Crafting Utopia: The Art of Shaker Women

“These items are not only beautifully made under their deceptively simple surfaces, they are also—to put it as simply as possible—labors of love.”

– D. Eric Bookhardt, Best of New Orleans

“A palpable feeling of peace emanates from…‘Crafting Utopia: The Art of Shaker Women.’”

– Julie Jenson, The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus

Founded in the 1770s in Manchester, England, the Shakers were a progressive religious sect (a celibate offshoot of the Quakers) whose communal villages and handmade furnishings and tools exemplified their utopian ideals: purity, utility, self-sufficiency, and sexual and racial equality. Immigrating to America in the 1780s, the Shakers flourished in the vast spaces and freedoms of the new country, founding communities in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Their furniture, tools, craftworks, architecture, and other artifacts—expressions of their austere religiosity and love of simple utility—are highly regarded for their purity of line, harmony of construction, ingenious design, and sturdy workmanship.

The Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, has the largest and most representative collection of Shaker artifacts available to public at an original site. This exhibition featured 115 beautifully crafted objects, including unique woodenware and household objects, costumes, textiles and furnishings. Crafting Utopia focused on the role of women in the Shaker community and their importance in the development of Shaker crafts.

Share this article:
More...