Glen Canyon Dam, Norman Rockwell (1969)



“In the rigid back of John Lane, the drooping shoulders of his son, the fixed glare of his wife, even the bewildered expression of the dog, Rockwell painted not only the dam, but more significantly, the Indians’ condemning reaction to it.”  So I wrote in my book, Hidden in Plain Sight: The Other People in Norman Rockwell's America. And now this powerful painting is finally out of the closet and on display.

Norman Rockwell was one of 40 American artists who were commissioned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation in the late 1960s to create works inspired by its water reclamation projects. In October of 1969, Rockwell arrived in Page, Arizona with his wife Molly, and toured the area with the Bureau’s public relations team; according to public affairs officer Will Rusho, the artist asked “where’s some human interest,” when presented with the idea to paint the dam. Rusho drove the Rockwells out onto the reservation, where they met Navajo John Lane and his family, who are depicted in the final illustration.

John Lane Family with Will Rusho









 Those who commissioned Glen Canyon Dam didn't care much for the final product. It languished at a government facility in Page, Arizona until The Norman Rockwell Museum, prompted by a presentation I gave to its board of directors on Glen Canyon Dam and other "hidden in plain sight" social statements made by Norman Rockwell, arranged to borrow and display the illustration at the museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. I'm thrilled that I shall be going up to see it in November. Ah, the power of the pen.

Norman and Molly Rockwell at Glen Canyon Dam
For more information on the display of Glen Canyon Dam and on visiting the Norman Rockwell Museum, go to: