- The first 250th event countywide was the lecture in Sheffield, Sunday, January 18, 2026, “Women of the Revolution” by Carole Owens. The first 250th event in Stockbridge was Saturday, January 24, 2026, A Day in Revolutionary Stockbridge.
If you missed them both, watch this space – there will be more events throughout the year all over the county. (Owens will be at Arrowhead on June 24, and Ventfort Hall July 7 telling stories about the people and the politics of the Berkshires during the Revolution. Ollie will present special programs.)
- Despite the cold weather, the American Revolution program came to Stockbridge.
The Mission House wase set up as a tavern for the day; tea, hot chocolate, and baked goods available.
Dennis Picard discussed 18th century food and the challenges of provisioning the Continental army
At Proctor Hall, Bidwell staff discussed cooking and domestic material culture ell House Museum.
First Person Interpretation, 10:00 am-1:30 pm
Theodore Sedgwick preparing for the Elizabeth Freeman case (Library, Bement Room)
Anna Bingham and Abigail Dwight discussing 18th century tavern keeping and running a business as a woman (Red Lion Inn, small parlor)
Thomas Williams, highest ranking military officer from Stockbridge to die during the war, discussing the Siege of Boston and other military and local topics (various locales)
Timothy and Rhoda Edwards, storekeepers, Judge, Deacon, aunt and uncle of Aaron Burr (Mission House)
Members of the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment (various locales)
Noon – 2:00 pm
A demonstration of Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery featuring costumed educators from Fort Ticonderoga, including Henry Knox, and a non-iring reproduction cannon (Stockbridge Library)
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Stockbridge Committee of Safety court scenario (Library Lobby)
3:00-4:00 pm
Talk by Gregg Duffek and JoAnn Schedler, Mohican Veterans (Library, Bement Room)
Program in partnerships with the Trustees of Reservations, The Red Lion Inn, Bidwell House, and the Berkshire Historical Society; and support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Mass Humanities, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, and the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area.
There were two changes due to the cold. The oxen from Fort Ticonderoga and the sheep from Prado del Lana (along with wool-related activities) will no longer be happening. The program with the educators from Fort Ticonderoga will now be held indoors at the Stockbridge Library in the Bement Room. The rest of the day remains the same!
- Norman Rockwell Museum announces 2026
As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Norman Rockwell Museum will unveil an ambitious, multifaceted 2026 program of exhibitions, events, and creative workshops that invite visitors to explore — and imagine — America’s journey through art and visual storytelling.
“The year 2026 invites us to reflect on how our nation has evolved and to imagine the future we hope to build,” said Museum CEO and Director Laurie Norton Moffatt. “Spanning heroic historical painting and inventive comic-strip art, NRM’s exhibitions and programs will illuminate the shared human experience at the heart of American life, moving from the iconic to the innovative.”
In the year ahead, Norman Rockwell Museum asserts its role as a vital cultural hub—one that honors the past while embracing new forms of storytelling, from the grand sweep of history in American Stories: From Revolution to Rockwell, to witty, insightful imagination in Exploring Calvin and Hobbes. With accompanying workshops, talks, and guided tours, the season promises meaningful engagement for art lovers, families, history buffs, and curious creators alike.
“As we mark the 250th anniversary of the formation of our nation,” reflected Norton Moffatt, “we invite visitors not just to look back — but to take stock of the present and look ahead: at who we’ve been, who we are, and who we might become, through the storytelling lens of American illustration art.”
2026 marks an important moment in the history of the Norman Rockwell Museum, ushering in a year of transition with the announced retirement of longtime Director and CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt and the selection of a new leader by the Museum’s Board of Trustees.
American Stories: From Revolution to Rockwell
June 6 – October 26, 2026
Commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, the Norman Museum will present a sweeping, once-in-a-generation exhibition. Spanning more than two centuries of visual culture, American Stories brings together over 150 powerful works from the Revolutionary era through the modern day—including paintings, prints, book illustrations, posters, advertisements, and digital media—to trace how artists have reflected and shaped what it means to be American. Organized around a series of foundational chapters, the exhibition explores the evolving ideals, struggles, and aspirations that define the nation’s story. The exhibition will occupy nearly all of the Museum’s exhibition space. From early engravings by printers Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin—created amid revolutionary fervor and rapid advances in print technology—to the rise of 19th-century visual journalism, 20th-century illustration, and today’s digitally driven image culture, the exhibition traces how artists have documented events, expressed ideals, influenced thought, and debated the meaning of America itself. Tackling the visual histories of both real and mythical American moments, this exhibition explores enduring questions about the land we inhabit, and whose stories are told, and shares visions of equality, industry, conflict, and hope. While much has changed over the course of this country’s history, on constant remains: the images Americans create and share reflect and shape a powerful portrait of the nation and ourselves.
