Norman Rockwell Exhibit

This past weekend our family had a chance to go to an exhibit at the King of Prussia Mall called Rockwell's America: Celebrating the Art of Norman Rockwell. I had no idea malls had art exhibits. While the it did not have any of his original paintings the post covers were printed from, they did have over 300 original Saturday Evening Post covers. The truly wonderful part of the exhibit was how it was designed so that the whole family could have an enjoyable, educational time. Well, maybe the wonderful part was that kids 12 and under are FREE! (Adults were $5.)

After watching a short film about Rockwell, the curtain opens to Rockwell's paintings in 3 dimensional. My daughter said, "You felt like you were right in the painting!" Unlike most art exhibits, the kids can touch everything. They got to sit in a Model T Ford, attend an old fashioned schoolhouse and work along side Rosie the Riveter. JP did get a little confused at the Christmas scene and wanted to open a present, but he was a good sport about it. It was sweet to see my husband explain the Four Freedoms to my daughter. It was as much about history as it was about art. There were also many photo opportunities, sure wish I had Catherine's photography skills. The lighting was not the best for my idiot proof camera.

Rockwell's paintings are a favorite of mine. People say it is a myth he is painting, but I think his paintings are very realistic. The paintings do not tell the whole American story, but they tell the sweet, good, innocent parts. They capture a snapshot, a moment in time created in a different era in our history. An era where there was more innocence and children were free to roam about town. However, it was also an era of prejudice, where he was told by the Post not to include African Americans in his illustrations, so it is a very white depiction of America. Despite our flaws, I think America is a great country, and Norman Rockwell a great American artist.

I highly recommend this as a field trip, but hurry because the exhibit ends March 14, 2010. Also, I recommend eating at Ruby's Diner in the mall because it has a Americana 5os flare that goes perfect with Rockwell, and the kids are well entertained by the train running on a track attached to ceiling.

Here is a list of books I was able to get from my local library and also found useful for enhancing our visit:

Norman Rockwell Painting America, DVD of An American Masters series (for adults NOT the kids)

Norman Rockwell: Storyteller with a Brush by Beverly Gherman

*Rockwell: A Boy and His Dog by Loren Spiotta-DiMare - My kids loved this sweet historical fiction.

*Norman Rockwell by Mike Venezia - Getting To Know The World's Greatest Artist series

The Best of Norman Rockwell: A Celebration of 100 Years selected by Tom Rockwell (Great colored pictures of his work)

You're a Grand Old Flag by George M Cohan with pictures by Norman Rockwell

*Ones your kids will relate to the most.

More Ideas on What to Do With Your Child's Artwork

How Does She Do It blogger has a great list of ideas on how to display your child's artwork.

Here is a link to our last post on what to do with all the precious artwork.

What to Do With All That Artwork?

Common Mom problem - What to do with all that precious artwork?
Here are some ideas:

Beyond the Refrigerator Door

Postcard Gift Pack

Art Cards

Family Calendar

Off-the-Wall Art Strip
This idea would be better applied to laminated art prints, otherwise you could go through a lot of Velcro. Not to mention the Velcro would damage the child's artwork.

Masterpiece Theater
Ever-changing Art Museum Scroll down to this title, it is the one with the red art frames. We want to try this one first! I love the simplicity and the idea of re-using something.-(This is my favorite article on art storage)

From IKEA we purchased 4 magnet strips that run across the walk in our kitchen, which works great for a quick post. My husband often gets frustrated when he knocks them down, so that is a downside. Cannot find it on their website, but they sell them in the Home Organization section in the MartketPlace by the office supplies. They cost us $ .99 when we bought it, and they came with 4 magnets. (see photo)

The smaller 3 D works of art we keep on the high bookshelves for a season. Then we take a picture and depose of it - or - be put it in their treasure box.

Keepsake Portfolio - Gradually buying one for each kid. I write the year on each tab. This if just for the keepers - not ALL of their art :-) You can purchase these at Lakeshore, look for their sales. (see photo)

Can you add your idea to the list?

We love the kids' artwork, but we try not to tie our hearts to objects. So, we like to take a picture of our child holding the artwork before we toss it or pass it along. We never toss it without asking (unless they a too tiny to care). There is just not space to keep it all, so do not feel guilty for moving on and lighting the load. Another hard, but great life lesson!