November's Book

“The Shaker Legacy” by Christian Becksvoort is a meticulously cataloged history of one of the most influential groups in furniture design, told through the pieces themselves. Becksvoort compiles over 140 pieces of historic furniture from the Shaker archives, which are used to tell the story of how the Shakers lived and how that correlated with their designs and careful craftsmanship. With a close relationship to the last remaining shaker community, Becksvoort has worked alongside them, restoring and building pieces of furniture for the people at Sabbathday Lake in Maine. “I have come to realize that although thousands, if not millions, of words have been written about this fascinating religious sect, the Shakers’ own viewpoint is too often left out of the published accounts.” Becksvoort explains. “I’ve yet to find a book that places the furniture design squarely in its historical and philosophical context. Too often, books on the Shakers focus on the material – the basket, the box, the packet of seeds – while neglecting to delve into the restraints and inspirations that helped shape a style of design that remains fresh and influential after 200 years.”

As a person on a mission to broaden my inspiration in design, understanding the reasoning behind these beautiful forms gives me much-needed insight. Being able to have a picture of a piece with a description (including dimensions!) explaining the reasoning behind the design is amazing. Take, for example, the Mirrors. “The first shakers considered mirrors to be luxurious and worldly and so prohibited their use – Mother Ann Lee occasionally smashed them to make a point about vanity. Gradually, the restrictions eased, and in 1845 the revised Millennial Laws allowed mirrors, within strict size limits: 18 in. x 12 in.” Modesty and spirituality lead the way to clean lines and pleasing design, although growth and innovation are always around the corner. I can say the biggest takeaway I have gained from this book is restraint, and I hope to carry that into my work.

This book also sheds light on the communities themselves. I live in the northeast with historic Shaker villages peppered all over the region. The second chapter, “The Shaker Culture,” was a beautiful look into the evolution of the religion and its indelible mark made on this country. Although my local Albany site has some incredibly knowledgeable staff who have even more region-specific stories that I highly recommend you seek out if there are any in your area, or if you are flying through Albany (a short 5-minute drive from the airport).

This month’s meeting will take place on Sunday, December 7th, at 7:00 PM EST on Discord. Even if you can’t make this meeting, jump on the Discord and under “The Shaker Legacy” thread, there is a fun design collaboration going on where we are iterating designs of a piece that’s in the book together, something that will most defiantly be a topic at our meeting Sunday.

Meeting Link: https://discord.gg/ShDsqHc4?event=1435250698504769636