WILMINGTON, DE.- In fall 2025, the Delaware Art Museum (DelArt) opened the Delaware debut of Imprinted: Illustrating Race, a landmark exhibition organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum and on view through March 1, 2026. Delaware is the first stop on the exhibition’s national tour, ahead of its presentation at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The exhibition examines how mass-produced, published imagery has shaped American attitudes toward race and culture for more than 300 years.

Works by Norman Rockwell anchor the exhibition and are presented in dialogue with historical and contemporary responses, deepening conversations around race, identity, and power in American visual culture. Recent public statements by Rockwell’s family emphasize that he stood for “compassion, inclusiveness, and justice for all,” and would be devastated to see his work used to justify persecution of immigrant communities and people of color. Within this context, the exhibition traces Rockwell’s artistic evolution—from early editorial work shaped by bias to the creation of powerful Civil Rights–era imagery that confronted racism and affirmed shared humanity.

The exhibition reflects DelArt’s mission to serve as a creative gathering place for Delaware and the region, using art to foster inclusion, collaboration, and civic dialogue. Developed in collaboration with scholars, curators, and artists, the exhibition’s thesis was shaped by guest curator Robyn Phillips-Pendleton, a Black female artist and University of Delaware professor whose scholarship has been central to reexamining American illustration through a more inclusive lens.

This work builds on Phillips-Pendleton’s earlier collaboration with DelArt during the 2021 reinstallation of the Museum’s American Illustration galleries. As DelArt Curator of American Art Heather Campbell Coyle notes, “we worked to expand the story of American art and illustration that we present,” acknowledging that “the vast majority of artists and subjects in the Museum’s illustration collection are white.” Through partnerships with contemporary illustrators, scholars, and community members, DelArt has continued to broaden its collection, including works by artists of color and images centered on African American experiences. Several of these works—such as illustrations depicting the Harlem Hellfighters—are on view for the first time.

Organized as a chronological journey, the exhibition begins with 19th-century imagery that reinforced racial stereotypes, then moves through moments of resistance and self-representation in the Negro Press and the Harlem Renaissance. It continues into the Civil Rights era, highlighting illustration as a tool for advocacy, and concludes with contemporary works that celebrate diversity and equity. While focused primarily on Black and African American representation, the exhibition also addresses the marginalization of Indigenous Americans, Asian Americans, and other ethnic and immigrant communities.

Featuring more than 200 works, Imprinted places Rockwell’s Civil Rights–era images within a sweeping survey of American illustration that includes artists such as Romare Bearden, Emory Douglas, Howard Pyle, and Loveis Wise. Contemporary artists Rudy Gutierrez, Kadir Nelson, and Tim O’Brien—each recently inducted into the Society of Illustrators’ 2025 Hall of Fame—are also featured, underscoring the exceptional caliber of artistry on view.

Public programming further extends the exhibition’s impact, including an upcoming University Night in which featured artist Rudy Gutierrez will present and discuss his work. Known for his vibrant, uplifting compositions, Gutierrez will present a multimedia talk on his work and creative practice, joined by his wife, acclaimed vocalist and songwriter DK Dyson. Designed to engage college students, academic communities, and the region’s artistic community, the evening will blend visual art with live vocals and instrumentation, creating an immersive experience reinforcing DelArt’s commitment to learning, dialogue, and direct engagement with the arts and artists whose work is shaping visual culture today.

At its core, the exhibition invites visitors to become more discerning viewers. “This exhibition challenges us to look closely at the images that surround us and consider how they shape what we believe,” says Molly Giordano, Executive Director of the Delaware Art Museum. “By pairing powerful works of art with interpretive experiences, public programs, and expanded educational initiatives, Imprinted creates meaningful opportunities for learning, reflection, and civic dialogue—especially for audiences who have historically been underrepresented in museum spaces.”

The exhibition concludes DelArt’s Year of the Illustrator, which began in the fall of 2024 with Jazz Age Illustration, and is presented as part of a special partnership between the Delaware Art Museum and the Norman Rockwell Museum. As part of this reciprocal loan exchange, Jazz Age Illustration is currently at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, while Imprinted is on view in Wilmington—further advancing both institutions’ shared commitment to expanding access to critical narratives in American illustration.