By James Ballard, News & Information
Since the 18th century, the Shakers prevailed as one of the best known and longest lived of all religious communal groups in the United States. They are probably best known for the strict accordance of their religious beliefs and their communal living which encouraged industry and disdained those who were idle. Perhaps one of the most successful trades developed by the Shakers was that of manufacturing furniture.
More than 85 furniture and decorative art objects from America's oldest and most significant Shaker community -- in Mount Lebanon, N.Y. -- will be on display at the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery Jan. 23 to March 31. The exhibit, Shaker: The Art of Craftmanship, is supported primarily by the Nebraska Art Association's Board of Trustees.
Daphne Anderson Deeds, chief curator at the Sheldon, says spirituality as defined by the church ministry directed all aspects of the Shakers' lives, including the design and construction of furniture.
"When we consider the Shakers in general, everything they did was an effort to communicate with God," said Deeds. "Everything had a spiritual content and all their work had very clean lines in an effort to reduce everything to the most elementary forms."
Since the height of the movement in the late 18th century, Shaker furniture and functional objects have inspired many American artists and has contributed to the spare, clean lines of modernism.
"We're very familiar with the Shaker phenomenon -- it's part of our indigenous culture," said Deeds. "The materials that came out of that (movement) have influenced craftsmen and artists from the early 19th century to the latter part of the 19th century."
Deeds said the exhibit is unique to the Sheldon, because the show not only touches upon the artistic work of the Shakers, but it also reveals a great deal of history, theology and sociology -- all of which are important for an exhibit of this nature.
"This show is a little more obvious and accessible," she said. "It's a blending of craft and art that a painting might not be, but it's all relative."
Many of the beliefs, traditions and practices of the Shakers were started by a small group of Shaking Quakers who landed in the American colonies from England in 1774. Their spiritual leader was Mother Ann Lee, and soon the religion had spread throughout New York and New England. The first Shaker community was established in Lebanon, N.Y., in 1785, and soon became the home of their central ministry.
In creating their version of heaven on earth, the Shakers staunchly believed in physical separation from "the world," celibacy and common property. However, by the 1860s, the Shakers found it difficult to isolate themselves from the outside world. Even though the changing times forced them to evolve, their membership continued to decline. The Shaker community at Mount Lebanon closed in 1947.
Deeds said that only through an anonymous donor have the works in the Mount Lebanon collection been saved.
"After the Shakers disbanded in Mount Lebanon, the surrounding community was unable to maintain the museum," she said. "So one collector bought the collection and it has been maintained since."
She said the exhibit contains a number of large pieces of furniture and implements such as tools, sewing boxes and hooked rugs from the original collection. There is also signage that was used to label their own materials and organize their lives.
She said the exhibit is not only very large and comprehensive, it is also unique in that it comes from one select place. It's also unique in that all the items in the show were built for very practical purposes.
The Shakers literally constructed their own small world by hand, independent of the families and towns to which they had been born. The furniture they built represented their belief in plain and simple living and of work well done. They dismissed displays of superfluous decoration as being detrimental to the single pursuit of a spiritually fulfilling life.
"All aspects of the show are a physical manifestation of their ideas, faith and culture," said Deeds. "Everything they did combined aesthetics and an ethic which makes the Shaker products unique. The true meaning goes beyond the object itself, which is true to any art object."
Because there are many dimensions to the show, Deeds said, the Sheldon decided to offer a symposium in conjunction with the show. The symposium will run from Feb. 8-10 at the Sheldon and feature the creme-de-la-creme in Shaker knowledge, including Jean Burks, curator of Decorative Arts at the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vt. and one of the country's preeminent Shaker scholars.
"Because there are so many different elements to this exhibit, it
seemed natural to me to develop a symposium," said Deeds. "And Jean Burks
happened to be in the Lincoln community at the time the show was
contracted and offered her assistance. So this roster of speakers is
quite illustrious."
By Kim Hachiya, News & Information
The Academic Senate went on record opposing a restructuring of the University of Nebraska Graduate School at the senate's meeting Jan. 16.
A resolution introduced on behalf of the senate's executive committee said the proposed restructuring would change the proportion of UNL representation on the Executive Graduate Council, which has representatives from all four campuses. The resolution argued that changes in the council's executive committee could be made without changing the structure of the Graduate School. It argued that the possibility for differences in graduate standards among the various campuses should not be encouraged unless separate graduate degrees are issued by each campus. And the resolution said a ballot sent to graduate faculty contained unfair language. The resolution calls for NU Provost Lee Jones to invalidate the election.
Merlin Lawson, dean of graduate studies, said the executive graduate council voted Nov. 16 to restructure. All UNL representatives to the executive council and the UNL Graduate Council approve the restructuring, he said. Lawson said the move would return more authority over graduate education to individual campuses and to UNL's graduate council and he opposed the senate's resolution.
The senate chose Peter Bleed, professor of anthropology, to be president-elect. Rusty White, music, has resigned this position. Bleed was one of two nominees; the other was Leo Sartori, professor of physics and astronomy and political science.
Interim Chancellor Joan Leitzel spoke to the senate as part of the chancellor's ongoing monthly appearances. She reminded the group that she is "not going away but just down the hall," in reference to her returning to the post of senior vice chancellor for academic affairs when James Moeser becomes chancellor in February.
Leitzel said UNL and NU officials are keeping a close watch on developing budget matters in the legislature. The governor last week did not mention university salaries in his annual address.
She said the policy regarding harassment has been sent to the NU general counsel and she expects it back by Jan. 26. Once it meets legal scrutiny, she said, it will be routed to the senate and to ASUN for approvals.
Leitzel also accepted a basketball, signed by coaches Danny Nee and Angela Beck, as a token of appreciation from the senate for her work as interim chancellor. In noting that Leitzel had led UNL while the school collected national championships in volleyball and football, Doug Jose, senate president, said the basketball was a reminder of what her challenges could be.
Leitzel said her mother was a physical education and basketball coach, as well as a teacher of Latin and mathematics. While the chancellor noted she did sink three free throws at the Midnight Madness basketball festivities in October, she admitted basketball was not her forte.
In other action, the senate heard reports outlining activities carried on by the Teaching Council, the Academic Planning Committee and the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee.
Also introduced was a resolution to allow seniors who two weeks prior to commencement, are registered for enough credit hours to graduate, to participate in actual graduation ceremonies, although not receiving a degree until all requirements are fulfilled.
Mark van Roojen, philosophy, and Sartori submitted the resolution partly in response to a situation where a student was not allowed to walk in the ceremony due to a grade dispute that could not be resolved in time.
Don Jensen, psychology, said the commencement committee has historically opposed allowing students to participate in commencement unless they were actually receiving their degrees.
The senate will consider the issue at its Feb. 6 meeting.
By Kim Hachiya, News & Information
Professors are urged to encourage promising undergraduates to apply for the Ronald E. McNair post-baccalaureate project, a program new to UNL.
The McNair project, named in honor of an astronaut who died in the 1986 Challenger explosion, is aimed at encouraging more students to earn Ph.D.s. The federally funded project provides low-income, first-generation undergraduates with opportunities to build skills necessary to earn a Ph.D.
Vaughn Robertson, an assistant director in the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs, said the McNair project targets students interested in earning doctoral degrees in sociology, psychology, mathematics, engineering or chemistry. Enrolled participants would receive post-baccalaureate degree planning, research internship opportunities, computer training, tutoring, academic and course selection advice, career information, financial planning and budget management, cultural awareness and leadership opportunities and personal enhancement services.
Robertson said the critical component is the development of an academic relationship between individual faculty members and students.
"This will help the student complete an academic portfolio that will include actual research experience," Robertson said. "This is very important as you are entering post-baccalaureate programs. Faculty recommendations are key for folks applying to Ph.D. programs."
The project has an academic year and summer program. The academic year program includes the development of the portfolio, participation in pre-test seminars for graduate admissions tests, research, presentations and publishing and mentoring for other undergraduates. The summer program includes 20 to 30 hours of work each week in a faculty-mentored research setting. Students in this program receive three credit hours, room and board and a performance-based stipend of up to $1,750.
"A person in the Summer Project can get some huge benefits in terms of immersion in a research project with faculty. That takes you a long way in building the portfolio," Robertson said.
The project is targeted at students interested in "hitting the home run, the Ph.D.; it's not a master's project," Robertson said. "It's also not a pre-professional program either."
Robertson said the goal is not to recruit students for UNL's particular graduate programs but to recruit students for the Ph.D. pipeline. That, he said, will eventually help increase the number of minority and/or underrepresented students earning Ph.D.s.
UNL is cooperating with three other institutions on the project. They are Grambling State University, Tuskegee University and Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi.
Students must be U.S. citizens who are low-income, first-generation undergraduate students who need academic assistance to earn a Ph.D. Students must carry at least a 2.8 GPA. The selection process is competitive and is based upon the student's application, GPA, interview, faculty recommendations and under-representation in the student's designated career field. Family income requirements are determined by federal guidelines and selection is made by McNair project staff.
Deadlines for application are Jan. 31 for the academic year program and March 1 for the summer program.
Those involved with the McNair project at UNL are: Jimmi Smith, director of Multi-Cultural Affairs; Robertson; Darcy Mittelstaedt, staff secretary II, Multi-Cultural Affairs; Merlin Lawson, dean of graduate studies; Al Williams, sociology; Suzanne Ortega, graduate studies; Alan Tomkins, psychology; Gordon Woodward, mathematics; Pat Dussault, chemistry; John Rohde, engineering; and Ruby Higgins, assistant director for SOS in the office of Multi-Cultural Affairs.
For more information, contact the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs at
2-2027 or Graduate Studies at 2-2875.
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