STOCKBRIDGE, MASS.- Over the past 37 years, readers of The New Yorker have been enjoying cartoonist Roz Chasts signature style and wit. In her humorously poignant 2014 graphic memoir, Cant We Talk About Something More Pleasant? Chast delved into her personal life, chronicling her experiences dealing with the needs of her aging parents, and examining the nature of her relationship with them. The book, her first memoir, won best autobiography from the National Book Critics Circle, as well as recognition as a National Book Award finalist for non-fiction and outstanding cartoonist of the year from the National Cartoonists Society. Most recently, she received the prestigious Heinz Award for her uncompromising vision and creativity.
This summer, a new exhibit showcases the cartoonists gift for humor; Roz Chast: Cartoon Memoirs will be on view at
Norman Rockwell Museum from June 6 through October 26, 2015.
We are thrilled to be able to share Roz Chasts work with our visitors, notes Norman Rockwell Museum Deputy Director/Chief Curator, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, who curated the exhibition. Cartoon Memoirs will reveal the full range of Chasts talents as a cartoonist, visual storyteller, and observer of the world around her.
The art of Norman Rockwell and other illustration masters helps reflect and define who we are as a people, adds Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO, Laurie Norton Moffatt. Roz Chasts artwork reminds us, with humor, of our frailties and vulnerabilities, as Rockwell often did.
From her timelessly funny cartoons for The New Yorker and lively childrens picture books, to her intricately painted pysanka eggs and hand-made textiles, Roz Chast: Cartoon Memoirs will feature artworks representing the breadth of Chasts entire artistic career. A highlight of the exhibition will be nearly 120 original drawings from her award-winning memoir; Cant We Talk About Something More Pleasant? which tackles the sensitive subject of caring for the elderly, with thoughtful insight and humor. During the run of the exhibition, the Museum will offer a forum to explore this difficult topic through Chasts remarkable visual material, in addition to related programming.
I dont know what its like for other people, but I love seeing original artworks that have been reproduced in books and magazines, notes Chast. Its a total thrill because you can see the scale that the person is working, you can see the paper that they worked on, and you can see their mistakes and patches. I remember seeing the drawings of Charles Addams, and its just like seeing a movie star. I just love the cartooning medium. Its about storytelling and making other people laugh, which is really important to me.