Norman Rockwell Museum of Vermont to close after decades

RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) — Norman Rockwell Museum of Vermont is planning to close its doors at the end of the year, almost half a century after its opening.

The museum recently reopened after being closed for months because of the pandemic. Business has been slow since the decline in tourism and travel during the last year, the Rutland Herald reported.

Co-owner Colleen Schreiber said that they are trying to sell their retail stock but there is no definitive closing date for now.

Schreiber also cited personal health concerns as a reason why they are closing the museum.

“We’re in our 80s,” Schreiber said. “We have our health issues and nobody to turn it over to.”

Currently, the museum owners are trying to find a new home for the art collection in Vermont before the official closing, which Schreiber said will be before the fall.

Schreiber said the museum had been open for more than 40 years and it housed 2,000 of Rockwell’s commercial art works.

“It would appear at this time there’s not a market for (the museum), which is a shame because the Norman Rockwell legacy is a Vermont signature,” said Lyle Jepson, executive director of the Chamber & Economic Development for the Rutland Region.

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