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Media contacts: Kim Schuette: 614.297.2314 or kschuette@ohiohistory.org
For Immediate Release
Rockwell's America Opens Nov.1
Ohio Historical Center Presents World’s Largest Rockwell Exhibit
(COLUMBUS, OH) - Step back in time and see America through the eyes of one of its most recognized and loved artists, Norman Rockwell. Touch, feel, and see how Americans lived in the early to mid 1900s as you explore life-sized recreations of Rockwell's famous The Saturday Evening Post magazine covers. The Ohio Historical Center in Columbus will present Rockwell’s America, the world’s largest Norman Rockwell exhibit-and the only interactive one-created by Baltimore-based The Becker Group, for four months. The exhibit opens on Nov. 1 and continues through March 1, 2009.
Experience and learn about the changing times and technologies in America through life-sized, three-dimensional versions of Rockwell's Saturday Evening Post covers. Fifteen theatrical environments based on some of Rockwell's most famous art feature scenes from America's history frozen in time, allowing visitors to become part of the past. Explore the artist's studio, travel to "Main Street" featuring "The Gossips," pose next to "Rosie the Riveter" and sit in a WWII army jeep, or go on your first date at "The Soda Jerk." Each charming re-creation is coupled with multimedia experiences, live character interpretation and is a family photo opportunity just waiting to happen.
"Rockwell's America is a unique exhibition where families can experience the imaginative world of Norman Rockwell together," said Roger Norfleet, who leads the project team. "Guests literally become part of history in this interactive exhibit capturing a slice of Americana. What's great is that Rockwell created his paintings to reflect what was going on at the time. His work had to be relevant—it was meant to sell magazines, after all.—so experiencing it today really is stepping into the world of the past."
"Because The Saturday Evening Post was Norman Rockwell's showcase for more than 40 years, he had an audience larger than that of any other artist in history. As a result, everyone seems to have a favorite Norman Rockwell Post illustration," said Connie Bodner, director of education and interpretation services for the Ohio Historical Society. "This exhibit hits every one of them. In addition to the 6,600 square feet of interactive environments, there is also a gallery of all of Rockwell's 322 Saturday Evening Post covers. I think visitors will have great fun looking for their favorites and finding new ones. It makes the art accessible and provides opportunities for friends and families to talk about it."
Rockwell the Artist
At the tender age of 22, Rockwell sold his first cover painting in 1916 to America's oldest magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, and ended up doing more than 300 additional covers for the magazine. Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, Kennedy, and Johnson sat for him for portraits, and he painted other world figures, including Nasser of Egypt and Nehru of India.
The weekly magazine was first published in 1728 by 22-year-old Benjamin Franklin and started as the Pennsylvania Gazette, one of five regular publications in the colonies. Purchased in 1897 by Cyrus H. Curtis, The Saturday Evening Post rose to the coveted status of "America’s Magazine" by showcasing the best American writers, artists and illustrators of the 20th Century.
Rockwell was tuned in to social change, which gave him a connection to people from other races and walks of life. In "Times of Change," the mood shifts toward the dramatic and serious where he confronts a changing world head on. "Rosie the Riveter" and the wartime adventures of Willy Gillis illustrate how the artist conveyed endurance, courage, hardship and hope. In this area of the exhibit, visitors come face to face with the Civil Rights movement in his landmark paintings, "The Problem We All Live With" and "The Four Freedoms."
In 1957, the United States Chamber of Commerce in Washington cited him as a Great Living American, saying, "Through the magic of your talent, the folks next door - their gentle sorrows, their modest joys - have enriched our own lives and given us new insight into our countrymen." He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work in 1977.
Currier & Ives Exhibition
Showing concurrently with Rockwell's America will be an exhibition of 19th-century Currier & Ives lithographs from the Christopher Collection, which is under the care of the Ohio Historical Society. As printmakers, Currier & Ives are credited with launching mass media in America and for putting art in the hands of ordinary people, thus setting the stage for illustrators like Norman Rockwell. The specific prints on exhibit will change throughout the four-month run, but included among them will be several by Fannie Palmer. The English-born Mrs. Palmer is often referenced as the "Norman Rockwell of the 19th century," based on her prodigious output of more than 200 works and their reproduction on millions of calendars and greeting cards.
Rockwell's America begins Nov. 1 and is on exhibition through March 1, 2009. Admission: $11 for adults, $10 for seniors (60+), $7 for youth (6-12), $3 for Ohio Historical Society members and free for children 5 and under. Price includes standard museum admission plus Rockwell’s America. Parking is $4 and free for OHS members. For more information, call 800.686.6124 or visit www.ohiohistory.org/rockwell.
Rockwell's America is produced by the Becker Group under license by Curtis Publishing. Local sponsors include AEP as Presenting Sponsor, AAA Ohio as Exhibit Sponsor and The Columbus Dispatch as Media Sponsor.
The Becker Group, a subsidiary of Viad Corp., is an experiential marketing company with over 50 years of experience creating immersive, entertaining attractions and brand-based experiences for a wide variety of clients and venues including top consumer brands, movie studios, retail centers, television networks, theme parks, museums and casinos around the globe. The award-winning company is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, and has offices in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Miami, Mexico City, Mexico and Sao Paulo, Brazil. For additional information, visit www.beckergroup.com. Curtis Publishing Company is the exclusive licensor of the over 4,000 cover illustrations by the Great American Illustrators that have appeared on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post and Country Gentleman magazines. For additional information, visit www.curtispublishing.com.
Curtis Publishing Company is the exclusive licensor of the over 4,000 cover illustrations by the Great American Illustrators that have appeared on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post and Country Gentleman magazines. For additional information, visit www.curtispublishing.com.
The Ohio Historical Center is one of 58 sites administered by The Ohio Historical Society, a nonprofit organization that serves as the state’s partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history, natural history and archaeology. For more information about programs and events, visit www.ohiohistory.org or call 800.686.6124.
Editor's Note: High-resolution photos of Rockwell's America, as well as a video of the exhibition, are available by clicking here, or by contacting Kim Schuette:
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