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From Home Furnishing Business
Met Installation Spotlights Shaker Furniture And Textiles
July 27,
2016 by in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry 
In a new installation called “Simple Gifts: Shaker at the Met” that opened in early July, the Metropolitan Museum of Art featured nearly two dozen objects that exemplify 19th-century Shaker furniture, textiles, and domestic objects.
With emphasis on social, gender, economic, and spiritual equality for all members, the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing—also known as the Shakers—is a utopian religious sect that is known for its simplicity of apparel, furniture, and architecture.
Pairing with related objects, the installation highlights the overlap of Shaker design with other design styles yet continuing to reflect those distinctive attributes that are rooted in the community’s beliefs. Aspects of this uniquely religious and craft-oriented community itself are considered in the thematically organized installation, which illustrates the lasting impact of the Shakers on modern design and performance.
Organized by Alyce Perry Englund, Assistant Curator of American Decorative Arts, the American Wing, the installation will be featured on The Met website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.