Earlier this year, directors of the Shaker Museum—founded by John S. Williams 70 years ago in Old Chatham, New York, to showcase furnishings and objects made by the Christian sect—acquired a nearby building that soon will house their collection of more than 18,000 artifacts, marking the most dynamic expansion yet. Interior Design Hall of Famer Annabelle Selldorf, founder and principal of Selldorf Architects, signed on to design the space, which will serve as a community hub while paying homage to the Shaker craft and lifestyle, complementing the museum’s programming in Mount Lebanon, New York, where the group lived for more than 150 years.
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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.