Mennonite Amish Museum Collection, Goshen College

Our newest exhibit opens on Sunday March 8th and features Northern Indiana Amish Quilts collected by Rebecca Haarer.

Soon after Rebecca Haarer graduated from Goshen College with an Art major, she began collecting antique Amish quilts from the Shipshewana/LaGrange area. A native of Shipshewana, and daughter of Paul and Shirley Haarer, who had a well established antiques business in the area, The Haarers formed connections with the local Amish community. This led many Amish to bring quilts to them for sale. The result is Rebecca's large collection of quilts, as well as other domestic arts, usually well documented by family members who offered names, dates, places made, and stories of their backgrounds.

Rebecca has become well known in Indiana and the Midwest as a consultant and interpreter of quilts, in general, and Amish quilts in particular. We are fortunate to have these quilts in our community, and to host this exhibit. The quilts have not been publicly exhibited since 1995.

This is your last week to visit our exhibit on Hutterite Life (from 1528): Communal Anabaptists. The Hutterites, beginning in Moravia but now living in the Western U.S. and Canada, are the oldest and most successful communitarian society in the world. This exhibit is of recent Hutterite material culture in the context of their history (since 1528) and the 500 th anniversary of the founding of the Anabaptist movement (1525). Textiles, costumes, needlework, woodwork, basketry, toys, and other handicrafts. The exhibit will honor the scholarly work of Leonard Gross, of Goshen, and Robert Friedmann (1891- 1970). It is sponsored by the Mennonite-Amish Exhibit Committee of Goshen College. The exhibit closes on Nov 16, 2025.

Our new exhibit "Hutterite Life from 1528: Communal Anabaptists" is now open in the Goshen College Library Gallery.
The Hutterites, beginning in Moravia but now living in the Western U.S. and Canada, are the oldest and most successful communitarian society in the world. This exhibit displays recent Hutterite material culture in the context of their history (since 1528) and the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Anabaptist movement (1525). The exhibit features textiles, costumes, needlework, woodwork, basketry, toys and other handicrafts. The exhibit will honor the scholarly work of Leonard Gross of Goshen and Robert Friedmann (1891- 1970).

https://www.goshen.edu/news/2025/02/17/good-library-exhibit-hutterite-life-communal-anabaptists/

You are invited to the public reception for "Seasons of Amish Life: Photographs by Danny Graber" on Sunday March 17, 2-4pm in the Good Library Galllery. Danny Graber will speak at 2:20pm about the photographs included in this exhibit.

Our upcoming exhibit "Seasons of Amish Life: Photographs by Danny Graber" opens March 10th and includes scenes of daily life in the Amish community of LaGrange County, Indiana. An up-close, intimate, photographic, on-canvas exhibit, that depicts how work, family life and community bind the hearts of pepole. Danny Graber, a fine art photographer, was born into and raised in this community.

The exhibit is free and open to the public when the Good Library on campus is open. The Mennonite-Amish Museum Committee of the Mennonite Historical Library is sponsor of the exhibit.

This coming Saturday (9/16) is your chance to hear a gallery talk from quilt expert, Janneken Smucker at the Good Library Gallery at 2pm. This event is free and open to the public and is a great chance to view quilts and hear from an expert. Find out more at https://gconline.goshen.edu/public/prod/eventcal/bin/displayDetail.php3?eid=21153&dMonth=Sep&dYear=2023

Janneken Smucker (GC Alum) serves as a Professor of History at West Chester University near Philadelphia and is known for her definitive book "Amish Quilts: Crafting an American Icon" and she has a new book "A New Deal for Quilts" coming out this fall. Come to the library gallery on 9/16 at 2pm to hear her discuss the quilts currently on display and answer questions. https://gconline.goshen.edu/public/prod/eventcal/bin/displayDetail.php3?eid=21153&

Interested in quilts, specifically Mennonite and Amish ones? Janneken Smucker, GC Alum and Professor of History at West Chester University, will be giving a gallery talk on the quilts in the Cabinet of Curiosities exhibit in the Good Library gallery on Sat 9/16 at 2pm.

The public reception for Cabinets of Curiosities 3 is Sunday (3/12) afternoon from 2-4pm. Stop by and see our newest exhibit which includes Mennonite and Amish quilts from Pennsylvania and Midwest, clocks from Belleville PA and Ukraine, Hutterite/Habaner and Makkum ceramics, revival Fraktur, Wayne Co. coverlet, Amish figurines, fine art, etc.

The public reception for Cabinet of Cuiriosites 3 is next week on March 12, 2-4pm with comments on the Kroeger clock from Ukraine at 2:30 by horolgist Arlin Claassen

Our newest exhibit "Cabinet of Curiosities 3: Quilts, Clocks, Ceramics, Fraktur..." goes live on March 5th and runs through November 12.
All of the items on display are recent accessions to the Museum Committee collection and are being exhibited for the first time. Come see Mennonite and Amish quilts from Pennsylvania and the Midwest, clocks from Belleville PA and Ukrain, and much more.
Public reception is March 12, 2-4pm with comments on the Kroeger click from Ukraine at 2:30 by horolgist Arlin Claassen.
As always the exhibit is free and open to the public.