Shaker Bed 1935 - 1942

Curator: Immediately, I feel a sense of austere beauty looking at this. Editor: Indeed. What we're looking at is Lon Cronk's "Shaker Bed," made between 1935 and 1942. It's a drawing using pencil, and possibly charcoal too, depicting a simple wooden bed frame. What stands out to me is the craftsmanship implied here. Curator: I agree, the rendering has a deliberate and almost reverent quality. To me, a bed has such powerful symbolic resonance— it's a place of rest, dreams, but also vulnerability, even death. The bare simplicity amplifies these ideas. It almost feels monastic. Editor: Precisely. Shaker design is all about eliminating the unnecessary. The process was guided by their religious principles: honesty, utility, and simplicity. They were very community driven too, building all kinds of tools for everyone to share. Think about the choice of wood. A local hardwood, something readily available, shaped through labor. The whole community was reliant on these processes to keep its members healthy. Curator: Yes, the bed embodies more than mere furniture; it evokes concepts of refuge and human existence. The shape of the four posts are especially odd, like stylized spindles of some kind. I keep thinking about sleeping, of all things private and psychological that the bed would witness in one's lifetime. All these memories housed by wood and form. Editor: I find it intriguing how a utilitarian object like a bed frame can reveal so much about the cultural and social environment of its creators. The emphasis on unadorned functionality reflects a collective commitment to a shared existence, a resistance to individualism, and a celebration of practical labor. Curator: Ultimately, viewing "Shaker Bed," is a contemplative endeavor for me, urging reflection on fundamentals: repose, labor, and also mortality. Editor: And for me, it underscores how even the simplest artifact can offer insight into a community's values and relationship to their environment. It challenges the hierarchy between fine art and craft, reminding us of the significance embedded in everyday objects.