Past Exhibitions

This exhibition features the photographic works of ten local teenagers exploring the theme of Urban Landscape. Inspired by local photographer Peter Ydeen, who also served as juror for these works, we see reflections on geography, autobiography, and metaphor.

Opening Reception: March 12, 2023, 1:00-3:00 PM

Image Credit:

Peter Ydeen

Night Best Buy

October 9, 2015

Archival digital print on Canson Baryta Satin paper

10″ x 15″

Easton Nights at the Sigal Museum is a collaboration with photographer Peter Ydeen. Featuring over 70 photographs, the selected works explore Peter’s major photography concentration: a series entitled Easton Nights.

Peter Ydeen currently lives in Easton, Pennsylvania and works in New York City. He studied painting and sculpture at Virginia Tech, under Ray Kass, (BA), Brooklyn College under Alan D’Arcangelo and Robert Henry and Phillip Pearlstein, (MFA Fellowship) and at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (Scholarship) with visiting artists, Francesco Clemente, Judy Pfaff, William Wegman, Mark Di Suvero and others.

Inspired by the poetic works of George Tice, Peter wandered into the surreal and romantic world of Easton’s small hours, where he has become obsessed with the stage like places, which are at once animated, silent and cathartic; all acting as reflections of our an uncommon world. The creation of the photography merged with the creation of engaging installations which surround the viewer with his nocturnal visions.

Peter’s work is also on exhibition at Lafayette College’s Skillman Library. Click to read more about Easton Nights: A Spirit of Place.

Another American’s Autobiography: Selections from the Petrucci Family Foundation’s Collection of African American Art is a collaboration with the Petrucci Family Foundation featuring over 25 pieces of art from their collection. The selected works will explore American patriotism and identity as it relates to the Black American experience. It will address the challenges of Black patriotism and the circumstances that complicate the relationship between Black Americans and this country. It asks the guests: What does it mean to be patriotic? Who comes to mind when we think of an American Patriot? Can we redefine and reimagine our symbols of patriotism or our expressions of allegiance?

This exhibition surveys work by Black artists who have grappled with questions of American identity, allegiance, and belonging in their practice. The selected artworks aim to affirm the role of Black Americans in shaping our national identity and to elevate civic engagement and constructive patriotism as a valid and healthy expression of a love of country. The exhibition features works from a wide variety of media including film, sculpture, textiles, and more. It also features a quilt on loan from former Lafayette College and Easton resident, Chawne Kimber.

Click to read more about artists included in this exhibition.

Image: Steven Cozart, “Judgement 1”, Acrylic on panel, 2015, 24 x 36 in. 

This collection of acrylic paintings and colored pencil drawings focuses on figurative realism with the depiction of Mavis – a black and white Terrier mix from New York – in a variety of situations: as Radha seduced by Krishna (as a blue motorcycle), as a canine illuminated by Shiva, posing on rugs, with figures from Japanese prints, African sculptures, and more.

All work in this exhibition was created in Bach’s Easton studio. Join us for an opening reception with the artist and friends. Please check our Events page for spring 2020 Artist Talks with Dirk.

About the Artist
Dirk Bach is an artist-scholar. His story-filled art has ranged from calligraphic abstractions, to cultural iconography, to brilliantly colored still lives and personal visions cast against intricate patterns of grass, woven baskets, and oriental carpets. He has worked in almost every drawing and painting medium. He has been a professor of design and art history, an entertaining pianist, and an insatiable reader of books.

Discover the secret world of bum rolls and baby corsets…

Staged in the Victorian parlor of the 1833 Mixsell-Illick House at 4th and Ferry Streets in downtown Easton, this exhibition “undresses” the history of common undergarments, leisurewear, and more. We showcase an array of undergarments that created the fashionable silhouettes worn by Northampton County residents from the 1700s to the 1950s, along with some of the chic and comfortable at-home wear they donned as they relaxed or went about their daily tasks. Ooh, la, la!

Tours are available by appointment or on Thursdays between 11:00 and 2:00. $7 with Sigal admission or $5 tour only. Call for pricing for large group tours.

If you would like to arrange a private tour, please contact us at 610-253-1222 or info@northamptonctymuseum.org.

This exhibit strives to capture the immediacy and timelessness of modern protests – both in the United States and Western Europe – by focusing on the powerful and creative signage that distinguishes a protest from a parade. These signs are sometimes funny, often angry and always powerful. They reflect the moral challenge and mounting anxiety that arises from the increasingly chaotic political climate of the past half-century.

Voicing dissent and attempting to sway public opinion through marches, sit-ins protests are the harbinger of social change; they are the means by which we let our leaders and governors hear the voices of the people. Using peaceful, organized dissent, we begin the process of shaping new forms of economic, social, and class relations. Protests are politics in its most urgent guise.

Eckstein’s interest in documenting this form of social history is longstanding. “I have found that the aftershocks of the cultural revolution of the 1960s and the backlash, as well as the lack of progress, are still with us today. Protest movements have come to define the era in which they take place.”

“The simple act of the coming together of large numbers of people to pursue a goal that they believe will improve society is now just as important as ever. It’s my hope that the range of imagery found in the Sign Language series will illustrate the relevance of collective public action, both in history and present day events. Demonstrations and protests are a necessary vehicle for achieving certain societal ideals: for creating a knowledgeable public, for rational informed debate, and, more importantly, for holding powerful people and institutions accountable.”

All photography is film based. There are no digital images. The exhibit comprises silver gelatin prints, framed and matted, ranging in size from 8×10″ to 16×20″. Exhibition catalogues are available to purchase in the museum store.

This exhibition and catalogue have been made possible by the generous support of our sponsors:

Merchants Bank | Phil Mitman| Gary and BJ Evans

About Ed Eckstein

Easton resident Ed Eckstein started his career in the sixties, documenting the social upheavals of the era. He continues to photograph on a worldwide basis for a number of clients in the editorial, corporate and advertising sectors. He calls his brand of imagery ‘non-fiction photography’, images non-manipulated and distilled from visual encounters with humanity and place.

Join us for free tours of the ACE exhibition this spring.

General Opening: April 20, 2018.

Opening Reception: April 27, 2018, 7:00-9:00 pm (Easton Out Loud)

The exhibition will be on display in our Regional Artists Gallery and will run through June 24, 2018.

The companion exhibit to The Cat’s Meow: Lehigh Valley in the Age of Art Deco & the Roaring Twenties. The Cat’s Pajamas: The 1920s Fashion Collection of Terri Lubenesky showcased a rich array of textiles, hats, accessories, objects, and Irene Castle memorabilia from this NCHGS member and collector.

Exhibition highlights the emergence of Art Deco style in the Lehigh Valley and the fashion, arts, music, and lifestyle of the roaring 1920s.

Welcome to 1920 and 30s America: The Lehigh Valley is roaring with red light districts, illegal underground speakeasies, and organized crime. Immigrants, women, and children are finding work in the booming steel and textile industries across the area. The modern era is on the horizon.

In a bold reaction against tradition, the Art Deco movement emerges to the forefront of design. It is a grand symbol of change in an increasingly mechanized world. Architecture, furniture, apparel, graphic design, cars, trains, ocean liners, and jewelry all begin to reflect the growth and change of a young 20th-century America.

The exhibition is divided into the following sections:

Prologue

The exhibition prologue outlines the aftereffects of World War I. The emergence of new technology and the mechanization of war impacted the world greatly. European artists in opposition to the absurdity and tragedies of the war brought forth new artistic ideas that set the stage for the stylistic components of Art Deco.

Paris Exposition of 1925

From 1890 – 1910, the Art Nouveau (or “New Art”) aesthetic was embraced by well-to-do Europeans. The Nouveau period was classified by its rejection of traditional “academic” art, curvaceous designs, and floral motifs. It was the major predecessor to the Art Deco period, which took the world by storm during the Paris World’s Fair of 1925. The term “Arts Decoratifs” was officially coined. The organic motifs once seen during the Nouveau period were replaced by sharp geometric designs, straight lines, and rare expensive materials – the pinnacles of luxury.

A Mechanizing World

By the 1920s, the Lehigh Valley was one of the top producers of silk in the world and Bethlehem Steel was the second leading producer of steel in the entire nation. Bethlehem Steel products were used in the construction of the New York Chrysler Building (an iconic Art Deco building), the Golden Gate Bridge, and Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Booming production in the area led to prosperity and disposable income. A vibrant consumer-driven market thrived and contributed to tremendous economic growth.

The Era of Modern Design

The Art Deco style, examples of which can be found all over the Lehigh Valley, was an expression of an industrial society. Building forms were streamlined and simple with decorative ornamentation. Zigzags, geometric designs, and stylized floral motifs were created with glazed bricks, mosaic tiles, or metal. Tile and glass were predominant materials, as they offered a sleek planar quality to buildings of the period.

A selection of local Art Deco architecture in the Lehigh Valley:

• Easton: Bank Street Annex, Mayer Building, Verizon Building
• Bethlehem: Historic Hotel Bethlehem, Bethlehem Armory
• Northampton: Roxy Theatre
• Whitehall: Lehigh Valley Dairy (late Deco)
• Allentown: PPL Building, Civic Theatre, Allentown Post Office

Night Life

In 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified and wasn’t repealed until 1933. This period of temperance, when all alcohol was prohibited in the United States, provoked the illegal production of alcoholic beverages and underground speakeasies. Jazz and flapper culture thrived in American cities, and disposable income led to the popularity of vaudeville shows and the talkies, which became a new pastime. Vaudeville history shone brightly in the Roxy Theatre of Northampton and the Civic Theatre in Allentown.

Additionally, New Yorkers emptied out after weekend prize fights, driving automobiles and catching trains into Easton. Late-night visitors took advantage of bawdy houses and speakeasies which proliferated in Easton’s Red Light district. Southside Bethlehem was also known for its brothels, gambling, gang relations and opium dens.

Epilogue

The Roaring Twenties met an abrupt end when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929. Soon the Great Depression would follow, leaving thousands of people unemployed, homeless, and hungry.

Join us as we reminisce one of the most glamorous yet turbulent times in American history – The Cat’s Meow: Lehigh Valley in the Age of Art Deco and the Roaring 20s at the Sigal Museum in Historic Downtown Easton.

This exhibition has been made possible with the generous support of our sponsors:

Georgia Pacific | Andy & Carolyn Daub | Ned & Linda Heindel | W. Beall Fowler | Ken & Lois Wildrick l The Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation | FreeBridge Realty | Al Kratzer | Spillman Farmer Architects | Barry Isett & Associates | R&D Associates | David Drinkhouse | Taste of Easton Tour Company | Cliff Ross Enterprises | Neil & Kathleen Coddington | Rod & Karen Oren | Rich & Marianne Phifer | Carole Maisel | Janet Rosenthal | Dale & Mary Jo Eden | Gary & BJ Evans | Judy MacGregor | Tom Daub | Marlowe Sigal | Fegley’s Brew Works and Steel Trap Trivia

Morris & Dina Schrum | Lindsey Schrum | Laura Rothkopf | Bob Schlag | Jerome Heavey | Lori Cushner | Jessica McGinley | Caitlyn Langner | Leah Feltenberger | Karen Harvey | Ryan Merriam

Special Thank You

Jazmin Turner | Jean Bemesderfer | Jessica Pineiro | Andrew Glovas | LuAnn Swonger | Richard & Ginny Hope | Neil & Kathleen Coddington | Marianne Phifer | Cedar Crest College | John Lawson III of Forks of the Delaware Historical Arms Society | State Theatre of Easton | Dale Miller of Miller Supply ACE Hardware | Laurel Ferguson, Taste of Easton Tour Co. | Rick Wolfe, Roxy Theatre of Northampton | Judith Uhlman | Becky Goldenberg | Meta Binder | Andria Zaia | Lycoming Historical Society | The Magnolia Sadies | Zach Martin Jazz Ensemble |Maria Kastrinakis | Parsons/New School | Brick and Mortar | Elaine Greek | Howard McGinn | Elizabeth Mulrine

From the 1880s to the 1930s, the Lehigh Valley was one of the leading silk and textile-producing regions in the nation. Workers from Europe brought skills in spinning, weaving, and sewing and supplied labor for over 200 mills in the area. At one point, professional Northampton County seamstresses produced everything from shirts to handbags to flags and ribbon. The mills started to close during the Great Depression; a few continue today, but most sewing now happens at home.

For over 50 years, home seamstresses in Northampton County have been gathering together to improve sewing skills, share ideas, and foster their creative flair. In the spirit of our rich textile history, two local groups – Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Sewing Guild and the Third Street Sewing Circle – have come together to exhibit their handcrafted fashions.

The exhibition contains garments inspired by 20th-century fashion, including children’s items and unique fantasy-inspired gowns, as well as patterns and drawings that reveal the makers’ process, and archival images and antique fashion plates from NCHGS’s collection.

February is Black History Month – and the Sigal Museum celebrated with an exhibit about African-American history in Northampton County and beyond, from Greater Shiloh Church. Free for members. Included with regular admission to the museum.

Within the depths of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society collections are never-before-seen artifacts that will ignite your curiosity and send shivers down your spine! Opening September 3, 2016, the Sigal Museum will showcase its eerie, weird, and most curious objects from the collection vault. Discover the stories behind the Apache Skull Cracker, the Alfred Thomas Explosion, the Edison bulb, Korean Death Pot, Little Master Bobby, and many more.

What is a Cabinet of Curiosity? For hundreds of years, people have been collecting items relating to the natural world, archaeological wonders, religious relics, and art, almost anything you can imagine. People shared their collections with each other to learn about these wonders and to entertain each other. Collections of oddities and the bizarre turned up in most cities and towns in the United States in the 1800s, perhaps the most famous being P.T. Barnum’s American Museum in New York City that ran from 1841 until 1868. Eventually these collections of curiosities became our modern museums. Step back in time with us and be the first to lay your eyes on these treasures. Dare to explore the museum’s best-kept secrets!

Thank You to Our Sponsors: Ashton Funeral Home, Neil and Kathleen Coddington, David and LuAnn Swonger, David and Helenbeth Vilcek, John and Colleen Lavdar, Becky Goldenberg and Hans Lauten, Rich and Marianne Phifer, Rebecca Price Janney, Marlou Belyea, Jeff McGuire, Ryan Merriam, Linda Heindel, and Gary Weaver

*This exhibit traveled to the 1810 Goundie House in February 2017, part of Historic Bethlehem Museum and Sites

The recent rise in popularity of craft and home-brewed beers has been a boon for local breweries and craft beer friendly bars. But, did you know the history of brewing beer in the Easton area goes much further back in time than the last double IPA?

The Sigal Museum in Northampton County, in conjunction with Porters’ Pub, unveiled the exhibit Spirits of Easton on June 15, 2016. The exhibit showcased the city’s long and storied history with beer.

The first known brewery in Easton was erected in 1821 by Frederick Seitz. The Seitz Brewing Company once surpassed 70,000 barrels before closing and reopening as the Osterstock Brewing Company in 1935. The brewery closed in 1938.

Another historic brewer was Xavier Veile, who worked for Seitz before opening up his own brewery along Northampton Street. Veile’s family ran the brewery, producing up to 12,000 barrels, for decades before it closed in 1942.

Visitors to Spirits of Easton also learned about Willibald Kuebler, who came to America in 1848 and started brewing at Church and Bank Streets. Kuebler’s brewing grew to 50,000 barrels before his death.

Thank You to Our Sponsors: Porters’ Pub

New and Old Quilt Creations | Family Friendly | Hands On!

Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society (NCHGS) gave members of the Courthouse Quilters their 2016 challenge: Create authentic artisan quilts inspired by the Society’s own rich collection of quilts! This textile challenge and exhibition happily celebrated the patchwork tradition of Northampton County.

Courthouse Quilters and Patchwork Tradition covered the history of quilting by hand and machine with a hands-on interactive opportunity for visitors, unique programming, and one-of-a-kind quilts. The Courthouse Quilters’ creations utilized a variety of styles like applique and spider web designs from popular Victorian crazy quilts.

From April 16 to August 1, 2016, these colorful one-of-a-kind Courthouse Quilts, in conjunction with NCHGS’ unique collection of quilts, were on display exclusively at the Sigal Museum in Historic Downtown Easton. In celebration of the exhibition, the quilters and volunteers quilted the facade of the Sigal Museum with thousands of colorful scraps.

Thank You to Our Sponsors: Mercantile Home, American Quilter’s Society

Celebrating more than a century of wedding attire. Love, marriage, something old and something new…. On October 10, 2015 the Sigal Museum proudly opened Here Come the Brides. Following on the success and rave reviews of the Eras of Elegance exhibit, an array of wedding gowns, suits, and tuxedos from the collections of Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society told the stories of Northampton County brides and grooms.

Spanning from 1840 until 1964, the gowns portray the fashion dictates of each era, from Victorian through Camelot. Highlights included the dress connected to the Roosevelt family, a dress similar to the style set by Queen Victoria, an unusual black wedding dress, and both traditional and non-traditional wedding attire.

Thank You to Our Sponsors: Lehigh Valley Woman, The Express-Times, Adams Outdoor Advertising, Dan’s Camera City, Bloomies Flowers, Cliff Ross Enterprises, Inc., Merchants Bank, Working Dog Press, and all those individuals who donated funds, dresses, and accessories.

Eras of Elegance invited visitors to step back in time and experience life through the clothing and accessories of residents of Northampton County; from the early frontier days of Easton through the fast-paced Roaring Twenties. With more than 35 gowns and accompanying accessories and accoutrements, the opulent display was designed to amaze and delight visitors.

Unlike modern mass-produced garments, fashions from pre-industrial times were treasured and often worn through several different styles. An example of these multiple uses is found in the pink Centennial gown. Worn during the Easton Centennial Celebration in the 1870s, the gown’s stylish silhouette belies its origins. With piping on the bodice seams, the bodice construction can be dated to the 1850s. However, the fabric of the gown – exquisitely embroidered pink silk – was actually manufactured during the 1770s! Dressmakers frequently used silk from the 1770s  during the 1830s and again in the 1850s. So what began as a gown of the 1770s was redesigned in the 1850s and updated in the 1870s, allowing this family heirloom to be worn as a contemporary fashionable gown. Also Included in the exhibit were a wide array of ladies’ garments: wrappers (or house dresses), day dresses, evening gowns, and special occasion dresses including opera and wedding gowns.

Women of Northampton County were fashionable and willingly constricted their body to accommodate the styles of the time. From the flat front design of the mid-1700s achieved through the wearing of stays, to the curvaceous forms of the 1800s designed through the use of corsets and bustles, the construction of gowns indicate that they accommodated overflow of flesh redirected by corseting. As the new century approached, a change in styling liberated women from form-fitting bodices. The sheath dress became popular, hemlines rose, waistlines dropped, and gowns were trimmed with beads, sequins, and rhinestones. Several beautiful examples of 1920s era gowns were included in the Eras of Elegance exhibit.

This exhibit was more than a decade in the making. Because of the age of the clothing, many pieces needed extensive conservation and repair. Under the direction of guest curator Dr. Karin Bohleke (Shippensburg University Fashion Archives and Museum), Andria Zaia, NCHGS Curator, Nancy O’Hanlon, Sigal Museum Curator, and a team of skilled volunteers learned the art of textile conservation, mannequin sculpting and dressing, and exhibit installation.

Thank You to Our Sponsors: Brown-Daub Foundation, Dan’s Camera City, Lehigh Valley Woman, The R.K. Laros Foundation, Susan Kolar Couture, and those who generously sponsored individual dresses and accessories.