Shaker Cabinet 1937

Editor: Here we have John W. Kelleher’s 1937 drawing of a "Shaker Cabinet". It’s rendered with realism, but still feels quite flat to me. What’s your take on this piece? Curator: The artist’s choice of rendering the Shaker Cabinet through drawing redirects our attention. Usually, we view Shaker furniture through the lens of its utility or supposed spirituality. But what about the labor involved? A drawing highlights the means of production and consumption surrounding even such "simple" objects. Editor: So you’re saying the act of drawing shifts the focus from the furniture itself to the work that goes into creating it, both physically in its original making, and artistically through the reproduction? Curator: Precisely! The drawing as a medium slows us down, emphasizing the skill involved in rendering the cabinet. Consider, too, that this was made in 1937. What was the social context of this artwork’s creation? Was Kelleher concerned with the preservation, promotion or perhaps even critique of the Shaker ideals amidst the growing mechanization of craftwork in the post-Depression United States? Editor: Interesting! I hadn't thought of it that way. The drawing becomes a document of a specific kind of labor and a moment in material culture, rather than just an image of a cabinet. It makes me wonder about who made the original cabinet and where. Curator: Exactly. We are encouraged to consider its construction as part of a wider socio-economic reality and a specific historic context. I wonder, did the artist also painstakingly create the real furniture himself, prior to drawing it? That would be one possible conclusion based on a materialist reading of the artwork! Editor: That’s given me a whole new appreciation for what this drawing represents beyond just its aesthetic appeal. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. I'm glad we were able to spotlight its intricate story of making.