African Americans in the paintings of Norman Rockwell

• Author:
• Subject: Arts
• Institution Name: WGBH
• Collection: WGBH Open Vault
• Grade Level:

• Abstract: Carmen Fields reports that the Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA is commemorating Black History Month by exhibiting Norman Rockwell's work featuring African Americans. Fields interviews Maureen Hart Hennessey (curator, Rockwell Museum) about Rockwell's paintings depicting events in the civil rights movement, including The Problem We All Live With and Murder in Mississippi. Fields notes that Rockwell did these paintings for Look Magazine in the 1960s. Fields and Hennessey discuss the portrayal of African Americans in Rockwell's earlier work for the Saturday Evening Post, including The Boy in the Dining Car. Hennessey talks about an African American family in Stockbridge who modeled for Rockwell. She notes that the children of the family modeled for the paintings, The Problem We All Live With and New Kids in the Neighborhood. Fields' report includes footage of tour guides at the museum talking about specific paintings during museum tours. This tape includes additional footage of the Rockwell Museum and of Rockwell's paintings. This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following item: Shirley Owens Hicks, Byron Rushing and Louis Elisa talk about cuts to the state budget. Black Caucus members oppose cuts to the state budget

• Languages: English
• Material Types: Primary Source
• Media Formats: Video, Text/HTML

• Conditions of Use: Custom License

  Free to view for educational use only. Copyright restrictions apply for all other uses.