The Icon Museum and Study Center

05/28/2026

We're excited for tomorrow! 🎹 🎉 See you there!

🎹 Hidden Treasures: Founder's Day at the Icon Museum | Clinton, MA

On Friday, May 29, the Icon Museum and Study Center and the Clinton Historical Society come together to honor Gordon and Janet Lankton, founders of the museum and beloved champions of the Clinton community. Both were deeply committed to local organizations and charities, and this special day celebrates their lasting legacy.
The Icon Museum will offer free admission all day with extended hours until 5:30 PM, plus a one-day-only display on loan from the Clinton Historical Society highlighting Gordon's contributions to the community. At 5:30 PM, the museum auditorium will be formally named in Janet Lankton's honor, followed by a free piano recital by returning museum favorite Ekaterina Willewald.

The evening wraps up at the Clinton Historical Society for refreshments, conversation by the fireplace, and special displays celebrating the Lanktons' legacy.

📅 Friday, May 29
⏰ Museum: 10 AM to 5:30 PM | Auditorium naming ceremony & recital: 5:30 PM | Reception: 6:30 PM
📍 Icon Museum, 203 Union Street, Clinton, MA
📍 Reception at Clinton Historical Society, 210 Church Street, Clinton, MA
🎉 Free and open to the public
📷 Photo courtesy of the Icon Museum and Study Center

Part of the Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History. Find more events at freedomsway.org
https://freedomsway.org/event/founders-day/

05/27/2026

Thanks, Dr. Alice Isabella Sullivan, for the wonderful write-up! We look forward to your lecture in June, Spatial Icons: The Communion of the Apostles in Medieval Art and Ritual.

The idyllic town of Clinton, in the heart of Massachusetts, is home to The Icon Museum and Study Center, one of the largest and most significant collections of Eastern Christian icons in the United States. I highly recommend a visit to this jewel of a museum to immerse yourself in the complex histor...

05/21/2026

The Ascension is described in a Bible passage from Acts of the Apostles, in which Christ ascended to Heaven from the Mount of Olives 40 days after his resurrection. Though icons of the Ascension depict the events described in the passage, they are meant to be a theological image of the Church.

This image is split into two realms, Heaven above and Earth below. Christ is inside a mandorla carried by angels, blessing all with his right hand at the top. Mary stands calmly just below Christ, flanked by two angels and the disciples. Her calm dedication represents the Church faithfully awaiting Christ's return.

This image is one of the intricately painted Feast scenes that surround an Anastasis icon, seen in the Old Believers and Their World exhibition.

Images:
1. A detail from the Anastasis with Feasts icon showing the Ascension.
2. The Anastasis with Feasts, end of the 18th century, egg tempera on wood, gold leaf, Palekh, Russia. On loan from the Oleg Kushnirsky Russian Icon Collection.

05/20/2026

Earlier this month, our Icon Museum team had an amazing time visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston! We came away inspired by the new, captivating, and beautifully curated exhibition “Framing Nature: Gardens and Imagination”, as well as their incredible collections and galleries.

A huge thank you to Elizabeth Dospěl Williams, who generously shared her time to show us around and give us a personal tour of the exhibit, plus some behind-the-scenes viewings of various icons in the collections' storage. We can’t wait to go back!

05/13/2026

Happening tomorrow! Don’t miss out on an exclusive tour of Icons: Old Believers and Their World!

Join the curator as he delves into the rich history of the Old Believers, exploring their experiences of religious upheaval, social persecution, and political discord. This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the stunning, beautifully painted icons that illustrate their remarkable journey of spiritual resilience and social perseverance.

05/11/2026

The exhibition, "Icons: Old Believers and Their World", which is currently on view at The Icon Museum and Study Center, was featured in the Boston Globe earlier this spring. We are excited to share this news with you!

There will be a guided tour of the exhibition later this week, on 14 May. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day! 💐

Let's take a moment to honor the extraordinary connection between mothers and their children.

This Hodegetria-type Mother of God icon depicts Mary holding the Christ Child at her side and pointing to him as the source of salvation for humankind. Her head tilts towards her child, who raises His hand with a blessing gesture.

You can find this icon and other beautiful depictions of the Mother of God in the Greek Icon Gallery.

Image: The Mother of God Hodegetria, early 16th century, egg tempera on wood, gold leaf, Crete

05/06/2026

The Mid-Pentecost or Midfeast celebrates the midpoint between Pascha and Pentecost. Mid-Pentecost begins on the 4th Wednesday of Pascha and continues until the following Wednesday. Traditionally, this is when both the fields and water are ritually blessed.

The theme of the feast is Christ as Teacher. This icon depicts a Gospel scene of an adult Christ teaching in the temple. Christ is seated at the top center of the icon with disciples on either side. Often, however, the icon venerated on Mid-Pentecost depicts the young Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem speaking with the Elders.

Image: The Feast of Mid-Pentecost, 19th century, egg tempera on wood, gold leaf, Russia