Simple Gifts

A friend recommended this book, Simple Gifts by June Spriggs.  It chronicles her time living with the Shakers at Canterbury, New Hampshire over three summers in the early 1970's.  I am really enjoying it.  In 1977 I interviewed sister Bertha Lindsay for a paper I was doing in college on Shaker design, Form Follows Faith.  My premise was that it was the Shakers, not the Bauhaus, who invented minimalist design at a time when Victorian style favored the idea of "more is better".  She was delightful and reminded me so much of my grandmother. We drank lemonade and ate cookies on the porch.  I've colorized her picture and gave it a bit of painterly look.  I've included in in a collage with the round box, like those favored by the Shakers, my great-great grandfather made in the 19th century.  He was a Quaker but lived quite near two Shaker communities so I'm sure he was familiar with the design as they sold them to the "World" which is what they called non-Shakers.  I've had a fascination for the Shakers since then and visit the Sabbathday Lake Shaker village here in Maine often.  The last two Shakers live there now.  Oh, by the way, I did get an A on my paper!