At $6.50 this place is a steal, and we even got more off with our AAA card. The exhibits have definitely been in place a while and there aren't many modern advancements, but the staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. All of the pieces displayed are originals and ordered chronologically.
A bit disappointing, No original artwork here, only framed magazine covers. However it was interesting and contained lots of Rockwell trivia.
Museum may be a little much but this gallery has a great display of Rockwell art and other pieces. If you're a fan or just enjoy history, it's must see.
The young lady working that day, (Catharine?), was charming and informative, about all things Rockwell.
Not so much a museum as a sales entity. Location is excellent, but one visit seems enough. The educational aspect seem a bit lacking.
Great museum overflowing with his works AND as a bonus, the staff is wonderful! They are very knowledgeable about his works. They gave us the backstory on several paintings and really topped off the experience. Plus the price is right! If you're in the area, this is a great stopover.
I started collecting prints of N.R.'s work a few years ago. I try to buy a print each time we visit the Berkshires. I was surprised to find this place while vacationing in Vermont. And they were having a sale! 20% on everything! The lady tending to the shop was also very helpful.
If one is familiar with his life and legend, this is the place to visit. His work from early on to the end is logically displayed and narrated.The adjacent store sells some of his works, but not in limited editions, mass produced.
We got to the museum before it opened and could not go inside. We could only see where the museum was and the studio. But, we had an anthology of the Rockwell paintings and really had a greater interest in the site.The grounds were being cleaned by some older gentlemen on scooters. The bus parking was marked but the car parking was not clearly shown. The location is in a huge groomed campus with nothing close by. Finding it was easy only after finding the signs within two blocks. The standard Birkshire maps are worthless as a guide, only showing a general direction. We had to stop at a gas station for help.
Our day visit to Rutland included a couple of hours at this location. We'd actually seen a Norman Rockwell show at our local art museum a couple of years ago, and my main curiosity was whether this spot had anything different to offer. Well, I was pleased to find their collect was much, much more extensive than the travelling show I'd seen. In addition to all the Post magazine covers, there's a rich trove of covers he did for other periodicals (Boy's Life, Life, etc.), lots of advertisements (Bran Flakes, Airlines, socks!), and a few original paintings. The range and depth of Rockwell as an artist is often disparaged by critics, but this exhibit fairly discounts those complaints. One might quibble about the facility itself; the museum is housed in what may once have been a barn, the partitions are peg-board, the lighting is cheap fluorescent that doesn't do justice to the work--but the work itself is glorious.If you want to take some Rockwell home with you, they have a stupendous gift shop where I'm imagining every one of his Post covers is reprinted as a poster, post card, plate, coffee mug, or some such.Be sure to present your AAA card at the desk and you'll get 50 cents off the cost of admission.