Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge

If there is anyone that captured the 20th century with a masterful eye, it would have to be Norman Rockwell. Rockwell took the Saturday Evening Post and elevated the covers to high art. In the lower level, all of the covers are displayed with a looping video. The museum also does a fantastic job of setting aside an area for students in the surrounding towns to share their works. On the main floor, the varied topics that captured all that is Americana at the time took into consideration the melting pot of ideas and peoples. Working from photographs, Rockwell took those images and created a unifying image that stirred the soul. The four freedoms proclaimed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt are captured masterfully: the freedom of speech and expression, the freedom to worship God in his own way, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. The varied collection from The Runaway to The Problem We All Live With are both subtle and direct in the message conveyed. This museum curates exhibits of different artists and also contemporary artists and provides an exhibition for their work. The gift shop is a great place to end your visit. If you are around during the spring/summer months then you will have the opportunity to visit Rockwell’s original studio across the way from the entrance to the museum.

Pretty neat place to visit, you actually get to learn Rockwell's painting techniques, get to see his studio, and painstaking process of producing such detailed paintings. Place is easy to find, however, be aware, it will feel like you are in long island NY, given the usual crowd and insane prices for coffee and snacks in town, so bring your own lunch, unless you enjoy paying $20 for simple BLT (avocado adds extra $3) coffee requires a deposit of your first born. Plenty of parking, which is the only free thing in Berkshires. I'm sort of a devil's advocate here....