Shaker Work Apron c. 1936

Curator: Here we have "Shaker Work Apron," a watercolor and drawing on textile made around 1936. My first impression is the color. It’s a beautiful umber, earthy, grounded. Editor: Absolutely. The Shakers were a utopian religious sect devoted to simplicity and utility. This apron represents that ethos. The image may feel unassuming, but consider the gendered history embedded in it. Shaker women's labor sustained their communities. Curator: It’s funny how utilitarian objects can become almost… meditative in their simplicity. This is like a visual haiku, you know? I’m picturing the quiet swish of fabric and a comforting, rhythmic hum from a sewing machine. Editor: That resonates deeply. It speaks to a kind of quiet domestic resistance. The aprons would have provided a certain level of protection and also an aesthetic for work. Wearing them allowed women to participate in the aesthetic world while fulfilling their domestic duties, so the apron transforms into this symbol of everyday emancipation. Curator: And there’s a lovely austerity to the piece itself. Just the barest hint of those pale blue pinstripes along the hem and bib—almost a whisper of ornamentation. You know, in another life, I think I was an obsessive minimalist Shaker with an inexplicable longing for lavender. Editor: What I also appreciate here is the artist’s engagement with texture and form. See the soft pleats and folds; how the fabric moves? We glimpse the artistry infused in even the most "humble" crafts. Curator: You know what this apron really whispers to me about? Making do, and in that process finding your own strange kind of grace. We're making do, still today, in so many ways. I love it! Editor: It's a call for us to reflect on the unseen labor—often gendered and racialized—that upholds our own lives. To really see it, honor it, and ask ourselves who and what enables us to flourish.