The residents of these quiet rural communities regard the stars as something to be cherished, yet perfectly ordinary-an agricultural expression of folk art, and as commonplace as eating pie. Complex, geometric, yet deceptively simple, these abstract representations of heavenly bodies once saturated the rural landscape, and now serve as cultural beacons of the robust and persistent presence of the Pennsylvania Dutch, who once settled and still maintain a strong presence in the region. Vibrant murals of stars, sunbursts, and moons painted in vivid colors punctuate the exteriors of the generously-proportioned barns of the Pennsylvania Dutch country in a manner that is unique among American artistic traditions. Nestled in the rolling hills and valleys of southeastern Pennsylvania, a cultural treasure lies hidden in plain sight. A printed copy of Hex Signs: Sacred and Celestial Symbolism in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars will be available for purchase for $10. We have made the full text available below ( or click here to download the pdf). Glencairn and the Heritage Center have also collaborated on a full catalogue for the Hex Signs exhibition. This is the second collaborative exhibition between Glencairn and the Heritage Center the first one, in 2017, was titled, Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Healing Rituals of the Dutch Country ( see here for exhibition catalogue). His folklife research blends language, traditions, and vernacular architecture.
Patrick Donmoyer is a fluent speaker of Pennsylvania Dutch and an advocate for regional folk culture. The Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University is a folklife museum and research center on the Kutztown campus. Donmoyer is the author of the exhibition catalogue and also of the 2013 book, Hex Signs: Myth and Meaning in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars. The guest curator is Patrick Donmoyer, director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University.
The exhibition 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.
In this issue of Glencairn Museum News we explore our current exhibition, Hex Signs: Sacred and Celestial Symbolism in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars (open through November 3, 2019).
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