The Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia will present the exhibition “A World in the Making: The Shakers” starting January 31, co-organized with the Vitra Design Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Wüstenrot Foundation, and the Shaker Museum. The show explores the design legacy of the Shakers, a religious sect founded by Ann Lee that built egalitarian communes across the American Northeast and Midwest, through furniture, clothing, tools, architectural pieces, gift drawings, and a dance performance choreographed by Reggie Wilson. The Shaker Museum is also planning a new campus in Chatham, New York, designed by Selldorf Architects, set to open in 2028, and artist Suzanne Bocanegra and actor Frances McDormand will open a related show at Hauser & Wirth Downtown Los Angeles on November 20.
This exhibition matters because it brings renewed attention to the Shakers’ radical social and design principles—racial integration, gender equality, and craftsmanship as spiritual practice—at a time when only three Shakers remain. By framing their material culture within contemporary art and design contexts, the show highlights how a nearly extinct utopian community continues to influence modern aesthetics and conversations about communal living, sustainability, and equality. The simultaneous developments at the Shaker Museum and Hauser & Wirth signal a growing institutional interest in preserving and reinterpreting Shaker heritage for new audiences.