Canterbury Shaker Village

In 2023, I was the Artist in Residence at Canterbury Shaker Village. With my lodging provided in the Trustees’ House (built in 1831), I was immediately overcome by a warm invitation to explore, reflect, and celebrate the spirit of human creativity fostered by the Shakers, the longest-lived American Utopian experiment. In 1969, the last Shaker Sisters chose to preserve their sect’s heritage by closing the official membership book and turning the Village into a non-profit historical site. As I immersed myself in the Village and Shaker history, I was struck by the significance of their fundamental value system based on kindness, gender equality, and the commitment to communal living. The Shaker legacy, rooted in acceptance, equality, craftsmanship and commitment to hard work, can serve as a model for our future generations in living a kind and purposeful life.

Just as the Shakers rejoiced in art and music as divine “gifts,” I too felt the receipt of “gifts.” My photographs started to reveal an energy guided by simplicity and craftsmanship.