Long Overdue but with Exciting News!

September 23rd, 2014 |

Hello everyone,

Many apologies for not posting anything lately.  There has been a lot going on but all very good exciting things.

I moved over a huge chunk of the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem collections to the new climate control vault at the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts. We also moved several dozen of boxes from the Sister’s annex that contain some textile and clothing pieces.  Since I have a specialty in textiles and historic clothing I am eager to see what this collection entails.

We also have two new exhibits opening this winter, A Winter’s Tale and Stars of Bethlehem- Quilts from the HBMS Collection. They should definitely get you in the holiday spirit.  I’ll write a post about those closer to when they open.

But the real exciting news is……we’re planning a Steampunk exhibit for Summer 2015. Now many of you will probably ask what is steampunk?  Steampunk is the imagined world of the Victorian era if steam power ruled the world.  You could even simplify it as saying it’s a genre of science fiction that intertwines the Victorian aesthetic with industry and technology.

So why Bethlehem?  Well one, Steampunk is on the rise- it’s a very popular trend, especially with the cult rise of shows like Doctor Who.  Secondly, Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley are riddled with signs of industry; silk mills, Bethlehem steel, railroads, water works, etc. Thirdly, we have some really astounding Victorian artifacts in the HBMS collection, ones that would serve as great inspiration for any reenactors, cos-players or geeks alike.  More to come as I plan this electrifying (oh wait Steampunks don’t embrace electricity, how about steamifying? Can I use that?) exhibit over the next few months!

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