On the eve of the American Revolution and its ongoing experiment in secular liberal democracy, Ann Lee and eight religious followers sailed to the New World with an even more radical vision of society: building heaven on Earth. Their idea was simple: social, sexual, racial, economic, and spiritual equality for all.
Their communes—which eventually stretched from Maine to Kentucky and attracted thousands of converts—reflected their religious devotion and these progressive values. The society was racially integrated 75 years before slavery was abolished, and women held positions of leadership almost 150 years before they earned the right to vote. Far less inhibited than the Puritans, they trembled, whirled, and swayed in trance-like dances during worship, earning the nickname the Shakers.
Because they believed that the quality of their craftsmanship revealed their devotion to God, the Shakers developed a distinct material culture, situated somewhere between traditional crafts and modern design. The exhibition “A World in the Making: The Shakers” arrives at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia on Jan. 31 to explore the design implications of their radically egalitarian lifestyle. Co-organized with the Vitra Design Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Wüstenrot Foundation, and the Shaker Museum, it presents a lost American utopia through furniture, clothing, tools, and architectural pieces, including an immersive reimagining of a Shaker meeting house.
The show also pays homage to the Shakers’ distinctive style of religious ecstasy; it includes a selection of “gift drawings” received during divine visions, as well as a screening of a dance performance choreographed by Reggie Wilson inspired by Shaker services. Today, only three Shakers remain in the U.S. (it’s hard to perpetuate a religion when its members are celibate). But their cultural history is gaining new visibility even beyond the ICA show.
In 2028, the Shaker Museum is scheduled to unveil a new campus in Chatham, New York, designed by Selldorf Architects. On Nov. 20, the artist Suzanne Bocanegra and actor and producer Frances McDormand will open a show at Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles developed with the Shaker Museum. As part of their exploration of the Shakers’ dedication to caretaking, McDormand and Bocanegra will rock special guests in an adult-size cradle on opening night.
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