Watch each panel from both days of the symposium.

Join us for this lively, in-depth exploration of the art, history, and cultural relevance of MAD—the long-running humor magazine and counter-culture touchstone that has attracted readers and spoken truth to power for more than seven decades. The evolution of MAD’s unique brand of subversive humor and its impact will be discussed by the illustrators, cartoonists, editors, writers, historians, and collectors whose deep knowledge of the subject and personal contributions have sustained the magazine’s notable legacy.

October 20-21, 2023

Organized by the Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and the American Theater for Puppetry Arts in Austerlitz, New York, this interdisciplinary symposium brings together artists, puppeteers, and scholars from across the humanities to explore the life, art and adventures of Tony Sarg (1880-1942), the charismatic illustrator, designer, puppeteer, and entrepreneur whose prolific career sheds light on the creative imagination and the ability of artists to inspire a collective sense of wonder and joy.

We were saddened at the Norman Rockwell Museum to recently learn of the passing of gifted illustrator, Istvan Banyai, whom we had the pleasure of working with.

Compelling conversations with illustrators, art directors, authors, and scholars will explore more than three hundred years of racial representation in published art and the role of mass-circulated imagery as a force in shaping public perception about people and groups of people. Presented in conjunction with Imprinted: Illustrating Race, the Museum’s current exhibition, this symposium will spark dialogue about the ways that art, advertising, and systems of publishing have helped to frame public opinion, and how the art of illustration is a force for change today.

Recordings of each session will be made available on or after September 28, 2022.

I’ve been enticed and excited by Bascove’s imagery ever since I first laid eyes on her signature book covers and jackets designed for publishers throughout the 1970s and 80s. Her emotionally-charged woodcuts, pen and brush drawings and hand-crafted gothic lettering grabbed my senses and intensified my interest. The books with her peerless illuminations revealing the essence of an author’s work were often put face-out on the shelves of my favorite bookselling haunts.

Opening June 11, 2022, Imprinted: Illustrating Raceexamines the role of published images in shaping attitudes toward race and culture. More than 100 works of art and artifacts of widely circulated illustrated imagery will be on view, produced from the late eighteenth century to today, which have an impact on public perception about race in the United States. The exhibition will explore stereotypical racial representations that have been imprinted upon us through the mass publication of images. It culminates with the creative accomplishments of contemporary artists and publishers who have shifted the cultural narrative through the creation of positive, inclusive imagery emphasizing full agency and equity for all.

WEEKENDS FOR ENCHANTED: A HISTORY OF FANTASY ILLUSTRATION
Friday and Saturday, October 22 and 23, 2021

Explore the art and history of fantasy illustration and the mythical, mystical, folkloric artworks by masterful artists who are leading the way in this popular genre. Often inspired by the fantastical in literature, fantasy art has been prominent through the centuries in medieval, mannerist, magic realist, romantic, and surrealist imagery. The field’s historical underpinnings and inspirations will be the subject of conversation by exhibition curator Jesse Kowalski as well as prominent practitioners whose art is featured in Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration.

This event is organized by the Appraisers Association.

September 20, 2021 1-2 p.m. EST
America’s most prominent twentieth-century illustrator, Norman Rockwell was revered by his public and reviled by many in the art world, but his paintings were made to last. Replaced at the turn of a page by a succession of magazine issues and illustrations, his visual narratives called the history of European art into play, employing classical painting methodology to weave contemporary tales inspired by everyday people and places. A cast of affable, exquisitely painted characters and a plethora of supporting details kept him and his audience engaged, and inspired belief by millions in the uniquely American vision that he conceived and continued to refine.