M. Stephen Miller, renowned museum curator and collector of all things Shaker, will speak on Shaker industries. Recent publications by Dr. Miller include Inspired Innovations: A Century of Shaker Ingenuity, 2010 and From Shaker Lands and Shaker Hands: A Survey of the Industries, 2008.

Shaker communities grew and thrived during a period of tremendous social and cultural changes in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America. While the Shakers have traditionally been seen as standing apart from these developments, more recent scholarship has emphasized the degree to which the Shakers were actively engaged with the world and times. One of the most vital areas of intersection was the economic realm, where the Shakers produced and marketed a wide variety of products.

Sponsored by the Friends of the New York State Library. Free and open to the public. Registration is recommended, online or by calling (518) 474-2274.

Thursday, September 17, 2015
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Huxley Theater, 1st Floor
New York State Museum
Cultural Education Center, 222 Madison Avenue, Albany

While you’re there, check out the related exhibit at the museum, The Shakers: America’s Quiet Revolutionaries.