Presentations
POWWOWING IN PENNSYLVANIA: HEALING RITUALS OF THE DUTCH COUNTRY
Presented by Patrick J. Donmoyer
This presentation explores the historical and cultural roots of traditional customs, rituals, and folkways known among the Pennsylvania Dutch as Braucherei, or powwowing. Drawing upon the speaker’s personal and family experiences with the tradition, as well a particular emphasis placed on manuscript pieces found commonly in family bibles, ledgers, and personal papers, audiences will be introduced to a wide range of ritual applications of prayers and processes used primarily for the healing and protection of humans and their domesticated animals. Images of ritual objects, original manuscripts, and written blessings, will demonstrate the broad-reaching scope of folk customs in Pennsylvania throughout four centuries and into the present day. Donmoyer is the author of Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Braucherei & The Ritual of Everyday Life (2018).
Presentation featured at the Berks Country Fest, June 20, 2020.
HEX SIGNS & BARN STARS OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA
Presented by Patrick J. Donmoyer
This program is a photographic presentation of field research conducted from 2007 to the present throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania, as a survey of decorated barns and the content of their decorations. The survey reveals a diverse and colorful tradition of folk art that has persisted to the present day and overlaps with many other artistic, ritual, and architectural traditions. In addition, the content of the designs will be compared to trends in Pennsylvania German folklore, especially as it pertains to beliefs and practices associated with the agricultural lifestyle, religious expression, and observations of the heavens. Donmoyer is the author of Hex Signs: Myth and Meaning in Pennsylvania Dutch Barn Stars (2013).
Presentation featured at the Berks Country Fest, June 8, 2020.
ORIGINS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA BARN
Presented by Robert F. Ensminger
Join revered barn scholar and cultural geographer Robert F. Ensminger (1927-2020) on a journey through the rural Pennsylvania landscape, and into remote European alpine communities to trace the origins of the iconic Pennsylvania Barn. Countless barn enthusiasts continue Bob’s legacy in Pennsylvania and throughout the US, helping us all to recognize the significance of the Pennsylvania barn as a cultural icon worthy of preservation.
Adapted video presentation featured March 27, 2021 at Easter on the Farm.
RITES OF SPRING: EASTERTIDE AND VERNAL TRADITIONS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH
Presented by Patrick J. Donmoyer
This presentation introduces the folk customs, observations, and rituals in the culture’s annual celebrations of spring. These traditions are rooted in both sacred and secular practices, and form the colorful backdrop for the region’s cultural expression as Rites of Spring: Eastertide and Vernal traditions among the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Presentation featured at Easter on the Farm, March 27th 2021.
STUDIO VISIT WITH HEX SIGN AND BARN STAR PAINTERS ERIC CLAYPOOLE AND ANDREW SHIRK
Curious about hex signs and how they are made? Enjoy a behind the scenes visit to the studio of Eric Claypoole, barn star and hex sign painter of Lenhartsville, where he and fellow hex sign painter Andrew Shirk of Hamburg will demonstrate their painting techniques and showcase current and past artistic works.
In the summer of 2021, Eric Claypoole reached a milestone as a barn star painter of 100 decorated barns over the course of his 50 year career. This monumental achievement marks an all-new threshold for the tradition of barn star painting in the region, and extends well beyond the statistics for any known barn artist in the history of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Selected highlights of Eric’s works will be featured in a new catalogue entitled 100 Barns: Selected Works of Eric Claypoole (1971-2021). Order your copy today here!
The following presentation was featured at Easter on the Farm, March 27th 2021.
PAINTER OF THE STARS: THE LIFE AND WORK OF MILTON J. HILL (1887-1972)
Presented by Patrick J. Donmoyer
Explore the colorful legacy of Pennsylvania’s leading barn star painter of the 20th century, Milton J. Hill of Virginville, Berks County. Spanning over six decades, Hill’s career began in the rural Pennsylvania Dutch community where was a third-generation barn star painter. Through persistence and innovation, Hill ushered this artistic tradition into contemporary mainstream American culture through his work at the Kutztown Folk Festival in the 1950s and 60s. Today, Hill’s work can still be seen in Berks County, and continues to inspire present-day artists who carry on this living tradition.
Based upon the book Painter of the Stars: The Life and Work of Milton J. Hill (1887-1972) by Lee S. Heffner & Patrick J. Donmoyer.
Presentation featured at Heemet Fescht, September 26, 2020
THE GERMAN BIBLE IN AMERICA
Presenting by Patrick J. Donmoyer
Pennsylvania led the North American continent in the printing of Bibles throughout the 18th century into the early 19th century, establishing a culturally significant legacy that sustained religious communities of the past and present, and left an indelible impression on American culture. Following the mass exodus of German-speaking immigrants to the new world, the German Bible was a central feature in the establishment of early communities in Pennsylvania, with broader implications as a cultural artifact for American history, genealogy, and material culture, as well as one of the most cherished possessions among the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Based upon the work of Dr. Don Yoder in The German Bible in America, edited by Patrick J. Donmoyer.
Presentation featured on BCTV, June 4, 2020
