Build Your Own Chair: Autoprogettazioneand Enzo Mari
TOUR & WORKSHOP (DE)
Saturday | 28 June, 19 July, 20 September
10.30 am, Vitra Design Museum

Tour: 10.30–11.15 am
Workshop: 11.30 am–6.30 pm

In this one-day course, you will draw inspiration from our temporary exhibition, develop new skills, and build your own chair. The day starts with a guided tour of the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making«. Its focus on Shaker craft and design lets you discover the ethical and aesthetic values that guided this free church community. The workshop gives you all the time, space, and support you need to put your new insights into practice. Led by a skilled craftsperson, you will implement a famous design by Enzo Mari and build your own Sedia Uno. Experience the satisfaction of simple materials coming together in a functional design object! If you are a design enthusiast or have an interest in trying your hand at something new, this workshop offers a fabulous chance to use your hands and let your creativity flow while learning about sustainable design.

€ 230 per person
Please book your ticket at www.design-museum.reservix.de/

Hidden Treasures: The Subterranean Storage Spaces
SPECIAL TOUR (DE)
Monday | 30 June and 18 August
10 am, Vitra Schaudepot

On this exclusive experience, you will explore the hidden treasures of the Vitra Design Museum. The Special Tour takes you through the highlights of our stored collections not generally accessible to the public. Discover industrial furniture design, lamps, and other masterpieces by designers including Aino Aalto, Verner Panton, Gaetano Pesce, and Charles & Ray Eames.

€ 40 per person

Please book your ticket at www.design-museum.reservix.de/

Masterful Craftsmanship: The Shaker Flat Broom
WORKSHOP & TOUR (DE)
Saturday | 5 July 2025
1 pm

Tour: 1–2 pm
Workshop: 2–4.30 pm

The Shakers crafted implements and artefacts to meet their needs and ideals. These innovative, functional objects have had a significant impact on modern design. Join us on our guided tour of the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making« to discover a unique religious community and learn more about eighteenth-century craft and design. The workshop following the tour gives you the chance to try your hand at broom-making and adapt the historical Shaker design to your own wishes. You will learn how to craft your own whisk broom using extra-long American broom sorghum. The workshop will be held in German.

€ 49 per person
Please book your ticket at www.design-museum.reservix.de/

Masterful Craftsmanship: The Shaker Flat Broom
WORKSHOP & TOUR (DE)
Saturday | 5 July 2025
1 pm

Tour: 1–2 pm
Workshop: 2–4.30 pm

The Shakers crafted implements and artefacts to meet their needs and ideals. These innovative, functional objects have had a significant impact on modern design. Join us on our guided tour of the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making« to discover a unique religious community and learn more about eighteenth-century craft and design. The workshop following the tour gives you the chance to try your hand at broom-making and adapt the historical Shaker design to your own wishes. You will learn how to craft your own whisk broom using extra-long American broom sorghum. The workshop will be held in German.

€ 49 per person
Please book your ticket at www.design-museum.reservix.de/

Weil Chair: A chair for everyone
WORKSHOP (DE)
Saturday | 14 June, 12 July, 23 August, 13 September, 27 September 2025
From 10.30 am, Vitra Schaudepot

Affordable design for all – this idea, which is as old as design itself, has lost none of its relevance. Berlin-based architect and designer Van Bo Le-Mentzel brings this concept into the digital age by creating furniture designs and making the construction plans available online for people to download and build themselves. Led by our instructor, you will build your own Weil Chair based on a design created by Le-Mentzel for the workshop at the Vitra Design Museum.

€ 230 per person
Please register here. 

Build Your Own Chair: Autoprogettazioneand Enzo Mari
TOUR & WORKSHOP (DE)
Saturday | 28 June, 19 July, 20 September
10.30 am, Vitra Design Museum

Tour: 10.30–11.15 am
Workshop: 11.30 am–6.30 pm

In this one-day course, you will draw inspiration from our temporary exhibition, develop new skills, and build your own chair. The day starts with a guided tour of the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making«. Its focus on Shaker craft and design lets you discover the ethical and aesthetic values that guided this free church community. The workshop gives you all the time, space, and support you need to put your new insights into practice. Led by a skilled craftsperson, you will implement a famous design by Enzo Mari and build your own Sedia Uno. Experience the satisfaction of simple materials coming together in a functional design object! If you are a design enthusiast or have an interest in trying your hand at something new, this workshop offers a fabulous chance to use your hands and let your creativity flow while learning about sustainable design.

€ 230 per person
Please book your ticket at www.design-museum.reservix.de/

Reading Circle #1: A Shaker Text Discussion
CURATORS SPECIAL (EN)
Sunday | 27 July 2025
11–12.30 am, Vitra Design Museum

Established in the eighteenth century, the Shakers were a free church community that embraced social equality, communal property, and pacifism, viewing work and design as crucial expressions of their faith.

The Exhibition Curators invite you to read and discuss texts from the publication accompanying the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making«. This includes a number of in-depth essays addressing the Shakers' impact on design, architecture, and art as well as detail studies on selected items and texts by contemporary artists and designers.

Reading Circle #1 will be held in English.
Texts will be mailed to you upon booking.
Free admission; please book your ticket at events@design-museum.de 

Hidden Treasures: The Subterranean Storage Spaces
SPECIAL TOUR (DE)
Monday | 30 June and 18 August
10 am, Vitra Schaudepot

On this exclusive experience, you will explore the hidden treasures of the Vitra Design Museum. The Special Tour takes you through the highlights of our stored collections not generally accessible to the public. Discover industrial furniture design, lamps, and other masterpieces by designers including Aino Aalto, Verner Panton, Gaetano Pesce, and Charles & Ray Eames.

€ 40 per person

Please book your ticket at www.design-museum.reservix.de/

Weil Chair: A chair for everyone
WORKSHOP (DE)
Saturday | 14 June, 12 July, 23 August, 13 September, 27 September 2025
From 10.30 am, Vitra Schaudepot

Affordable design for all – this idea, which is as old as design itself, has lost none of its relevance. Berlin-based architect and designer Van Bo Le-Mentzel brings this concept into the digital age by creating furniture designs and making the construction plans available online for people to download and build themselves. Led by our instructor, you will build your own Weil Chair based on a design created by Le-Mentzel for the workshop at the Vitra Design Museum.

€ 230 per person
Please register here. 

Theological Imagery: Faith and Design
TALK (DE)
Wednesday | 27 August 2025
6.30 pm, Vitra Schaudepot

Vitra Design Museum Director Mateo Kries and theologian and art historian Johann Hinrich Claussen discuss religious approaches to design and how these are reflected in Shaker theology and material culture. Born in Hamburg in 1964, Johann Hinrich Claussen studied Protestant Theology in Tübingen, Hamburg, and London. He holds a doctoral degree in Systematic Theology. He has written extensively on culture and theology for German newspapers, journals, and radio and has published numerous books, including works on church architecture (»Gottes Häuser«, 2010) and church art (»Gottes Bilder«, 2024). Dr Claussen has been spokesperson on cultural affairs for the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) since 2016.

Free admission. Please book your ticket at events@design-museum.de

Make Your Own Flat Broom!
DROP-IN WORKSHOP (DE/EN)
Saturday | 30 August 2025
11 am–3.30 pm, Vitra Design Museum

The timeless simplicity of implements and artefacts produced by the Shakers has had a profound influence on modern design. Get inspired by our exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making« and try your hand at creating your own whisk broom! Choose from a range of fibres to produce a broom in your favourite colour and be impressed with your new skill.
 
Drop-in Workshop: € 5 per person; no booking required, join in at any time
Recommended for ages 8+. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Formafantasma: Utopia in the Making?
TALK (EN)
Thursday | 4 September 2025
6.30–8 pm, Vitra Schaudepot

The research-based design studio Formafantasma was established in 2009 by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin. At their studios in Milan and Rotterdam, the two Italian designers explore the ecological, historical, political, and social forces impacting contemporary design. Their practice embraces a broad spectrum of typologies ranging from spatial design to product design and strategic planning. In 2020 the Serpentine Galleries presented the studio in a solo exhibition.

Vitra Curator Mea Hoffmann and Formafantasma's Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin will talk about the creative process behind their design for the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making« and discuss present-day attitudes to ideal worlds and utopias.

Free admission; please book your ticket at events@design-museum.de

The Shakers: Tea and Cake
SPECIAL (DE)
Saturday | 6 September 2025
3 pm, Vitra Design Museum

Tour: 3–4 pm
Tea and Cake: from 4 pm

Get together for tea, coffee, and a choice of baked goodies to round off your Curator's Tour of the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making«. Our bakers use the original Shaker recipes!

Preparing food and planning meals was an important part of Shaker community life. Many traditional recipes for apple pie, nut cake, or doughnuts date back to the nineteenth century – and taste as good today as they did back then.

The tour will be held in German.
€ 39 per person including guided tour, snacks and beverages
Please book your ticket at www.design-museum.reservix.de/

Weil Chair: A chair for everyone
WORKSHOP (DE)
Saturday | 14 June, 12 July, 23 August, 13 September, 27 September 2025
From 10.30 am, Vitra Schaudepot

Affordable design for all – this idea, which is as old as design itself, has lost none of its relevance. Berlin-based architect and designer Van Bo Le-Mentzel brings this concept into the digital age by creating furniture designs and making the construction plans available online for people to download and build themselves. Led by our instructor, you will build your own Weil Chair based on a design created by Le-Mentzel for the workshop at the Vitra Design Museum.

€ 230 per person
Please register here. 

Reading Circle #2: A Shaker Text Discussion
CURATORS SPECIAL (DE)
Sunday | 14 September 2025
11–12.30 am, Müller Palermo, Basel

Established in the eighteenth century, the Shakers were a free church community that embraced social equality, communal property, and pacifism, viewing work and design as crucial expressions of their faith.

Exhibition Curator Mea Hoffmann and Assistant Curator Irina Selzer invite you to read and discuss texts from the publication accompanying the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making«. This includes a number of in-depth essays addressing the Shakers' impact on design, architecture, and art as well as detail studies on selected items and texts by contemporary artists and designers.

Reading Circle #2 will be held in German.
Please note that the venue, the bookshop Müller Palermo, is in Basel, not on the Vitra Campus.
Texts will be mailed to you upon booking.
Free admission; please book your ticket at events@design-museum.de

Build Your Own Chair: Autoprogettazioneand Enzo Mari
TOUR & WORKSHOP (DE)
Saturday | 28 June, 19 July, 20 September
10.30 am, Vitra Design Museum

Tour: 10.30–11.15 am
Workshop: 11.30 am–6.30 pm

In this one-day course, you will draw inspiration from our temporary exhibition, develop new skills, and build your own chair. The day starts with a guided tour of the exhibition »The Shakers: A World in the Making«. Its focus on Shaker craft and design lets you discover the ethical and aesthetic values that guided this free church community. The workshop gives you all the time, space, and support you need to put your new insights into practice. Led by a skilled craftsperson, you will implement a famous design by Enzo Mari and build your own Sedia Uno. Experience the satisfaction of simple materials coming together in a functional design object! If you are a design enthusiast or have an interest in trying your hand at something new, this workshop offers a fabulous chance to use your hands and let your creativity flow while learning about sustainable design.

€ 230 per person
Please book your ticket at www.design-museum.reservix.de/

Weil Chair: A chair for everyone
WORKSHOP (DE)
Saturday | 14 June, 12 July, 23 August, 13 September, 27 September 2025
From 10.30 am, Vitra Schaudepot

Affordable design for all – this idea, which is as old as design itself, has lost none of its relevance. Berlin-based architect and designer Van Bo Le-Mentzel brings this concept into the digital age by creating furniture designs and making the construction plans available online for people to download and build themselves. Led by our instructor, you will build your own Weil Chair based on a design created by Le-Mentzel for the workshop at the Vitra Design Museum.

€ 230 per person
Please register here. 

»Singing is what makes work possible«
SPECIAL (EN)
Sunday | 28 September 2025
2-5pm, Vitra Design Museum

On the last day of the exhibition »The Shaker. A World in the Making« we invite you a special participatory rehearsal by Bill Dietz and Hong-Kai Wang »Singing is what makes work possible«. Together, we will discover Shaker Songs and engage with the legacy of Mother Rebecca Cox Jackson during a public walk.

Since Fall 2018, Bill Dietz & Hong-Kai Wang have been engaged in an iterative investigation into the relations between song, labor, and value. Dietz & Wang have pursued the practice of Shaker Song at its most radical, "era of manifestations" height. For »The Shaker. A World in the Making« Dietz & Wang offer a public rehearsal asking if and how we might feel toward remaining material traces of Shaker song and geography.

Bill Dietz is a composer and writer, born in Arizona. His work on genealogies of reception and the »political aesthetics of listening« is often presented in festivals, museums, and academic journals, but also in apartment buildings, magazines, and on public streets. Currently based in Taipei, Taiwan, Hong-Kai Wang is an interdisciplinary artist working across exhibition making, curating, performance, writing, publishing and education. 

Free admission. Please book your ticket at events@design-museum.de