online exhibition | world nativities
A 2020 Advent Calendar
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, instead of the usual in-person experience, Glencairn Museum’s annual World Nativities exhibition will take place online for all to enjoy. Every day, from December 1 through December 25, a new Nativity scene from Glencairn’s collection will appear in our online Advent calendar (below). Original settings for many of the Nativities have been created by Bryn Athyn artist Kathleen Glenn Pitcairn. Follow Glencairn’s social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr) to receive each day’s Nativity in your newsfeed. In addition, we also offer on our website Do You See What I See: Imagery in Nativity Scenes, our online resource about the history and iconography of the Nativity tradition. For a full list of all of Glencairn’s 2020 Christmas offerings, click here.
Beginning on December 1, click on the Nativities below to see closeup photos, learn about the history and imagery of each one and the artists who made them, and explore “zoomable” photos of the Nativities on Glencairn’s Google Arts & Culture page. (You may need to hit “refresh” if you don’t see today’s Nativity.)
