Community Calendar

The Norman Rockwell Museum is honored to present a rare series of early twentieth century lighting advertisements by Norman Rockwell and fellow Golden Age illustrators Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, Dean Cornwell, Stanley Arthurs, Worth Brehm, and Charles Chambers created for Edison Mazda Lamps, a division of the General Electric Company. These luminous, richly painted works were widely circulated in published advertisements through the 1920s and are on loan to the Museum for the first time through the generosity of GE Aerospace.

Join us for fun and interactive programming inspired by the art of Norman Rockwell and Walter Wick, creator of the I Spy books for children. Try your hand at making art inspired by these beloved illustrators. You’ll want to return again and again with a variety of fun and engaging experiences for the whole family; it’s the perfect way to spend some quality time together!

For more information, visit https://www.nrm.org/events/list/?tribe_eventcategory%5B0%5D=795&hide_subsequent_recurrences=1

Capture the beauty of the Berkshires in this beginner-friendly “plein air” soft pastel workshop set on the Museum’s picturesque grounds. Surrounded by sweeping views, historic architecture, and vibrant late-summer landscapes, participants will explore pastel application techniques, composition, and color blending in an outdoor setting. All materials provided; no experience necessary.

Instructor: Caren Kinne, Manager of Learning & Engagement, Norman Rockwell Museum and practicing artist. Caren holds a BFA in Painting and a master’s in art education. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally.

Rain Date: Saturday September 20 at 1:00 – 2:30pm.

For more information, visit https://www.nrm.org/events/from-nature-to-paper-beginner-pastel-workshop/

Artists: Marianne Connolly and Rebecca Muller
Start Date: September 4, 2025
End Date: September 27, 2025
Reception Date: Thursday, September 4, 5–7:00 pm
Art Forum Online: September 18, 7:30 pm
Location name: Gallery A3
Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 2–7:00 pm
Address: 28 Amity St. 1D, Amherst, MA
City/Town: Amherst
Website: www.gallerya3.com
Description/info:
In Counterspells, Marianne Connolly works with intimately-scaled photography and hand-cut, hand-pasted collage, exploring familiar themes of nests, light, and winged beings while experimenting with new materials and methods. In Concatenations, Rebecca Muller exhibits several series of large-format photopolymer etchings and small groupings of mixed media assemblages composed of disparate matter and debris.

“New Songs for an Old Poet” is a series of four concerts spanning July through December 2025. Organized by long-time Valley vocalist Peter W. Shea, who is also the principal performer, the series presents an enormous variety of songs, all of them musical settings of the great nineteenth-century German-Jewish poet Heinrich Heine, whose verses have been set to music more than any other poet. All are works that Shea has in some way helped to bring into the world, either by suggestion, commission, or premiere, as part of his thirty- year project on Heine and the music his poetry continues to inspire.

“The Parting Summer” showcases the music of composer and pianist Kaeza Fearn, a former resident of the Pioneer Valley who now lives on Cape Cod. The major work is her song cycle “Der scheidende Sommer” (The Parting Summer) for voice and piano, based on a group of sixteen poems about a love affair with a woman named Kitty. In 1834 Heine sent a dozen of them to a composer friend, who unfortunately thought they were merely a joke. This inspired Shea to commission Fearn to write a complete, modern musical setting of Kitty’s story in 2006. The resulting song cycle was premiered by Shea and Monica Jakuc Leverett in 2009 on Fearn’s graduate composition recital at The Hartt School in West Hartford, CT. This will be its fifth performance. The other works on the concert include two stand-alone songs, the toy piano suite “A Day in the Life of a Toy Piano,” commissioned by Jakuc Leverett in 2015, and two short piano pieces performed by the composer.

Take a guided walking tour of downtown Stockbridge and discover how the town and its inhabitants both inspired Norman Rockwell and appeared in some of his most iconic works of art. Explore the history of this 1734 village–including its Mohican origins.

Stops will include Norman Rockwell’s home on South Street, his first studio on Main Street, the Old Corner House (site of the original Norman Rockwell Museum), Chief John Konkapot’s property, the Red Lion Inn, the former site of Alice’s Restaurant, and more! 

These tours do not take place at the Museum. Tour groups will meet in front of The Old Corner House, 48 Main Street. Transportation to Main Street from the Museum is not provided. Event is rain or shine.

Meet in front of The Old Corner House, 48 Main Street; public on street parking, or designated spaces at Town Hall. Tour route is mostly flat, and on sidewalks.  

Part concert, part puppet show, part ghost story. This 45-minute multimedia performance reimagines classic literary monsters through queer, musical shadow theater. Join ensemble Shadow, Sound, Spectacle for a fresh perspective on the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Mary Shelley, Emily Dickinson, Anne Rice, and others, told through live music, shadow puppetry, video, and narrative. All are welcome, but recommended for adults and teens. Q&A to follow. This program is supported by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library and grants from the Holyoke Local Cultural Council, Newton Cultural Council, and Springfield Cultural Council, local councils that are supported by the Mass Cultural Council.

Get ready for a magical evening with the return of the Lotus Festival hosted by the Desai Foundation!

Hosted at the beautiful Omni Seaport Hotel, this year's Lotus Festival is sure to be something special, as we celebrate an incredible milestone of 10 MILLION lives impacted through our health, livelihood, and menstrual equity programs in rural India!

Join us for an evening of inspiration, entertainment, networking, and dancing with a seated dinner, open bar, and a fun-filled and purposeful auction! All proceeds raised will support the programming of the Desai Foundation empowering women and children in India.

Tickets sell out each year, so be sure to get yours before they're gone!

Get ready for a high-energy night of global grooves and fiddle fire! The Gaslight Tinkers blend African, Caribbean, funk, reggae, and Latin rhythms with New England and Celtic fiddle traditions, creating an irresistible, danceable sound. Praised by The Valley Advocate as “music that fizzes and pops with unexpected textures and turns,” the band’s shows burst with joy, surprises, and top-notch musicianship.

Opening the night, Sammy and Brothers weave traditional African styles from the Democratic Republic of Congo and East Africa with acoustic arrangements and uplifting, message-driven songwriting. This family quartet’s harmonies and heartfelt performances radiate peace and joy.

Pure Soul flavored with Rock and Jazz. Live Music held on the Becket Arts Center lawn. Bring a chair, a picnic, friends or just yourself. Held outdoors on the Becket Arts Center lawn (Rain location: Becket Federated Church)