The Octagon Center for the Arts is presenting the lithographs of renowned 20th century artist, Norman Rockwell, from Jan. 17 to Feb. 21.

The display premiered Sunday afternoon, and is part of a traveling exhibition services program in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences at Eastern Washington University.

When the Octagon received the opportunity to host this exhibit, organizers gladly accepted.

“We felt Norman Rockwell would be a popular artist that could attract both adults and children,” Executive Director Patrice Beam said. “We want a large crowd. We want everyone to come to the Octagon and feel comfortable with the art that we have.”

As part of the exhibit’s opening activities last Sunday, John Cunnally, associate professor of art at Iowa State, presented a program titled “Norman Rockwell: Anachronist or Modernist?”

“The American realists took as their favorite subject matter ordinary Americans, often the poor and working class, with detailed, un-idealized depictions of their habitats,” Cunnally said in a recent press release. “For this they were denounced as socialists and anarchists. It was Rockwell’s task to take this radical style and make it the ‘official’ style of American Illustration.”

In 1943, Rockwell’s studio caught fire and destroyed many of his original oils. More than 20 years later he was urged to reproduce some of his earlier works as lithographs, or prints.

The lithographs seen in this exhibit are a result of this long and hard reproduction process, which was supervised by Rockwell.

Throughout his life (1894 to 1978), Rockwell’s art was seen on the covers of many publications, including the “Saturday Evening Post” and “Look Magazine.”

His keen observations and distinct commenting helped him precisely record events that were stirring and prevailing moods in the American scene.

The Octagon Center for the Arts is located at 427 Douglas Ave. in Ames. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 2 to 5 p.m. Admission is always free.