Shaker Museum and Library presents an artist's reception for Gift, a site-responsive work by LÃ©onie

12:00AM / Thursday, September 07, 2006Print Story | Email Story

Old Chatham, NY - The Shaker Museum and Library presents an artist's reception for Gift, a site-responsive work by LÃ©onie Guyer. Gift is informed by the artist's consideration of Shaker gift drawings and architecture and inspired by a natural resonance between these works and her own creative practice. The long-term installation occupies one room of the Brethren's Work Shop (1829), a four story brick building located at the Museum's recently acquired North Family property in Mount Lebanon Shaker Village. Guyer's paintings and installations explore idiosyncratic shapes and the spaces they inhabit. By working directly on the surfaces of the extant plaster walls and one window, Guyer has applied traces of her internalized experience onto the architecture itself. Intimate in scale and discretely sited, the paintings have become a temporary layer in the history and life of the building. Leonie Guyer's painting-centered practice extends from studio-based works to site responsive installations. It investigates the interconnection between idiosyncratic shapes and the spaces they inhabit. The shapes elude naming while they embody fragments of possible meanings. Guyer's interest in Shaker gift drawings was sparked by an encounter with a single work in a San Francisco gallery in the 1990s. Comprised of cryptic script in linear and geometric configurations, it seemed to hover between writing and drawing. The Shaker Museum and Library's decision to work with Guyer continues a long tradition of supporting artists who have drawn inspiration from the Shakers - from their art, artifacts, music, and dance. A limited edition catalog to accompany the exhibition is being published by the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College, Portland, Oregon. The reception will be held in the Brethren's Work Shop, Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, on Saturday, September 16, from 2:00 until 4:00 pm. Guyer will present an illustrated public lecture about her work on Monday, September 18, at 7:00 pm, in the living room of The Forge at Mount Lebanon Shaker Village. For more information call The Shaker Museum and Library at 518-794-9100 ext. 211 or visit www.shakermuseumandlibrary.org

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Friday Front Porch Feature: Historic Craftmanship on Park Avenue

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:26PM / Friday, November 06, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — Are you looking for a unique estate with historic craftsmanship? Then this is the home for you.

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 1 Park Ave.

This four-bedroom, 4 1/2-bath house was built in 1913 and is 6,755 square feet (which includes a finished third floor) with more than five acres.

The home is rich in character with wood flooring, a sweeping staircase, and original architectural details that are a rare find.

The main level includes a kitchen with a butler's pantry and a walk-in pantry. There is also a living room with fireplace, a den, drawing room, and multiple porches to enjoy the outdoors.

Upstairs you'll find the primary suite that includes a sitting room and a sun porch. It also has a bathroom with a jetted soaking tub, steam shower, and bidet.

The home also has a four-car garage and its finished third floor is perfect to use as another living space or a recreational room.

The house is on the market for $1,275,000.

We spoke with Sheila Thunfors with Stone House Properties who is listing the home.

What do you think makes this house stand out in the current market?

It is so rare to find a house of this vintage with such exceptional craftsmanship and in such outstanding condition. To replicate would be near impossible and beyond exorbitant in cost. There is a remarkable balance of elegance with comfortable everyday living.