Episode 72: Louise Silk

Louise Silk is a Pittsburgh-based artist, writer, and quilter. For over forty years, she has been creating art that combines aesthetics and functionality with meanings and memories for family, friends, individuals, and organizations. In addition to creating exhibition-level artworks and running a zero-waste studio, Louise also joined forces with her daughter, Sarah Silk (see episode 67) at SilkDenim, a web-based shop selling one-of-a-kind, handcrafted 100% recycled clothing, bags, and quilts.

She began a career as a fiber artist by way of a 1972 article in MS Magazine. The gist of the article was that because men had no interest in quilt making, women were left on their own to explore, create and thrive in an open sharing community devoid of men. 

Years later, after perfecting her skills creating many quilts, she discovered a spiritual concept: Humans are co-creating with The Divine in each and every minute, day in and day out, in each thought and every action. With that element, whe understood quilting as her personal practice of holy divine engagement. That led to my book about quilting as a spiritual practice: The Quilting Path: A Guide to Spiritual Discovery through Fabric, Thread and Kabbalah. published by SkyLight Paths (c) 2006. Her second book, “A Patchwork Life: The Hands On Guide to Living Piece by Piece,” was published in 2020.

She continued for many more years making many more quilts until the death of her parents. To absorb that loss, she incorporated all of their clothing and textiles into her process creating family heirlooms that she holds dear to this day. Experiencing the healing potential of using meaningful textiles started her venture of making quilt products for others using their personal materials of memory.

Louise is being honored by Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center in September of 2024 with a month-long exposition of her work.