Monochord or piano-violin made by Brother Elisha Blakeman, Church Family, Mount Lebanon, NY
Painting, "Shaker Church 1792 N.H.", Sister Cora Helena Sarle, 1951
Two drawer sewing stand of mahogany and cherry, Enfield, CT
No tickets or advance reservations are required.
Join us for the opening on Saturday, June 8, from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
True to its title, Unexpected Shaker focuses on unusual, lesser-known, and one-of-a-kind objects in the museum’s collection of over 18,000 material objects of Shaker culture.
Collections Manager
Sharon Duane Koomler is a Shaker scholar and traditional letterpress printer living in upstate New York. She has academic degrees in American Folklore from Indiana University and Western Kentucky University. Sharon has worked at Shaker Museums from Kentucky to New Hampshire as an educator, curator, consultant, and director. She has written and published on Shaker material culture and spirituality, and lectured widely on Shaker art, life, and belief. Sharon has a particular interest in the under-researched social aspects of Shaker life and ways in which Shakers practiced inclusion and intentionality.