Glencairn Museum presents family Eastertide offerings

Glencairn Museum invites visitors to experience the Easter story through medieval works of art in its collection, view the 20th century diorama that was part of the Pitcairn family’s own private Easter celebrations and create beautiful Ukrainian Easter eggs in a workshop using traditional Pysanky dye and wax techniques.

The one-hour “Easter Art at Glencairn” guided tour—available year-round by appointment only—shows how the Easter story is illustrated through medieval works of art in stained glass, sculpture and painting from Glencairn’s collection. Key episodes from the biblical narrative highlighted on this tour include the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ into heaven.

The guided tour also shows visitors how Easter was celebrated at Glencairn by the Pitcairn family. Admission is $10 adults, $8 seniors 65+ and students with ID; half price for Basic members, free for Gold and Patron members and children 3 years and under. To book a tour: 267.502.2993 or leah.smith@glencairnmuseum.org.

A central feature of the family’s annual celebrations was the Pitcairn Family Easter Scenes, a trio of Easter dioramas created for the Pitcairns in the 1920s by Winfred S. Hyatt, principal stained-glass artist and designer for Bryn Athyn Cathedral and Glencairn. The scenes portray the Last Supper, the visit of the two Marys to the tomb of Jesus on Easter Sunday, and the resurrected Christ appearing to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee.

“These Easter scenes were originally made for Cairnwood, where the family resided until Glencairn was completed in 1939,” says Ed Gyllenhaal, the Museum’s curator. “The grandchildren remember coming to Glencairn to see the scenes with their parents each year, where they’d also receive family Easter baskets. They would then each pick out a flower, grown in the nursery at Cairnwood, to take to Bryn Athyn Cathedral on Easter Sunday.”

This year, an exhibition of the dioramas runs Saturday, February 10, through Sunday, April 8. Tuesday through Friday, the exhibition is available during the 2:30pm guided tour or by appointment, and admission is included with the tours and events. On the weekends, walk-ins are invited to view the dioramas and tour the Great Hall 1:00-4:30pm for a donation.

Please note: The Museum is closed to tours and walk-ins on March 18 for the Elizabeth Pitcairn concert, again on Easter Sunday, April 1, and on Mondays when the Museum is closed to visitors.

For those who like to take a hands-on approach to their Easter celebrations, Glencairn’s immensely popular Pysanky Workshop returns this year on Saturday, March 24, for two sessions, 9:00-noon and 1-4:00, for ages 16 and up. Participants learn how to create these unique, beautiful and lasting Ukrainian painted Easter eggs using centuries-old Eastern European decorating techniques passed down through the generations. All materials are included in the cost: $20 adults, $15 for students and Museum members. Registration required by March 21—but call sooner to reserve your spot because the workshop fills up quickly. Please wear old clothes or a smock, since the dyes stain. 267.502.2990.