Renowned artist and illustrator Wendell Minor born in Aurora has been named Artist Laureate for 2018/2019 by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass..
Established in 2008, the Museum’s Artist Laureate Award honors the contributions of outstanding visual artists whose exceptional dedication to the Museum and its mission have guided and advanced the work of the institution. The award fosters an understanding and appreciation of the art of Norman Rockwell, the art of illustration, and the Norman Rockwell Museum’s continued leadership in the vanguard of preservation and interpretation of this important aspect of American visual culture.
Minor, who attended Greenman Elementary and Jefferson Junior High in Aurora, is a graduate of West Aurora High School, Class of 1962. He is a graduate of Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla.. He was a charter member in 2002 of the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame.
“The Artist Laureate is Norman Rockwell Museum’s highest honor, and I’m thrilled that Wendell Minor will be serving this important role,” said Laurie Norton Moffatt, Norman Rockwell Museum director and CEO. “The Award is bestowed upon an illustrator of lifetime distinction who has shaped the field of illustration and significantly advanced the mission of the Norman Rockwell Museum.”
As Artist Laureate, Minor will carry-on the Museum’s Student Passport Program which was initiated two years ago with the involvement of Artist Laureate Jerry Pinkney, who played a vital role in outreach engagement with Berkshire County region schools. Minor shared his excitement for continuing this direct artist-student contact by noting, “For me, there is no higher calling than sharing my love of this country, its natural beauty and its history – with the next generation.”
Minor has created cover illustrations for more than 2,000 works, including most of author David McCullough’s books, and titles by Jean Craighead, Robert Burleigh, Pat Conroy, Toni Morrison, Mary Higgins Clark, James Michener, and others. His portrait of Harry Truman for the cover of David McCullough’s Truman is in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C..
— Norman Rockwell Museum