Actress Frances McDormand has teamed up with conceptual artist Suzanne Bocanegra for “Cradled,” a thought-provoking exhibition in collaboration with the Shaker Museum that illuminates the core Shaker values of compassionate care at the Kinderhook Knitting Mill. Shakers built adult-size cradles to provide nurturing care and respect at the end of life. This exhibition showcases the craft of both adult and child-sized Shaker cradles through the curation of objects, soundscapes, lighting, ephemera, and experience.
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.