Communal Studies Association, 2010 New Harmony, Indiana ...

Lucy Jayne Kamau is Professor Emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. She received her PhDfrom the University of Chicago and, in addition to NEIU, has taught at Western Washington University and theUniversity of Nairobi, in Kenya. She has presented numerous papers and has published articles on RobertOwen‘s New Harmony and related subjects. She was president of the CSA from 2000 to 2002 and was on theBoard of Directors from 1992 to 2004.Session 1-BArchitecture and Environment in Utopian Communities(Thrall‟s Opera House)“Padanaram Settlement, A „Picture in Wood‟”Rachel Wright-Summerton, Padanaram SettlementHow does architecture reflect the philosophy of a people? Padanaram with its five storied lodges and log-cabinstyled buildings is a ―picture in wood‖. Smaller, two family and single homes frame the nearby lake and dot thelandscape. The Barn, the current gathering place, is an open wooden-framed building overlooking the sawmillsite of thirty years ago. Forty-four years ago,1966—one farmhouse. ―They will last at least a hundred‖ was thecommon thought about the mammoth communal buildings with their rough hewn lumber from the sawmill, handcrafteddoors, hinges from one of the blacksmiths, and their contents—wooden beds, chests and other myriadfurniture. Today a view from behind the walls of the buildings tells the story that times have changed.Hammering and sounds of construction fill the air. It‘s remodeling time! What does this say about the changesin Padanaram? What of the Past? Present? Future?Rachel Wright-Summerton is the archivist and a long-standing member of the community. She is presently anadjunct professor of education at Ivy Tech State Community College in Bloomington, Indiana. She hascompiled the essays of Daniel Wright, founder of the community, in My Word Shall Guide Thee, and is currentlywriting a history of Padanaram Settlement.“Planting the Seed of Vedic Culture in the West”Terry Sheldon, New VrindabanThe evolution of New Vrindaban Community from a land locked pioneer farm to a vibrant pilgrimage destinationis the story of how a single architectural wonder—Prabhupada‘s Palace of Gold—rewrote American architecturalhistory and changed a community‘s destiny forever. Built by twenty year old novices with no previous formaltraining, the Palace triggered a rural fine arts revolution in the rolling hiills of West Virginia. Scholars, studentsand the world media beat a path to the community doorstep to see sculpture, paintings, marble cutting,embroidery, gold leaf and stained glass masterpieces. These spiritually inspired works flowed from the Palaceperimeter to the surrounding community holdings as the community population mushroomed from a handful ofearly settlers to 750 residents in just a few years. In the words of a twenty year old who mastered numerousconstruction skills, ―We didn‘t build the Palace, the Palace built us.‖Terry Sheldon is one of the founding elders of New Vrindaban Community, one of North America‘s oldestcontinuously existing intentional communities. New Vrindaban is a pilgrimage site for thousands of Krishnaworshippers worldwide who travel to visit Prabhupada‘s Palace of Gold, an architectural wonder sometimescalled the ―Taj Mahal of the West.‖ Prior to adopting the lifestyle of a Hare Krishna monk, Terry helped organizeDetroit‘s first inner-city food co-op. In 1982, he pioneered America‘s first federally funded All Vegetarian Meals-On-Wheels project in Cleveland‘s Ward 5. A consummate networker, he founded The Small Farm TrainingCenter, a land based educational center and hands-on working organic farm based in New VrindabanCommunity. His students are trained to be confident farmers and spokespersons for both urban and rural basedsustainable development. Apprentices lead workshops and tours and charitably distribute surplus organic3