Glencairn Museum's Medieval Festival and self-guided tours of the Bryn Athyn 'castle' Sunday, Oct 29

Glencairn Museum’s Medieval Festival on Sunday, October 29, presents the arts and culture of the Middle Ages uniquely interpreted by skilled professionals renowned for their knowledge and craftsmanship. At the same time, visitors to the castle-like former home during the festival have a rare opportunity to freely tour its galleries, walk through some family living spaces and ride the elevator to the tower for its inspiring views—all for the festival’s budget-friendly admission price.

“The Medieval Festival delivers something for everyone,” says Joralyn Glenn, event manager for the festival. “This is a chance for families and individuals of all ages to watch and learn about—and sometimes try their hand at—crafts that were integral to European life in the Middle Ages.”

Open from 1 to 5pm, this is the only time of the year to experience this selection of artisan-level crafts at Glencairn. The galleries and grounds are also open for self-guided and cell-phone audio tours. The Castle Café offers a break for refreshment, while the Upper Hall exhibition space features “Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Healing Rituals of the Dutch Country” for its final day.

Inside and out, professionals renowned for their knowledge and craftsmanship will be demonstrating a variety of arts developed in the 5th through 15th centuries and still relevant today: creating stained glass windows, illuminating manuscripts, playing replica period musical instruments, wielding medieval weaponry, making woolen fabric and print-making on the Museum’s replica Gutenberg-era press.

This year visitors can also participate at their own pace in activities that give a taste of what it was like to go on a religious pilgrimage during the Middle Ages. A pilgrimage, a common practice in medieval times, was a journey to visit the shrines of saints or other holy places in Europe and the Holy Land. The Pilgrim’s Self-Guided Quest at Glencairn takes participants to various pilgrimage stops throughout the building, where they learn about medieval art or religious practice from costumed interpreters. After earning stamps on their quest map, pilgrims completing their quest receive a badge.

Glencairn’s ensemble-in-residence, Les Canards Chantants, will sing medieval songs at the Festival—their first Glencairn performance this year. Les Canards Chantants (French for “the singing ducks”) is an American solo-voice ensemble performing renaissance polyphony.

Admission includes self-guided tours of the castle and tower: $10 adults, $8 seniors 65+ and students with ID. Free for members and children 3 and under. Come in medieval costume to win a prize. 267.502.2990 or www.GlencairnMuseum.org for details. Glencairn Museum: 1001 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn PA 19009.

Please note: For this event the elevator stops at the 1st and 5th floors and the Tower only. Please use the stairs while exploring Glencairn Museum’s galleries on all other floors. No wheelchairs beyond the 1st floor. No backpack-style baby carriers. Photography for private use is permitted. No flash, tripods, selfie sticks or videography.

Details of demonstrations and activities

Stained glass
J. Kenneth Leap—nationally recognized scholar, instructor, professional artisan and stained glass artist-in-residence at Glencairn—demonstrates cutting, painting, leading and assembling stained glass windows by hand using the tools and techniques that created the most famous windows of Europe as well as those that grace Bryn Athyn Cathedral and Glencairn’s Great Hall and chapel.

Illuminated manuscripts
Susan Kelly vonMedicus, world-renowned artist and teacher, demonstrates “the visual expression of…spiritual longings, questions and mysteries” using traditional natural materials: inks, egg tempera, gold leaf, sheepskin vellum. Visitors can “illuminate” a “manuscript” of their own during the event using contemporary materials.

Musical Instruments
Come and be entertained by Glencairn’s minstrel for the day, Paul Butler, as he plays a variety of replica medieval instruments—some of which he made—and sings songs of the era. He talks about such tools of the minstrel’s trade as the citole, rebec, medieval viol, lyres and pochette, and explains where and when they were played.

Going on Pilgrimage: The Pilgrim’s Self-Guided Quest
Learn about medieval pilgrimages and go on your own quest. Experience medieval religious art and spiritual practices as you follow a quest map through the building and collect stamps at pilgrimage stops in Glencairn’s Great Hall, Medieval Gallery, Roman Gallery, Medieval Treasury and Chapel. Complete your quest to receive a pilgrim’s badge.

Weaponry
Chris Alt, a graduate of Bryn Athyn College, conducted his senior research project on medieval weaponry and how weapons of the period were influenced by religion and spirituality. At the festival Alt and his fellow enthusiasts explain features of the blades, bows, blunt instruments and demonstrate their use in combat.

Textiles
As utilitarian as most clothing and household linens may have been during the Middle Ages, there is a rich history attached to the symbols and imagery woven into tapestries and other textiles. Eva Mergen, a skilled seamstress and fabric expert, demonstrates some of the steps involved in the creation of medieval textiles and tells about many cultural aspects of textiles.

Printing press
Researcher, writer and educator Kirsten Gyllenhaal explains how the Gutenberg printing press, developed in the mid-15th century, changed written communications. She demonstrates on the Museum’s own replica Gutenberg-era press the steps of inking, pressing and pulling of printed materials as well as the parts and accessories that make up the printing press.

Vocal music
Les Canards Chantants is an American solo-voice ensemble performing renaissance polyphony. Founded in England while co-directors Robin and Graham Bier pursued their postgraduate graduate degrees in early music, Les Canards Chantants made its debut in 2011 with a sold-out concert at the National Centre for Early Music in York, UK. The ensemble’s American debut at the 2015 Boston Early Music Festival Fringe, performing its now signature staged Italian madrigal program Sex, Drugs and Madrigals, was hailed as “some of the best Gesualdo and d’India you are likely to hear” (Early Music America). Since then, the “Singing Ducks” have established a home concert series in Philadelphia, where they are Ensemble in Residence at Glencairn Museum, and have appeared in concert across the East Coast, including collaborations with period instrument ensembles Piffaro and ACRONYM.