STOCKBRIDGE, MASS.- Norman Rockwell Museum announces the honoring of illustrator Murray Tinkelman as its 2014 Artist Laureate. Mr. Tinkelman is an award-winning artist and illustration historian, whose work is on view at the Museum through June 15, 2014, in the exhibition, “Baseball, Rodeos and Automobiles: The Art of Murray Tinkelman.” The award will be presented to the illustrator during a special ceremony to be held at the Museum on Saturday, June 14, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.; the wine and cheese reception follows a special sock hop and classic car rally to take place from 1 to 5 p.m., also inspired by the artist’s work.

“We are honored to award our 2014 Artist Laureate Award to Murray Tinkelman,” says Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO, Laurie Norton Moffatt. “An accomplished artist with a style rendered in meticulous, nearly photographic detail, Murray has had a major impact on the education of an illustrator over the past half century. Additionally, he has helped to shape the illustration mission of Norman Rockwell Museum in deeply meaningful ways.”

The Museum’s Deputy Director, Stephanie Plunkett, who organized the recent exhibition adds that, “Murray has inspired generations of illustrators at Parson’s School of Design, Syracuse University, and at the Hartford Art School, where he has established highly regarded graduate and undergraduate programs. His remarkable work as an illustration historian and scholar has educated many, including the Museum’s staff, who have greatly benefitting from his wisdom and knowledge for more than 20 years.”

Murray Tinkelman is an award-winning artist, who has received illustration’s highest honors from the Society of Illustrators, the Art Directors Club of New York, and the Society of Publications Designers. His intricate pen and ink drawings have appeared in many publications, including “Atlantic Monthly,” “The New York Times,” and “The Washington Post,” and he has created numerous artworks for the National Park Service and the U.S. Air Force. His work is represented in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, Delaware Art Museum, the International Photography Hall of Fame & Museum, New Britain Museum of American Art, and Norman Rockwell Museum.