Sept. 10, 2026
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The Rockwell Museum Celebrates 50 Years of Collecting American Art with ‘Rockwell Reframed’
The new book, available Sept. 25, showcases the collection through new scholarship and fresh insights
CORNING, NY — For the last five decades, The Rockwell Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, has served as a dynamic cultural anchor in New York’s Southern Tier, connecting audiences to the evolving story of the American experience. The Museum is marking its 50th anniversary with the publication of “Rockwell Reframed: 50 Years of Collecting American Art,” available Sept 25. The book demonstrates the breadth and diversity of the institution’s holdings through 50 works, featured with fresh insights, new scholarship, and striking photography. Together, they offer a reflective look into the Museum’s history and set the stage for its future.
Founded as The Rockwell-Corning Museum, the institution opened on November 13, 1976, to cultivate an appreciation for Western art alongside Native American textiles, basketry and pottery in downtown Corning, New York. “Rockwell Reframed” explores how that founding vision has expanded over the years through four thematic sections: Landscape, Storytelling, People and Journeys. Amanda Lett, curator of collections and exhibitions, and Katherine Banerjee, associate curator, author essays for each theme that are followed by descriptive entries with images of objects in the Museum’s collection.
The new publication also includes an institutional timeline that predates the Museum’s official opening by more than a decade, transporting readers to Rockwell Department Store where founders Robert “Bob” and Hertha Rockwell first displayed their burgeoning collection. The timeline details key acquisitions across five decades alongside milestone exhibitions and community programs. Executive Director Erin M. Coe expounds upon the institution’s history, evolution and impact in her essay, “Becoming the Rockwell: Fifty Years of Reinvention.” Contributions from a series of staff label projects offer additional insight into the Museum’s collection and impact.
“In each decade, The Rockwell Museum has embraced new ways to inspire, engage and serve as a vital cultural hub in New York’s Southern Tier,” said Coe. “At 50, we are reframing what a museum can be, committed to re-centering diverse perspectives in our storytelling and redefining the museum experience through innovative approaches to interpretive exploration. The Rockwell Museum’s 50th year is both a milestone and a launchpad.”
The publication’s first chapter, “Landscapes,” includes works that range from Hudson River School paintings to ceramic sculptures, demonstrating how the Museum’s collection explores the American experience and Western history. Albert Bierstadt’s “Mount Whitney” (c. 1877) is among the foundational works in The Rockwell Museum’s collection with its grand, sweeping vista of the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. In contrast, Judith Linhares’ “Drought” (1987) uses vivid colors to depict a horse traversing a landscape decimated by climate change. Jason Cytacki’s “See the U.S.A. (From Your Chevrolet)” (2010) critiques the artificial nature of modern landscapes with a turquoise truck sitting under a gray sky and surrounded by small toy trees and mountains that appear to be made of cardboard.
Emphasizing art’s power to convey history and foster connection, the publication’s chapter titled “Storytelling” features works such as Marie Watt’s “Blanket Stories: Western Door, Salt Sacks and Three Sisters” (c. 2017), a towering installation made of community-donated blankets symbolizing hope and care. Frederic Remington’s bronze sculpture “The Rattlesnake” (modeled 1905, cast prior to 1914) calls upon the viewer to imagine a cowboy’s next move after the horse he is riding recoils at the sight of a snake. The Rockwell family collected many works by Remington, including paintings and works on paper.
Several works featured in the publication’s third chapter, “People,” expand the voices represented in the history of American art with perspectives of Native American, Black and Latinx communities, as well as women and transgender individuals. Mary Abastenia Saint Leger Eberle’s “Little Mother” (1907) depicts a teenager carrying a toddler, representing an emotional load that was much too heavy yet common for adolescents to carry while their parents worked inside and outside of the home. Martine Gutierrez’s “Demons, Xochipilli ‘The Flower Prince’” (2018) comments on the artist’s Mesoamerican ancestry and cultural understandings of gender.
“Rockwell Reframed” closes with “Journeys,” an exploration of personal memory, identity and legacy. Radcliffe Bailey uses family photographs and symbolism to acknowledge ancestral struggle and resilience in “Until I Die / Minor Keys” (1997), while Hayden Haynes’ “Pretendian” (2024) employs humor to address Indigenous representation. Judith Lowry recalls a childhood memory with “In Family: Love’s Unbreakable Heaven.” The tryptic depicts the artist’s brother dancing in a Plains style Indian costume as she and her parents look on, a moment in which she considered her Native American and Euro-Australian identity.
“‘Rockwell Reframed’ stands as a testament to the care with which The Rockwell stewards its collection and to the shared effort required to interpret and present American art for presentand future generations,” said Coe. “Together, the featured works underscore the growth, depth and distinctive character of The Rockwell’s holdings, which have been shaped over decades by the generosity of donors, the leadership of trustees and the careful stewardship of staff.”
“Rockwell Reframed” is part of a year-long 50th-anniversary celebration honoring the Museum’s legacy while expanding its commitment to the public. The book will be available for purchase for $39.99 beginning Sept. 25 at The Rockwell Museum Store (111 Cedar Street, Corning, NY), and online at RockwellMuseum.org/Store.
“Rockwell Reframed: 50 Years of Collecting American Art” was published by The Rockwell Museum and generously supported by James B. Flaws and Marcia D. Weber.