Vitra Design Museum

In summer 2025, the Vitra Design Museum will present a major exhibition exploring the American Shaker community and their unique design culture. Established in the eighteenth century, the Shakers were a free church community that embraced social equality, communal property, and pacifism, viewing labour and design as crucial expressions of their faith. The Shakers’ radically simple, functional objects have had a profound influence on modern design, inspiring generations of artists, architects, and designers up to the present day. Designed by Milan-based studio Formafantasma, the exhibition will showcase a wide range of Shaker furniture, architecture, tools, and commercial goods, drawn primarly from Shaker Museum, Chatham (USA). Works by contemporary artists and designers, including Chris Halstrøm, Christien Meindertsma, and Kameelah Janan Rasheed, enter into dialogue with the historic exhibits, reflecting on the Shakers’ enduring relevance. Displayed throughout the show, these specially commissioned works will create moments of interaction and tension, inviting visitors to engage with one of the most compelling community experiments of the past centuries.

An exhibition organised by the Vitra Design Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, and the Wüstenrot Foundation.

In collaboration with Shaker Museum

Image: Amie Cunat, »Stacked Boxes«, 2018 © Amie Cunat und Hesse Flatow, New York Photo: Jenny Gorman