STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Norman Rockwell Museum announced "Imprinted: Illustrating Race," an exhibition on view June 11 through Oct. 30, 2022. 

 

This special exhibition examines the role of published images in shaping attitudes toward race and culture. More than 150 works of art and artifacts of widely circulated illustrated imagery will be on view, produced from 1590 to today. 

 

According to a press release, the exhibition will explore harmful stereotypical racial representations that have been imprinted upon people through the mass publication of images and the resulting noxious impact on public perception about race. 

 

It culminates with the creative accomplishments of contemporary artists and publishers who have shifted the cultural narrative through the creation of positive, inclusive imagery emphasizing full agency and equity for all. 

 

A concurrent marquis installation debuts recent paintings by award-winning illustrator and author Kadir Nelson. Conceptualized and created during the COVID-19 pandemic, these works capture the artist's reflections on today's national and world events.

 

"Imprinted: Illustrating Race" is co-curated by guest Curator Robyn Phillips-Pendleton and the Museum's Deputy Director/Chief Curator, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett. Phillips-Pendleton is the Interim Director of the MFA in Illustration Practice program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and University of Delaware Professor of Visual Communications; she has written and spoken widely on the theme of this exhibition. They are joined by a distinguished panel of national advisors including 10 academic scholars, curators, and artists with expertise related to the focus of the exhibition's thesis.

 

"Published images hold powerful sway on shaping our cultural attitudes. Images can uplift, as Norman Rockwell's work did, and they also can be deployed to establish negative and demeaning attitudes, as often happened with intention during formative centuries of published images in the United States. As our nation redresses a renewed era of racial reckoning, it is important to examine how systems of publishing were used to form commonly held beliefs and attitudes. Published illustration had a role in framing the United States racial attitudes – it is also a powerful tool for reframing stereotypes and celebrating this country's strength in many cultural identities. We are grateful for the support of many partners, who are making this exhibition possible, from outstanding scholar contributors to our sponsors," said director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt.

 

Funding for the project is provided by Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw's Hearthland Foundation, Mellody Hobson and George Lucas; Major Sponsor Travelers, and from Sponsors Berkshire Bank, The Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation, Upper Housatonic Heritage Area, Mass Humanities with funding made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and additional support from TD Charitable Foundation for curriculum development, and Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund, for the catalogue.