Friday, November 24, 2023–Sunday, January 28, 2024
12:00–4:30 pm
$5 Suggested donation
Exhibition access times can be pre-booked online at 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 pm
Exhibition access is included with the Christmas in the Castle guided tour.
Unavailable Mondays in January

Glencairn Museum’s annual World Nativities exhibition presents dozens of three-dimensional Nativity scenes collected from around the globe. For many Christians, the Nativity scene is a meaningful expression of religious faith, providing a compelling visual focus during the Christmas season. World Nativities shows how artists adapt the Nativity scene to represent their own spiritual, intellectual, cultural, and regional environments. Original settings for many of the Nativities have been created by Bryn Athyn artist Kathleen Glenn Pitcairn.

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Friday, November 26, 2021–Sunday, January 30, 2022

Ticketed timeslots are: 12:00, 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 pm
$5 per person suggested donation

Not available December 13 and 14, or 24, 25, and 26. Closed Mondays beginning January 10.
Reservations are recommended, walk-ins accommodated as possible.

Glencairn Museum’s annual World Nativities exhibition presents dozens of three-dimensional Nativity scenes collected from around the globe. For many Christians the Nativity scene is a meaningful expression of religious faith, providing a compelling visual focus during the Christmas season. World Nativities shows how artists adapt the Nativity scene to represent their own spiritual, intellectual, cultural, and regional environments. Settings for the Nativities have been created by Bryn Athyn artist Kathleen Glenn Pitcairn.

Entry to the World Nativities exhibition is included with admission to the Christmas in the Castle tour.

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CURRENTLY THIS EXHIBITION IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE THROUGH OUR “DISCOVER GLENCAIRN” TOUR. CLICK HERE TO PLAN YOUR VISIT. YOU ARE ALSO INVITED TO SEE OUR ONLINE EXHIBIT AT GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE.

Saturday, February 29, 2020 ­– Sunday, November 8, 2020
Tuesday, January 19, 2021 - Sunday, October 31, 2021

Sacred Adornment: Jewelry as Belief in Ancient Egypt, a stunning new exhibition at Glencairn Museum, explores how jewelry in the Museum’s collection was used by the ancient Egyptians to adorn, to protect, and to express devotion to the divine. By examining the materials and symbols present in these ornaments, we can come away with a deeper understanding of the complex ideas that guided the artists, as well as the hopes and beliefs of those who wore this jewelry in ancient times.

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Friday, November 29 — Sunday, January 5
Daily 12:00 — 4:30 pm
December 26, 27, 28, and 29 10:00 am — 4:30 pm
Closed December 9-10, 24-25 

Suggested donation $5 per person

Glencairn Museum’s annual World Nativities exhibition presents dozens of three-dimensional Nativity scenes collected from around the world. For many centuries the story of the birth of Jesus Christ has been depicted through the creative lens of artists from a wide variety of spiritual, intellectual, and cultural backgrounds. This year World Nativities features the historic Jennie Trein Christmas putz (Nativity scene) from the Moravian Historical Society in Nazareth, Pennsylvania; Nativities on loan from the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Connecticut; and outstanding examples from Glencairn’s own growing collection. Settings for the Nativities have been created by Bryn Athyn artist Kathleen Glenn Pitcairn.

Friday, March 1 through Sunday, November 3, 2019

Sunday, April 28, 1:00 - 5:00 pm, during the Sacred Arts Festival
Tuesday-Friday with 2:30 pm tour or by appointment
Weekends 1:00 - 4:30 pm, self-guided by donation
Admission included with guided tours and events

Explores themes of sacred and celestial imagery in the traditional arts of the Pennsylvania Dutch, with special emphasis on the decorated barns of Southeastern Pennsylvania. This exhibition, which features actual examples of barn stars, decorated objects, and related images, is guest curated  by Patrick Donmoyer, director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University. Donmoyer is the author of Hex Signs: Myth and Meaning in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars (2013). The Heritage Center and Glencairn Museum have collaborated on a full catalog for the Glencairn exhibition. 

Friday, November 23 through Sunday, January 6
Daily 12:00 - 4:30 PM
Closed December 10-11, 24-25

Suggested donation $5 per person

This year Glencairn Museum celebrates the ten-year anniversary of our annual World Nativities exhibition. Dozens of three-dimensional Nativity scenes from around the world reveal how artists adapt the Nativity story to represent their own spiritual, intellectual, cultural, and regional environments. Settings for the Nativities have been created by Bryn Athyn artist Kathleen Glenn Pitcairn.

Sunday, April 22 through Sunday, November 4, 2018

Sunday, April 22, 1:00 - 5:00 pm, during the Sacred Arts Festival
Sunday, October 28, 1:00 - 5:00 pm, during the Medieval Festival
Tuesday-Friday with 2:30 pm tour or by appointment
Admission included with guided tours and events
Weekends 1:00 - 4:30 pm, self-guided by donation

Closed Sunday, April 29, due to the Posaune Decouple trombone concert; Saturday, May 26, due to the Les Canards Chantants concert; and Wednesday, July 4 due to Independence Day

Paintings and drawings by Nishan Yardumian (1947-1986), artist and fine arts instructor in Bryn Athyn, illustrating our shared human experiences as spiritual beings.

Glencairn Museum News has published an article about the exhibition here. A handout (pdf) with the relevant passages from the Bible and quotations by the artist is here.

Saturday, February 10 through Sunday, April 8, 2018

Tuesday-Friday with 2:30 pm tour or by appointment
Admission included with guided tours and events
Walk-ins welcome on weekends 1:00 - 4:30 pm, by donation

Closed Sunday, March 18, due to the Elizabeth Pitcairn violin concert, and Sunday, April 1, due to Easter

Three Easter dioramas were made in the 1920s for the Pitcairn family by Winfred S. Hyatt, the principal stained-glass artist and designer for Bryn Athyn Cathedral and Glencairn.

Friday, November 24, 2017 through Sunday, January 7, 2018

Daily 12 to 4:30 PM
Closed December 11-12, 24-25

PLEASE NOTE: Glencairn Museum is closed Thursday, January 4, due to inclement winter weather.

Suggested donation $5 per person (includes both exhibitions).

Why is Joseph often shown holding a candle or lantern? Why are there usually three wise men, when the Bible specifies no exact number? Artists who depict the Christmas story rely on theological and artistic tradition, as well as their own imaginations. This exhibition explores the origins of the various elements that make up a Nativity scene.

Friday, November 24, 2017 through Sunday, January 7, 2018

Daily 12:00 - 4:30 PM
Closed December 11-12, 24-25

PLEASE NOTE: Glencairn Museum is closed Thursday, January 4, due to inclement winter weather.

Suggested donation $5 per person (includes both exhibitions).

Glencairn Museum’s World Nativities exhibition presents dozens of three-dimensional Nativity scenes collected from around the world. For many Christians the Nativity scene is a meaningful expression of religious faith, providing a compelling visual focus during the Christmas season. World Nativities shows how artisans adapt the Nativity scene to represent their own spiritual, intellectual, cultural and regional environments. This year the exhibition features Nativities from the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Connecticut, and examples from Glencairn’s own growing collection.

Saturday, February 18 through Sunday, October 29, 2017

Tuesday-Friday with 2:30 pm tour or by appointment
Weekends 1:00 - 4:30 pm (walk-ins welcome)
Sunday, April 23, 1:00 - 5:00 pm
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 - 5:00 pm

Donations welcome. Included in tour, Sacred Arts Festival and Medieval Festival admission.

Daily 12:00 - 4:30 PM
Closed December 12-13, 24-25

Suggested donation $5 per person (includes both exhibitions).

Glencairn Museum’s World Nativities exhibition presents dozens of three-dimensional Nativity scenes collected from around the world. For many Christians the Nativity scene is a meaningful expression of religious faith, providing a compelling visual focus during the Christmas season. World Nativities shows how artisans adapt the Nativity scene to represent their own spiritual, intellectual, cultural and regional environments. Each year the exhibition features Nativities borrowed from other museums and from Glencairn’s growing collection.

Daily 12:00 - 4:30 PM
Closed December 12-13, 24-25

Suggested donation $5 per person (includes both exhibitions).

How was Christmas celebrated in southeastern Pennsylvania during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? What traditions were observed in the city of Philadelphia, and in rural Pennsylvania Dutch communities? This holiday exhibition features vintage objects and images from the National Christmas Center and Museum (Lancaster County) and the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University (Berks County).

Tuesday-Friday with 2:30 pm tour or by appointment
Weekends 1:00 - 4:30 PM
Sunday, October 23, 1:00 - 5:00 pm

Donations welcome. Included in tour and Medieval Festival admission.

Daily 12 to 4:30 PM
Closed December 14-15, 24-25

Suggested donation $5/person (includes both exhibitions)

This exhibition reveals how Christmas was celebrated in a variety of countries during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Objects and images from the collection of the National Christmas Center and Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania illustrate Christmas customs in many European countries including France, Germany, the Netherlands and Russia, as well as in eastern Pennsylvania.

Image: Père Noël is the French equivalent of the American Santa Claus. He wears a long, hooded robe edged with white fur, and carries presents in a basket like those used by grape harvesters. This papier-mâché figure of Père Noël served as a candy container. On loan from the National Christmas Center and Museum. © Glencairn Museum

Daily 12:00 to 4:30 PM
Closed December 14-15, 24-25

Suggested donation $5/person (includes both exhibitions)

Presents dozens of three-dimensional Nativity scenes, collected from around the world. For many Christians the Nativity scene is a meaningful expression of religious faith, providing a compelling visual focus during the Christmas season. World Nativities reveals how artisans have adapted the Nativity scene to represent their own national, regional, and local cultures. Nativities are often crafted from whatever materials are locally available, such as clay, grass, cornhusks, bark, gourds, and even coconuts. Settings for the Nativities have been created by Bryn Athyn artisan Kathleen Glenn Pitcairn.

Tuesday-Friday with 2:30 pm tour or by appointment
Weekends 1:00 - 4:30 PM

Donations welcome.

Marc Chagall (1887–1985) has been called the quintessential Jewish artist of the 20th century, and one of the foremost visual interpreters of the Bible. Chagall said, “Since my early youth I have been fascinated by the Bible. It has always seemed to me and it seems to me still that it is the greatest source of poetry of all time. Since then I have sought this reflection in life and in art. The Bible is like an echo of nature and this secret I have tried to transmit.” 

Marc Chagall and the Bible includes etchings and lithographs of Chagall’s graphic works and historical posters. Etchings from his 1960 Bible series bring together the artist’s spirituality and childhood fantasy through the sophisticated artistry of a master printmaker. Also featured in this exhibition are brilliantly colored images from his 1956 and 1960 suites of Bible lithographs.

Tuesday-Friday with 2:30 pm tour or by appointment | Weekends 1:00 - 4:30 PM

Donations welcome.

This exhibition features textiles hand-stitched by the Cuna Indians along the Caribbean coast of Panama. Molas are reverse appliqué panels made for the front and back of blouses worn by Cuna women. Each mola in this exhibition illustrates a story from the Bible—from the Garden of Eden to the Ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. Molas probably originated with the custom of body painting, traditionally done by Cuna women as early as the 17th century. By the 19th century this painting was replaced by textiles, perhaps because Christian missionaries insisted that the Cuna wear clothing. 

Molas are made by women and female children, using only a needle, scissors and thimble. The Cuna have selectively adopted certain aspects of Western civilization, but continue to maintain their indigenous lifestyle and traditions. Many belong to thriving Christian congregations, and biblical themes are often depicted in their textiles.

The molas in this exhibition are on loan from the collection of Sandra and Bob Bowden.

12:00 - 4:30 PM Daily (closed December 15-16 and 24-25)

Included with guided tour admission; donations welcome for self-guided viewing.

PLEASE NOTE: The exhibition will close at 3:00 pm on Saturday, January 10, for a private event.

A Century of Santa: Images of Santa Claus in the 1800s presents the early history of Santa Claus in America, using rare magazine illustrations, store advertising, and children’s storybooks from the collection of the National Christmas Center and Museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Beginning with early gift givers such as the Christkindl (the Christ Child), the Belsnickel (who handed out gifts to good children but coal to naughty children), and Philadelphia’s own Kris Kringle, this exhibition will use both two- and three-dimensional images to trace the visual evolution of Santa throughout the Nineteenth Century.

12:00 - 4:30 PM Daily (closed December 15-16 and 24-25)

Included with guided tour admission; donations welcome for self-guided viewing.

PLEASE NOTE: The exhibition will close at 3:00 pm on Saturday, January 10, for a private event.

Glencairn Museum’s World Nativities exhibition presents dozens of three-dimensional Nativity scenes, collected from around the world. For many Christians the Nativity scene is a meaningful expression of religious faith, providing a compelling visual focus during the Christmas season. World Nativities reveals how artisans have adapted the Nativity scene to represent their own national, regional, and local cultures. Nativities are often crafted from whatever materials are locally available, such as clay, grass, cornhusks, bark, gourds, and even coconuts.

Glencairn’s own Nativity tradition dates to the 1920s, when Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn commissioned a large three-part Nativity for their home by craftsmen from the Bryn Athyn Studios. The Pitcairn Nativity has been displayed annually in Glencairn’s Upper Hall since the building was completed in 1939. In the 1950s the Pitcairns commissioned a similar Nativity for the Eisenhower family, which was placed beside the Christmas tree in the East Room of the White House.

Kathleen Glenn Pitcairn, an artisan who lives in Bryn Athyn, has provided artistic settings for nearly all of the Nativities.

Image: R. Michael Palan and Karen Loccisano, a husband-and-wife team of professional artists from New York, will exhibit their latest work in progress at Glencairn this year: a Nativity inspired by the paintings of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569) and his son (also named Pieter).

Tuesday through Friday with 2:30 PM tour or by appointment
Weekends 1:00 – 4:30 PM

Included with guided tour admission; weekend self-guided viewing donations welcome.

Raymond Pitcairn (1885-1966) is remembered primarily for his two remarkable architectural achievements: Bryn Athyn Cathedral, and Glencairn, the Bryn Athyn home he built for his family and art collections. It is less well known that Pitcairn had a lifelong interest in photography, becoming a serious amateur photographer in his early 20s. It was this hobby that led to his first architectural project—designing a photography studio across the street from Cairnwood, his childhood home. The studio, which still stands, included a darkroom and a large room with skylights for posing his subjects.

Glencairn Museum maintains a large archive of photographic prints and negatives—including thousands of glass negatives—documenting the Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn family, the construction of Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Glencairn, Glen Tonche (the family’s summer home in the Catskills), and many other subjects. All of the photographs in this exhibition are drawn from this remarkable collection.

Image: portrait of Mildred Glenn Pitcairn, c. 1910. © Glencairn Museum

Daily 12:00 to 4:30 PM | CLOSED December 16, 17, 24, and 25

Admission: Donations Welcome

Glencairn Museum’s fifth annual exhibition of Nativities from around the world includes dozens of sets on loan from the renowned Mepkin Abbey collection in South Carolina; the unveiling of an elaborate traditional Presepio handmade by professional artists Karen Loccisano and R. Michael Palan; and a large rotating German Christmas pyramid by Christian Ulbricht. This year we will exhibit 34 sets from 15 countries. Artistic settings for the Nativities have been created by Bryn Athyn artisan Kathleen Glenn Pitcairn.

Weekdays with guided tour or by appointment; Saturdays 1:00 to 4:30 PM

Donations Welcome.

The Way of the Cross, also known as the Stations of the Cross, is a series of fourteen artistic representations depicting events from the Passion of Jesus Christ. In Christian tradition the Stations, often arranged in sequence around the walls of a church, are used for prayer and meditation. In the early 1950s Thorsten Sigstedt (1884-1963), a Swedish woodcarver with a studio in Bryn Athyn, carved the Stations of the Cross for St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. Sigstedt had earlier won a Swedish national contest for the commission to carve the decorations on the royal ceremonial boat, Vasaorden, which is still used during royal weddings. 

Weekdays with guided tour or by appointment; Saturdays 1:00 – 4:30 PM

Admission: Donations welcome (included in tour admission).

In Greek, the word “eikon” means “image.” In the Orthodox tradition of Christianity, developed in the medieval eastern Mediterranean, “icon” took on a special meaning, describing images on wooden panels. In the modern creation of these images, Susan Kelly vonMedicus works in an unbroken tradition developed during the earliest centuries of Christianity. An icon is often called a “window into heaven,” because figuratively speaking the viewer is meant to look through it, that is, beyond the surface of the painting to the religious subjects depicted. In drawing parallels between these icons and medieval artworks from Glencairn’s collection, visitors to this exhibition can see how the past reaches forward into the present, and vice versa.

Hours: 12:00 to 4:30pm Mondays through Saturdays.
Sunday, December 2, 1:00 - 5:00pm during Glad Tidings: A Celebration of Christmas
Sunday, January 6, 2013, 10:00 - 2:00pm during the Epiphany Program
Museum closed other Sundays and December 17 - 18 and 24 - 25.

Admission: Donations Welcome

See how Christians around the world have adapted the Nativity scene to represent their own national, regional and local cultures, in our fourth annual exhibition featuring crèches from around the world. The three-dimensional Nativity scenes, made from local materials with regionally distinctive clothing, animals and structures, complement the Museum’s collection of Nativity art dating from medieval times through the early 20th century. “Follow the Star” includes crèches made in countries traditionally associated with production of Nativity sets, such as Germany, Italy, Poland and Latin America. It also includes some made in countries typically not associated with crèches, such as Tanzania, Cameroon, Egypt and Ethiopia.

Weekdays with guided tour or by appointment; Saturdays 1:00 to 4:30 pm.

Admission: Donations Welcome

Religious people communicate stories that are sacred to them by means of oral tradition, scripture, and myth. In some cultures these stories are brought to life by re-enacting them in rituals that have transformative power. In Ancient Egypt the myth of Osiris, a legendary king murdered by his evil brother, was re-enacted through the ritual of embalming, which transformed the mummy into a reborn Osiris. This exhibition will present religious rituals from a variety of cultures and time periods, carried out in order to recreate sacred stories for believers.