachusetts from November 26, 2005 through February 28, 2006. Beloved by generations of readers, "Little Women" was written and set at Orchard House in 1868; a century later, Tasha Tudor's illustrations graced the pages of this treasured work. Orchard House's exhibition will include Tudor's original watercolors from "Little Women," preliminary pencil drawings from A Round Dozen (Alcott anthology published posthumously in 1963), and a wide variety of Tudor sketches, prints, notecards, and related items based on her designs. Through December, Tudor family handicrafts will also enhance the traditional holiday dÃ©cor of the Alcott home, with 19th century costumed characters, Victorian games, songs, crafts, and recipes, and unique complimentary take-home gifts offered each weekend leading up to Christmas. The Tasha Tudor Experience: Programs And Events At Norman Rockwell Museum Exhibition Opening Reception Tasha Tudor's Spirit of the Holidays Friday, November 25, 4 to 6 p.m., Commentary by Winslow Tudor, the artist's grandson, and collector Jeanette Knazek, will begin at 4:30 p.m. Free for members, $12.50 other guests, children free. Tea with the Tudor Family Join special guests, artists Marjorie and Amy Tudor, for two exciting programs that will be imbued with the spirit of the holidays. These sweet and savory afternoon teas will take place in Linwood House, Norman Rockwell Museum's elegant 1859 Berkshire "cottage." Dundee cake and other homemade Tudor family favorites will be served, along with family tales and pointers for perfect tea etiquette. Participants are welcome to bring books for signing by members of the Tudor family. $25, $20 members. Reservations are recommended. St. Nicholas Tea with the Tudor Family Saturday, December 10, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Valentine's Tea with the Tudor Family Saturday, February 4, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Talk and Brunch The Art of Tasha Tudor: A Collector's Tour Sunday, January 15, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join art and ephemera collector Jeanette Knazek for an insightful look at Tasha Tudor's imagery, which has inspired her personal journey as a collector of the artist's work and related materials. A sumptuous brunch will include recipes from Tasha Tudor's Cookbook and Take Joy!, a special treat for body and soul. $30, $25 members. Reservations recommended. Art Comes Alive! Homespun Fun for Families Saturday, December 17, 1 to 4 p.m. Families are invited to explore Tasha Tudor's art during a lively, interactive gallery tour. Enjoy homespun tales with The Storycrafters and create a homemade doll or puppet inspired by the works on view. The program is free for adults with Museum admission and free for children. Companion Exhibition "Tasha Tudor's Spirit of the Holidays at Orchard House" November 26, 2005 through February 28, 2006. A unique exhibition co-sponsored with Norman Rockwell Museum at Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts featuring original watercolors of Tudor's illustrations for "Little Women" (1968), preliminary pencil drawings from A Round Dozen (Alcott anthology published posthumously in 1963), and related artwork and memorabilia. Tudor family handicrafts will enhance the traditional holiday dÃ©cor of the Alcott home through December, while special holiday activities are offered during the weekends leading up to Christmas. Exhibition included in regular admission fees; additional fee charged for Holiday Program Weekends, which are by reservation only. "Friends of the Alcotts" will receive temporary member benefits at Norman Rockwell Museum (20% discounted exhibi-., and Williams & Sons Country Stot admission plus Museum Shop discount) and Norman Rockwell Museum member benefits will be honored at Orchard House during the Tudor exhibition. For more information, please phone 978.369.4118, ext. 106, or visit Orchard House's Web site at www.louisamayalcott.org. Norman Rockwell Museum is open daily. General public admission is $12.50 for adults, $7 for students, and free for visitors 18 and under (four per adult). Kids Free Every Day is a gift to families from Country Curtains and the Red Lion Inn. On Wednesdays from November to May, senior citizens are admitted at half-price. The Museum is open daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May through October; from November through April, weekday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekend/holiday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gallery tours are available daily, beginning on the hour. Antenna Audio Tour of select paintings from the Museum's permanent Norman Rockwell collection is available. Rockwell's studio, located on the Museum grounds, is open May through October. For more information, the public is invited to call 413-298-4100, ext. 220. Visit the Museum's Web site at www.nrm.org.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Friends of Great Barrington Libraries Holiday Book Sale

12:15PM / Wednesday, December 17, 2025

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Friends of Great Barrington Libraries invite the community to shop their annual Holiday Good-as-New Book Sale, happening now through the end of the year at the Mason Library, 231 Main Street.

With hundreds of curated gently used books to choose from—fiction, nonfiction, children's favorites, gift-quality selections, cookbooks, and more—it's the perfect local stop for holiday gifting.

This year's sale is an addition to the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Stroll on this Saturday, Dec. 13, 3–8 PM. Visitors can swing by the Mason Library for early parking, browse the sale until 3:00 PM, then meet Pete the Cat on the front lawn before heading downtown for the Stroll's shopping, music, and festive eats.

Can't make the Holiday Stroll? The book sale is open during regular Mason Library hours throughout December.

Proceeds support free library programming and events for all ages.

View Full Story