Project Description
On April 13, 2022, the NEH announced its grant recipients awarding more than $33 million for 245 projects. The Herb House Cultural & Traditional Arts Center at Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester was one of eight projects to receive a maximum grant award of $750,000. This project marks Shaker Village’s first-ever attempt at federal funding for a capital project, and the largest award ever received. The goal is to provide visitors free, self-guided access to daily operations at the 239-year-old Shaker Village.
Red Dot Studio has been working with The Shaker Village since 2019. The building will be renovated and provide educational and cultural space at the Village, which was established in 1783 and is home to the world’s only active Shaker community. The renovated structure will contain workrooms, gathering spaces, a commercial kitchen classroom, a traditional arts and production studio, and a storeroom where Shaker-grown herbs can be purchased.
This Shaker Village is alive. Some people will visit once and hopefully leave with more knowledge of Shaker heritage. Others will have life-long interactions with Shaker Village. The vision of the Herb House is to promote deepening relationships with the Village turning visitors into guests and guests into lifelong friends. The Herb House is not meant to influence the development of the Shaker Society, but it is designed to assist the Shakers in their efforts to preserve their home, its culture and heritage, and the many forms of outreach that sustain their home.