Mildred Barker
Mildred Barker | |
|---|---|
Barker, as depicted in LIFE, 1967 | |
| Born | Ruth Mildred Barker February 3, 1897 |
| Died | January 25, 1990 (aged 92) |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Early Shaker Spirituals |
| Awards | National Heritage Fellowship Catholic Art Association award Maine Arts Commission award Women's Career Center award from Westbrook College |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Shaker music |
| Instrument | Voice |
| Years active | 1904–1990 |
| Title | Eldress |
| Personal life | |
| Pen name | R. Mildred Barker |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Denomination | Shaker |
| Senior posting | |
| Based in | Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village |
| Post | |
| Period in office | 1971–1990 |
| Predecessor | Gertrude Soule |
| Successor | Frances Carr |
Ruth Mildred Barker (February 3, 1897 – January 25, 1990) was a musician, scholar, manager, and spiritual leader from the Alfred and Sabbathday Lake Shaker villages. A prominent and respected Shaker during her long life, she worked to preserve Shaker music. With the help of Daniel Patterson, she recorded Early Shaker Spirituals, a collection of Shaker songs. In recognition of her achievements in the field, in 1983 she received the National Heritage Fellowship. She also co-founded and managed The Shaker Quarterly, a magazine and journal focused on the Shakers, to which she was also a regular contributor.