Maria Molteni and Allison Halter "Unseen Hours”

Unseen Hours: Space Clearing for Spirit Work is a two-person exhibition featuring the premiere of a collaborative project created by Maria Molteni and Allison Halter, the culmination of an artist residency at Fruitlands Museum. The exhibition will showcase their short film Sacred Sheets, along with original artworks created for the film, including brooms, garments, a cut-paper installation, and Shaker items from the museum's permanent collection. The film was created on Fruitlands’s grounds and within its Shaker Office, built in 1794.

Titled Sacred Sheets, after gift drawings made by Shaker sister “instruments” in the 1840s, the piece translates the imagery and calligraphic spirit writing of these inspired works into a colorful cut-paper floor drawing. Shifting light marks a day’s passage and frames a ritualized space clearing, evoking and reawakening the spirit of Shaker routine. Performances by the artists revisit significant moments in Shaker history, particularly the Era of Manifestations, through intimate observations of Shaker ephemera and the natural world. Using objects from the Fruitlands collection such as iconic Shaker boxes and baskets, candle stands, beekeeping equipment and Mother Ann Lee’s original rocking chair, they interweave visuals of an historic setting with enchanting imagery.

The collaboration grew and developed from Molteni’s planned 2020 site-specific installation to include living bees in the historic Shaker Office. Due to the pandemic, the project altered and expanded into a choreographed video piece, shot by cinematographer Gabe Elder, illuminating the artists’ collective vision and entwining elements of their individual practices.

Sacred Sheets, created in collaboration with Allison Halter, is the culmination of a ~2019-2021 residency at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA (Watch the trailer for the 18 min film above). Sacred Sheets debuted in a 2 person/“solo” exhibition called Unseen Hours: Space Clearing for Spirit Work at Fruitlands from September 15, 2021-March 13, 2022.

“The Sacred Sheets were gift drawings crafted in 1843 by Shaker “instruments” Mary Wicks and Semantha Fairbanks during a period of vibrant Shaker channeling called “The Era of Manifestations” or “Mother’s Work”. This period stretched from about 1837-57, thus predating the commonly accepted birth of American Spiritualism. The Sacred Sheets stood out among many other Gift Drawings, revealed to young instruments by Shaker founder Mother Ann Lee (as Holy Mother Wisdom) and early Shaker elders, for their abstract script referred to as spirit writing. They illustrate something of a visual Glossolalia (speaking in tongues), an extension of the wild, improvisational dancing the Shakers are also known for.

While in residence at the Fruitlands I dove deeper into 10-15 years of research on/with Shakers (including the last living community at Sabbathday Lake) and honeybees (as a practicing beekeeper since 2009). I worked closely with their on-site Shaker building, donated to Claire Sears by the Harvard Shakers upon their closing in the 1800s. Before Covid changed the course of all exhibition possibilities, I’d planned to build a giant, living beehive inside of the building, based on the book-shaped Leaf Hive design by 18th century blind beekeeper Francis Huber.

When such hands-on exhibitions became impossible, these themes- of comparing honeybee and Shaker colonies as well pages of books to leaves of the Tree of Life- grew into a separate project and film with collaborator Allison Halter (multi-media artist, witch and broom maker). Together we recreated a favorite Shaker Gift Drawing from the series “Sacred Sheets” by arranging hand-milk-painted cut paper on the floor of the Shaker building at Fruitlands. Developing choreography based on both Shaker and honeybee shape dancing and free-form “ecstatic” and “waggle” dancing, we used original Shaker style brooms, also custom crafted for the project, to sweep up the drawing, enacting cycles of receptivity, creativity, disruption and maintenance, as creative ritual performance.” - Maria Molteni

Press release, artist statement, images, and video via Maria Molteni.