Pops Peterson
In 2015, Berkshire-based artist and writer Pops Peterson debuted Reinventing Rockwell, a series of artworks reimagining mid-century illustrations by Norman Rockwell in a manner reflective of today’s times and social issues. Celebrating America’s rich diversity and embracing Rockwell’s sense of humanity, Peterson has created images that envision social change and express his desire for a positive, inclusive, and just world.
His artwork, “Freedom from What? (I Can’t Breathe)” has travelled across the world in Norman Rockwell: Reimagining Freedom. In 2020, the traveling exhibition came to a close at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. In conjunction with that show, the Museum also featured a solo exhibition of Peterson’s work, Rockwell Revisited.
The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination named Peterson its first Artist in Residence for which he lectures annually at the Fair Housing and Civil Rights Conference. His artwork, “Freedom from Shame,” inspired the Massachusetts Office on Disability’s statewide art competition, “Breaking Barriers,” which was presented in the Massachusetts State House in 2017.
Pops Peterson is also known for his multimedia presentations about his artistic journeys as well as the arts and civil rights. He has been presented at high schools and colleges as well as such community arts institutions as The Spencertown Academy, The Foundry, and The Norman Rockwell Museum. His latest presentation, "The Making of a Protest Artist," explores the nature of protest art through history.
His work has been featured in multiple publications including the New York Times and The Boston Globe. He has been featured in television and radio segments of CBS Sunday Morning, NPR and Boston’s WCVB-TV “Chronicle”. Launched at the High School of Music and Art in New York, Peterson’s artistic education continued at Pratt Institute and Columbia University. His writings have been published in Andy Warhol's Interview, Essence, The Village Voice and The New York Times, and he has authored stage plays and screenplays for television and film.
