MAM’s New Show Reveals The Ideas Behind Shaker Simplicity
An immersive exhibition pairs historic benches, stoves and textiles with bold contemporary installations.
Entrance Gallery. Photo by Lauren Hafeman on Sept. 24, 2026.
Celibacy. Pacifism. Charismatic worship. Social, sexual and spiritual equality for all members, 144 years before women gained the right to vote in America. These are features of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, a historic religious group better known as the Shakers, named as such for their lively, faith-filled dancing.
On Friday, the Milwaukee Art Museum unveiled a new exhibition that memorializes a group that built their way of life not just around faith but also around equality, communal living, craftsmanship and intentional design.
The exhibition, “The Shakers: A World in the Making,” is the first major traveling exhibition to showcase more than 150 objects and installations of Shaker furniture, tools, textiles and domestic items alongside works by contemporary artists and designers they have inspired. The Milwaukee Art Museum is just one of three institutions in the nation to present it.
The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections, examining communal living, material culture, innovation, spirituality and creative expression. Throughout the gallery sections, the works are given due distance from one another, creating an experience where learning and wonder are in the details.
Upon entering, visitors are greeted by the Meetinghouse Bench, circa 1855, which features a pine seat, three pairs of maple legs and cherry stretchers. Benches like these served communal gatherings and often seated groups during worship. The piece exemplifies how the Shakers crafted objects with remarkable care and purpose that is becoming rare in the modern design atmosphere.
A venture further into the exhibition reveals Shaker stoves, irons, community planning diagrams, periodicals, chairs, tables and a set of stairs. Domestic objects, textiles and audible hymns are also on display. A history of the Shakers is printed along the left wall of the first gallery, tracking the group’s evolution and major events from their inception to the present day.
“The power of this exhibition is not just in the beauty of the objects, but in the ideas they carry forward,” said Kim Sajet, the Milwaukee Art Museum’s director, in a statement. “It connects historic craft with urgent contemporary conversations about sustainability, community, labor and how we want to live today.”
One of the exhibition’s largest contemporary works is Amie Cunat’s “Meetinghouse 2,” a walk-in reinterpretation of a Shaker meeting house designed to be experienced collectively by visitors.
“Meetinghouse 2” is painted in a striking cobalt blue that all but invites visitors to take a step inside.
More information about the exhibition can be found on Milwaukee Art Museum’s website. A series of gallery talks, performances and tours are planned for the exhibition.
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