CORNING, NY.- The Rockwell Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, unveiled its 2025 theme: Color! This year-long celebration will explore the significance of color in art, science, and culture, offering visitors a chance to engage deeply with the vibrant hues, shades, and tones that shape our world.

“Color is more than just a visual experience--it is a powerful element of creative expression that artists use to ignite conversations, provoke emotions, and inspire new perspectives,” said Executive Director Erin M. Coe. “The Rockwell Museum’s 2025 theme goes beyond the aesthetic, delving into the scientific and cultural dimensions of color. In my first year in this leadership role at The Rockwell, I’m excited by this theme, which is very topical, while being accessible to diverse audiences.”

Throughout 2025, The Rockwell Museum invites visitors to reflect on their personal connections to color. What does color mean to you? How do artists harness color to convey emotion and tell stories? These questions and more will be explored through a dynamic lineup of exhibitions and programs designed to immerse audiences in the world of color.

2025 Exhibition Calendar

The Rockwell’s year-long exploration of color includes a dynamic lineup of exhibitions, including several that showcase the Museum’s growing collection, including new acquisitions and works that are typically in storage.

Annual Theme Gallery: Think Pink!
Opened on January 14, 2025

Bubblegum, cotton candy, grapefruit, and salmon all have one thing in common: Pink! In honor of the 2025 theme, see the Members’ Gallery through rose-colored glasses. Drawn from the permanent collection, this intimate installation features nine works that celebrate the way artists across time have utilized this tint to convey a range of emotions.

Minna Citron: Color and Shape
January 17 – March 24, 2025

Highlighting a recent major acquisition of works on paper, The Rockwell Museum explores the use of color and shape in the abstract work of painter and printmaker Minna Citron (American, 1896-1991). A core group of 16 prints, donated to the Museum by Christiane H. Citron, celebrate the artist’s embrace of chance and improvisation to uncover deeper psychological truths in her imagery.

Dusk ‘til Dawn: The Color of Night
February 7 - May 12, 2025

Dark blues, bright yellows, and white stars fill 30 artworks filling the Spotlight Gallery this spring. Drawn from the permanent collection and featuring works by artists such as Frederic Remington (1861-1909) and Kay Walkingstick (b. 1935), this exhibition investigates the ways artists have captured the changing sky from sunset to sunrise. Lit by fire or twinkling electric lights, this exhibition invites viewers to take in the color of night.

Antigravity 2025: Fast Colors Make a Slow Eye by Anna Warfield
March 28, 2025 – March 2026

The 7th annual Antigravity installation features contemporary artist Anna Warfield’s serious, yet seriously whimsical investigations of identity and language. Using soft sculpture and quilting techniques, the artist draws viewers in and calls them to action to create a better world for us all. In collaboration with the Corning Museum of Glass’ Hot Shop, Warfield will spend her residency week in Corning reimagining The Rockwell Rotunda as well as creating new glass works in Corning.

Anna Warfield (she/they, b. 1995) is visual artist and poet based in Binghamton, New York. Her predominantly text-based fiber sculptures consider unlearning and identity.

Color Play at the Art Lab
May 24 - September 7, 2025

Visit the KIDS ROCKWELL Art Lab to play and explore colorful art in all its shades and tints! Color Play invites young visitors to get creative through play-based activities, nurturing curiosity and supporting early arts education. The exhibition will include the first-time installation of an Everbright, providing an open-ended creative experience that is accessible to visitors of all ages.

Rockwell Refracted: Colorful Selections from the Permanent Collection
May 23 - September 8, 2025 (Member Preview May 21)

From the icy green hues of a Frederic Remington painting to a black-on-black print by Glenn Ligon, artists employ color to engage our eye and draw us into a work of art. Rockwell Refracted: Colorful Selections from the Permanent Collection will explore the myriad ways artists use color to sway our emotions, tell a story, or reflect our innermost selves. Highlighting 50 works from three centuries of American art, Rockwell Refracted offers a deep dive into the many meanings of color.

Robert Weingarten | Palettes
September 26, 2025 – January 5, 2026

Photographer Robert Weingarten (b. 1941) reveals the color palettes and studio artifacts of 44 of the most celebrated contemporary artists of our time, including as Chuck Close (1940-1921), Eric Fischl (b. 1948), Jasper Johns (b. 1930), Laura Owens (b. 1970), and Ed Ruscha (b. 1937). Robert Weingarten's large-scale photographs take us inside the mind of the artist. Divorcing himself from conventional portraiture, he places the artist’s environment and its periphery at the forefront of artistic creation.