“Magnificent Barns!” At Canterbury Shaker Village

Canterbury Shaker Village presents “Magnificent Barns!” an illustrated lecture by painter and illustrator on Sunday, October 19 from 4:00-5:30pm. The program is free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended.

“Magnificent Barns!” explores the achievements in architecture, agriculture, and design made by the Shaker communities in the building of their major barns during the 19th century. Agriculture was one of the principle economic enterprises of the Shakers and their efforts toward perfection and achievements as innovators resulted in the construction of some of the most notable barns of their era.

The lecture will be presented by artist Robert Braun and includes more than 160 archival photos, maps, and drawings of historic barns. Also included will be a selection images created by Braun for the Shaker Barn Project, a series of paintings, scale drawings, and models that both document and illustrate a number of important Shaker barns as they were originally built. Representations of livestock and poultry known to have been raised by the Shakers or typical of the era and geography enliven the paintings and expand the subject matter to include animal husbandry.

Robert Braun is an accomplished artist who has been an Art Department Illustrator for films including The Great Gatsby, Revolutionary Road, The Departed, and The Manchurian Candidate. Braun has worked as a Design Assistant producing paint elevations and models for numerous Broadway productions as well as the Metropolitan and Washington Operas. He has also created murals and done decorative painting for Michael Graves, Diane Von Furstenburg and Iris & B.Gerald Cantor as well as illustrations for museums and the National Park Service.

Braun will be an Artist in Residence at Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon, New Hampshire the Week of October 20 sketching, painting, and learning the details of traditional timber framing from noted artisan Steve Fifield of Canterbury.

“Magnificent Barns!” was originally presented in 2013 at the Shaker Seminar at Mt. Lebanon, New York, an event that also included an extensive survey of the barns in New York State. A question and answer period will follow the lecture and full-sized high quality giclee prints of the original watercolors in the Shaker Barn Project will be available for sale after the presentation.

“Robert Braun’s paintings of Shaker barns capture the innovation and achievements of the Shakers’ agricultural enterprises,” noted Funi Burdick, Executive Director. “We are honored to be hosting such an accomplished artist as part of our Hands to Work partnership with Sanborn Mills Farms.”

Other upcoming events at Canterbury Shaker Village include Ghost Encounters on October 25 and Christmas at Canterbury on December 6 and 13. Upcoming Shaker-inspired workshops include Fresh Pasta and the Healing Power of Art on October 19, and Shaken Not Stirred: Herb and Fruit Cordials on November 1. To view the complete 2014 calendar of events and workshops visit www.shakers.org.

Interested attendees are encouraged to pre-register online at www.shakers.org.