BRYN ATHYN HISTORIC DISTRICT
The Museum ’ s annual Sacred Arts Festival introduces visitors to the notion of art as an expression of human faith . The Venerable Losang Samten once again constructed a traditional Tibetan Buddhist sand mandala during the week leading up to the festival , interacting throughout the week with students from the Academy Secondary Schools , Bryn Athyn College , and area schools . This event also provides an opportunity each spring for the Museum to promote Bryn Athyn College ’ s Building Arts program , with demonstrations in metal forging , glass painting , stone carving , and mosaics by some of the College program ’ s lead instructors . Other demonstrations included glassblower Jason Klein ( Historic Glassworks ), who once again remained on site after the festival for a busy week of programs for Bryn Athyn Church School , the Academy Secondary Schools , regional elementary schools , and homeschool groups , as well as a Glencairn first with Pennsylvania Dutch barn star painting by Patrick Donmoyer .
The Museum ended its event season with a new initiative , An Evening in the Cloister , designed to engage a new demographic with what the Museum can offer , and welcomed hundreds of visitors along with its partners within the Bryn Athyn Historic District at Landmarks in Lights . A June highlight , however , was hosting the banquet for the Swedenborg and the Arts Conference in Glencairn ’ s Great Hall , preceded by a specially designed self-guided tour of the key works in Glencairn ’ s collections by artists inspired by Swedenborg and his theological works .
Concert Series
Glencairn ’ s 2016-2017 concert series included performances by pianist Julian Gargiulo , violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn ( joined by pianist Louise Thomas and with special appearances of Luzerne Music Center Festival students , Malachi Ahlert , Sarah Martin , and Ellie Taylor ), the Wister Quartet , and two performances by Glencairn Museum ’ s Ensemble in Residence Les Canards Chantants , in addition to the 79 th Glencairn Christmas Sing . Bryn Athyn College also hosted Darlingside in a concert for students , alumni , and friends in Glencairn ’ s Great Hall /
The concert season included two intimate , preconcert Director ’ s Receptions to honor donors and patron-level members . In October , Julian Gargiulo , who plays regularly in such venues as Carnegie Hall , Moscow Conservatory Hall , Verona Philharmonic Hall ( Italy ), The Esplanade ( Singapore ), and the Seymour Theatre Centre ( Australia ) entertained guests with lively and humorous personal stories and insights into his performance style , while in May , Les Canards Chantants treated guests to up-close exclusive performance in Glencairn ’ s medieval gallery .
Membership In November , the Museum sponsored a Members Trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to visit the landmark exhibition , Jerusalem 1000 — 1400 : Every People Under Heaven . This exhibition , demonstrating Jerusalem ’ s role as a key source for medieval artistic inspiration , included two 12 th century stained glass panels on loan from Glencairn ’ s collection , A Triple Coronation and Crusaders Advance on Jerusalem ( both from the Abbey Church of St . Denis ). These two prominently-displayed panels were the only stained glass in the exhibition , which included 200 works of art from 60 lenders worldwide .
An on-site Members Event in March , Religion and Healing Practices , introduced members to the role of religion in the healing practices of three seemingly very different cultures : Pennsylvania Dutch , Ancient Egyptian , and Medieval Christian . Patrick Donmoyer , site director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center and curator of a temporary exhibition in Glencairn ’ s Upper Hall , Powwowing in Pennsylvania : Healing Rituals of the Dutch Country exhibition , offered members an introduction to the exhibition and healing practices of the Pennsylvania Dutch . Members then moved to the Museum ’ s Egyptian gallery to explore how Ancient Egyptians incorporated amulets and statuettes in their healing rituals , and learned how medieval Christians used herbs to cure and prevent illness .
Research and Publications Glencairn Museum News serves as an important means of sharing the Museum ’ s mission with over 5,000 subscribers through scholarly articles on works of art in Glencairn ’ s collections or about
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