Wendell Minor, American Stories. Curated by Stephanie Plunkett

The Cornwall Library is delighted to present an exhibition of striking book jackets, original watercolor paintings, and related drawings by award-winning illustrator Wendell Minor, curated by Stephanie Plunkett, Chief Curator at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Minor has created almost every jacket for books by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough, and works by Jean Craighead George, Robert Burleigh, Pat Conroy, Larry McMurtry, and many others. The exhibition will also feature a selection of Minor’s original watercolor paintings for children’s books, including Pumpkin Heads; Cat, What Is That?; Buzz Aldrin: Reaching for the Moon; Everglades; and The Last Train.

Wendell Minor drew his way through childhood in Aurora, Illinois, inspired by America’s heartland and the richly illustrated magazines that were so much a part of life at the time, such as nature-themed favorites like Outdoor Life and Field & Stream. He also studied the vastly popular Saturday Evening Post, which showcased the work of Norman Rockwell.

Determined to forge a career as an artist, he sold his beloved 1955 Chevy to pursue his studies at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Florida.  He moved to New York in 1968 with little more than his portfolio in hand. Since then, his visual narratives and elegant designs have appeared on nearly two thousand book covers and scores of children’s books inspired by his love of art, history, science, and the natural world. In 2024, Minor was inducted into the prestigious Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame, and his work has been exhibited widely by Norman Rockwell Museum, Mazza Museum at Findlay University, and the New Britain Museum of American Art, among others.

Minor is a long-time resident of Washington, Connecticut.

The exhibition will be open through January 11, 2026.