Get in touch with traditional Shaker weaving essentials.
Join the Institute of Contemporary Art on Saturday, June 20, for a free, all-day cathead basket making workshop! Inspired by our current exhibition, A World in the Making: The Shakers, participants will learn traditional weaving techniques to construct their own classic cathead basket. Shaker cathead baskets are named for their distinct shape, a four-cornered bottom, which when turned upside down, resembles the pointed ears and shape of a cat’s head. Presented in partnership with the Museum for Art in Wood, this hands-on intensive will be led by artist Janine Wang.
Register to attend this event here.
About the artist
Janine is an artist and educator based in Albany, OR. She is originally from Queens, NY, and recently called Philadelphia home. She discovered woodworking while studying to become an architect and worked for years in the home goods and furniture design industry, where she remembered to keep one foot firmly rooted in the woodturning and hand-crafted world. Today she teaches woodworking and woodturning full time, helping to spread the joy and empowerment of building the environment we live in, one object at a time. Janine received a BArch from Cooper Union, a MA in Furniture Design from Rhode Island School of Design, and a working education from the city of Philadelphia, as well as many residencies across the US. She is a member of the American Association of Woodturners, and an Assistant Professor of Teaching within the Wood Science and Engineering department of the Oregon State University College of Forestry.
About the Exhibition
A World in the Making: The Shakers explores the design legacy of the Shakers, a religious group whose values of community, labor, and equality shaped their furniture, architecture, and everyday objects. Through works by contemporary artists influenced by the Shakers, alongside original Shaker-made pieces, the exhibition considers how their design principles remain relevant today.
Founded in 18th-century England and later established in the U.S. across more than twenty distinct communities, from Kentucky to Maine, Shaker communities developed a distinctive visual language—marked by simplicity, innovation, and purpose. While often celebrated for their aesthetic, Shaker designs were rooted in spiritual practice and collective life.
By pairing historical artifacts with newly commissioned works, the exhibition invites reflection on how Shaker ideals continue to inform conversations around inclusion, gender, and intentional living in the 21st century.
This exhibition was organized by the Vitra Design Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, and the Wüstenrot Foundation in collaboration with Shaker Museum.
Accessibility
ICA is committed to creating a welcoming environment for all visitors. For more notes on accessibility including accessible parking nearby visit our Accessibility landing page. If you require any accessibility accommodations or have any questions about the program, please contact us at hello@ica.upenn.edu.
Support
Programming at ICA is made possible in part by the Emily and Jerry Spiegel Fund to Support Contemporary Culture and Visual Arts and the Lise Spiegel Wilks and Jeffrey Wilks Family Foundation. Public and Student Engagement at ICA is supported by the Bernstein Public Engagement Fund, Suzanne Weiss Doft & Jacob W. Doft, Stacey & Robert Goergen Jr., Hilarie L. & Mitchell Morgan, the Nash Family Foundation, Joline & David Stemerman, and by Dana McDonald Strong & Mark W. Strong.
