By Jennifer Ciotta

A trip to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts proves to be well worth the drive.  Over 100,000 Rockwell items are on display including: letters, photographs, Saturday Evening Post covers and other cherished works of art.  Representing American life was the subject matter for the artist; therefore, it is fitting that his museum is located in an old, white farmhouse-like building surrounded by trees of brilliant autumn colors.  The famed exhibition, The Four Freedoms, shows Americas World War II efforts, by depicting Roosevelt's speech where he mentions: the freedom of speech; worship and the freedoms from want and fear.  Other gallery highlights include paintings of Rockwells time spent in Stockbridge, Vermont and New Rochelle. 

An upcoming exhibit is Norman Rockwell's 323 Saturday Evening Post Covers.  On display are the 321 covers he painted for the publication from 1916 to 1963, including his premiere piece, and the famed 1960 cover after John F. Kennedy's assassination.  Other artists' works can be viewed here as well.  Another exhibition is National Geographic: The Art of Exploration, a collection of vivid, lifelike paintings of the natural world.  Represented artists include: Andrew Wyeth; James Gurney; Charles Knight; Tom Lovell; and Pierre Mion. 

Teachers can benefit from the museum by giving their students a self-guided tour with provided materials or enlisting a tour guide.  The names of tours are: Narrative and Nuance for language arts; Art and Inspiration for studio arts; and Moments in History for social studies/history classes.  November through April, there are advanced tours for art students in high school and college; a tour lasts two hours.  Peter Rockwell's sculptures, Norman's son, graze on the museums grounds.  A store for buying prints, toys, games, postcards, books, videos and collectibles is on the premises as well. 

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