This year, Gray chose to transition his propaganda poster assignment by asking his students to depict any one of The Four Freedoms from their unique viewpoint. Midwest Partners was interested to learn: what does Freedom of Speech look like to a teenager? As we soon learned, just like many adults - in fact, just like Norman Rockwell himself - the students found it difficult to translate these ideals into art, particularly Freedom from Want. Most of our student participants found it easiest to recreate Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Worship. 

In the course of participating in this project, students learned about the State of the Union Address given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941, where the idea of The Four Freedoms was first presented, as well as the importance of these ideals during World War II. They were also shown Norman Rockwell’s original paintings, and interpretations of those paintings created by a variety of artists, including Illinois photographer Maggie Meiners, whose work inspired “The Four Freedoms and Beyond” project.

While doing research for The Four Freedoms project, Midwest Partners learned of yet another bit of local history. From 1953-54 to the 1956-57 school years, Logan Junior High 8th grade classes received plaques for Outstanding Achievement in magazine sales for the Curtis Publishing Company. 

Curtis Publishing Company owned The Saturday Evening Post, and as many may know, The Post was the original publisher of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms. In fact, the four plaques the students received included bronze embossed images of each of The Four Freedoms. The plaques (below) are still hanging on the second floor of Logan School.

For a little bit of magazine history, in the early 1900s, through the development of “a multi-layered field organization and engaging the services of many thousands of adults and ‘boy salesmen,’ Curtis Publishing Company succeeded in having copies of The Saturday Evening Post delivered to every town and hamlet in the United States on Wednesday of each week.” Source: scripophily.net.

 Princeton, IL was not unlike the rest of the country in magazine distribution. In Princeton, 8th grade students at Logan Junior High were utilized as salesmen for the area, selling subscriptions to various Curtis publications to friends and family members.

• In 1953-54 school year, the class sold $1,317.15 in magazine subscriptions and received the image of Freedom of Speech on a plaque.

• In 1954-55 school year, the class sold $2,541.32 in magazine subscriptions and received the image of Freedom of Worship on a plaque.

• In 1955-56 school year, the class sold $2,770.21 in magazine subscriptions and received an image of Freedom from Want on a plaque.

• In 1956-57 school year, the class sold $2,344.32 in magazine subscriptions and received the image of Freedom from Fear on a plaque.

Given this unique connection, Midwest Partners thought it fitting to include Logan Junior High School 8th graders in this project to learn how their impressions of The Four Freedoms have changed in the nearly 70 years since these plaques were first received.

Their art, their interpretations of these ideals, exceeded our expectations. We heartily thank them, their teacher, David Gray, and the administration at Logan Junior High School for allowing their participation.

Generous financial support for The Four Freedoms and Beyond has been received from the Interactivity Foundation, the Illinois Humanities Council and Starved Rock Country Community Foundation.

Project partners include the Princeton Public Library, Open Prairie United Church of Christ, Freedom House, The Bureau County Historical Society, Voices from the Prairie, Festival 56 and the Princeton Theater Group, Flutes for Vets, First Christian Church, NCIARTworks, Princeton Public Arts Commission, Prairie Fox Books, Tri-County Opportunities Council, and a growing list of media, community service organizations, nonprofit groups and businesses in North Central Illinois.