The Shakers: Culture, Craft, Community, and Care

It’s hard to believe that a small, gender-segregated religious community founded on the values of confession, celibacy, and communal living could leave such a big impact on the sinful, individualistic “World” from which they were separating themselves. But the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (more commonly known as the Shakers) was full of surprises, inventions, and craft wisdom that have irrevocably shaped the history of design as we know it today.

Chances are, you’ve held a product of Shaker design without even realizing it.