"Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed." —Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) -- Image credit: Norman Rockwell working on <"Golden Rule" in his South Street, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, studio, 1960. Photo by Bill Scovill. Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, Niles, IL.

Created literally out of public demand, Norman Rockwell Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2009. Visit the Museum's Web site for more information: http://www.nrm.org -- Photo by Sarah Edwards. ©Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

A major retrospective of Norman Rockwell's work, "American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell" features some of the most iconic works that form the core of Norman Rockwell Museum's collection. Visit the Web site to learn more about the exhibition, and when to expect it in a town near you! -- Image credit: "No Swimming," Norman Rockwell, 1921 Oil on canvas, 25 1/4" x 22 1/4" Cover illustration for "The Saturday Evening Post," June 4, 1921 ©1921 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN From the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum

Among some of the more interesting objects found in the Museum's archives are a pair of vertical bifocals which Rockwell had custom-made by an eye doctor in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The artist wore them to paint, so that he could glance side to side from the reference to his canvas. The glasses were so unique that they were featured in a "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" cartoon back in the day.

Norman Rockwell's Stockbridge studio was moved from downtown Stockbridge to the current Museum property in 1986. Enjoy a virtual tour of the studio on the Museum's Web site. -- Image credit: Norman Rockwell entering his South Street, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, studio, 1966. Photo by Louie Lamone. Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, Niles, IL.

Norman Rockwell Museum offers an eclectic series of programs and events, which includes lectures, performances, and art workshops for both children and adults. -- Photo by Sarah Edwards. ©Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

Norman Rockwell models frequently visit the Museum to reconnect with the iconic work they posed for. Mary Whalen Leonard (shown in the video) posed for Rockwell's "Day in the Life of a Little Girl" and "Girl at Mirror," which are part of the Museum's permanent collection.

Norman Rockwell Museum's former building, The Old Corner House, was a historic building saved from demolition in the late 1960s. In 1969 it began featuring exhibitions on Stockbridge history, including artwork by Norman Rockwell. To accommodate its many visitors and precious artwork, the Museum made plans to move to the nearbly Linwood Estate, opening in 1994.The new building was created by noted architect Robert A.M. Stern, and includes a gallery specially created for Rockwell's iconic "Four Freedoms" paintings. Learn more about Stern's work: http://www.ramsa.com/ --

The Museum has featured the work of over 420 illustrators- from Maxfield Parrish to James Gurney. Take a look at the Museum's Web site to view some of its past exhibitions. -- Illustrator Steve Brodner sketches the 2008 presidential candidates during a visit to Norman Rockwell Museum. Photo by Rob Doane. ©Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

Educational materials created by Norman Rockwell Museum are utilized by schools both regionally and nationally. Norman Rockwell continues to inspire generations; "Freedom of Speech" is one of 40 works chosen to represent America's greatest art in the "Picturing America" exhibition, a project of the "We the People" program, funded through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/ -- "Freedom of Speech," Norman Rockwell. 1943. Oil on canvas, 45 3/4” x 35 1/2” Story illustration for "The Saturday Evening Post," February 20, 1943

Special programs at the Museum have included appearances by Ruby Bridges, whose experience as one of the first black children to attend a desegregated public school in the South, is believed to have inspired Norman Rockwell's 1964 painting "The Problem We All Live With." Ms. Bridges currently resides on Norman Rockwell Museum's board of trustees. Learn more:

In 2001 Norman Rockwell landed in the Guggenheim Museum through Norman Rockwell Museum's national touring exhibition "Norman Rockwell: Pictures for the American People." Visit the Museum's Web site to learn more about the Museum's ongoing traveling exhibition program. -- Image credit: "No Swimming," Norman Rockwell. 1921. Oil on canvas, 25 3/4” x 22 1/4” Cover illustration for "The Saturday Evening Post," June 4, 1921 ©1921 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN From the permanent collection of Norman Rockwell Museum

Read the recent "New York Times" article about Project NORMAN, The Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies, and the Museum's other exciting new initiatives. -- Photo: ©Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

Among Norman Rockwell's many admirers is film director Steven Spielberg, who serves on the Museum's board of directors, and generously contributed towards the establishment of the Museum's current building. "Norman Rockwell is so unique in his vision of the American way of life… Stockbridge, Rockwell's home, really has not changed. What better setting for a Rockwell museum than his own hometown." --Steven Spielberg, as told to "Life" __ FACT: Steven Spielberg recreated Norman Rockwell's "Freedom from Fear" for a scene in his 1987 movie "Empire of the Sun."