The enduring influence of the egalitarian religious sect known as the Shakers is on full view at Vitra Design Museum. Featuring examples of the American community’s minimalist designs and highlighting their democratic beliefs, The Shakers: A World in the Making explores how this group founded in the 18th century continues to shape art, architecture and design despite its dwindling numbers. Organised with the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, and Germany’s Wüstenrot Foundation in collaboration with the Shaker Museum in Chatham, New York, the show also includes newly commissioned works by contemporary artists and designers.
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.