Press Releases
SCHWENKFELDER LIBRARY & HERITAGE CENTER
105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA 18073
Phone: 215-679-3103; Fax: 215-679-8175
info@schwenkfelder.com
www.schwenkfelder.com
August 30, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David W. Luz
Tel. 215-679-3103
Fax 215-679-8175
Heritage Center presents Pennsylvania German Barnstars: Celestial Symbolism in Folk Culture
Pennsburg, PA—
The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, 105 Seminary Street, Pennsburg, PA, invites the public to a free lecture as part of their monthly Brown Bag Lecture series entitled: "Pennsylvania German Barnstars: Celestial Symbolism in Folk Culture" on Wednesday, September 9, 2010 at 12:00 pm by Patrick Donmoyer, the Historic Building Conservator at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center. The public is invited to bring a lunch to this free lecture; beverages will be provided. The lecture will be repeated on Sunday, September 12, 2010, at 2:00 pm. Both lectures will be held in the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center Meeting Room.
“Pennsylvania German Barnstars: Celestial Symbolism in Folk Culture”, presented by Patrick Donmoyer, is a photographic presentation of field research conducted from 2007 to the present throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania in six counties, as a survey of decorated Pennsylvania Barns and the content of their decorations. The photographs reveal a diverse and colorful tradition of folk art that has persisted to the present day and overlaps with many other 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 and observations of the heavens.
Patrick Donmoyer, formerly of Lebanon, is a graduate of Kutztown University. He is currently employed by the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center in Kutztown, PA, as their Historic Building Conservator. Patrick began his research of Pennsylvania German Barnstars after receiving a research scholarship from the Peter Wentz Farmstead Society of Montgomery County.
The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center was founded in 1884 as an informal collection in a private home to assure the preservation of the Schwenkfelders' cultural identity. Today the Heritage Center, a not-for-profit organization, is still preserving, interpreting, and documenting the history of this German Protestant group along with the history of the Upper Perkiomen Valley. The Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm; Thursdays 9:00 am to 8:00 pm; Saturdays 10:00 am to 3:00 pm; and Sundays 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The Heritage Center is closed to the public on Mondays. For additional information call 215-679-3103 or visit our website www.schwenkfelder.com.
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David W. Luz
Executive Director
Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
105 Seminary Street
Pennsburg, PA 18073
Tel. 215-679-3103
Fax 215-679-8175
email: info@schwenkfelder.com
www.schwenkfelder.com