June 25, 2007 - Antiques And The Arts Weekly

  • Out Of This World Shaker Design Past, Present And Future
    June 25, 2007

    When Jean Burks arrived at the Shelburne Museum in 1995, she was already a well-recognized authority on the Shakers. She joined a museum better known for exuberantly decorated furniture and whimsical folk art than for the understated design that is the hallmark of the United Society of Believers, who lived in utopian communities from Maine to Kentucky. Struck by the contrast, Burks was eager to juxtapose the dramatically different styles that coexisted in the Nineteenth Century, when Shaker communities were at their height. Shelburne⁳ senior curator also wanted to cut through the clutter of clichés about Shaker style, presenting Shaker design in the context of current research. Burks†complex agenda is summed up in ⁏ut of This World: Shaker Design Past, Present and Future†at the museum in Shelburne, Vt., on view through October 28. Included are 150 examples of furniture, paintings, spirit drawings, textiles, household objects, accessories, ephemera and commercial wares made by the Shakers for non-Shakers. Organized thematically, the ambitious display organized by Burks and associate curator Kory Rogers relates Shaker design to so-called Fancy furniture of the same period and arrays Modern and contemporary furniture in a sympathetic vein.



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