SilkQuilt

Gut Yonif

The Heinz History Center’s Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives will celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim with a one-night only, participatory experience that blends hand-crafted art and tradition. Purim commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian empire. This is a joyous occasion that is often celebrated with storytelling, gifts, andContinue reading “Gut Yonif”

THE BLESSING CORD

To celebrate the UNMAKING of THE WITNESS QUILT, as part of Louise Silk: A Patchwork Life, I offer the ritual of the RED STRING. The Red String offers protection. Red attracts and impedes negative forces, converting the darkness of judgement into the mercy of light. This creates a forcefield that diverts the evil eye. InContinue reading “THE BLESSING CORD”

UnMaking The Witness Quilt

Witness עֵד2023-24. 1200+ individual detachable patches.Overall:178”W X 101”L. Panels: Right_Front7/Back_Left1 19”WX71”L; Right_Front6/Back_Left2 22”WX78”L; Right_Front5/Back_Left3 22”WX 87”L; Middle_Front4a&b and Back4 52”X 101”L; Left_Front3/Back_Right5 22”WX87”L; Left_Front2/Back_Right6 22”W X78”L ; Left_Front1/Back_Right7 19”WX71”L. Under Layer: Materials: Crème colored linens, clothing, embroidery floss, yarn, old quilts. Technique: individually hand embroidered BubbeWisdoms or phrases ofa contemporary version of Viddui prayer finishedContinue reading “UnMaking The Witness Quilt”

Yichus-Part IV

My cousin Gerrie Shapiro was recently featured on page 42 of Whirl Magazine. You may know her as a dog trainer and/or as an artist; for me, she is the keeper of our heritage. She had in her possession my great-grandfather’s wallet; now housed in the Jewish Archives Shapiro Brother Papers. Found in the wallet,Continue reading “Yichus-Part IV”

The Eight Pointed Star

Relatives were here for the holidays and the quilt our niece choose to snuggle under was a SILKDENIM version of the classic 8-pointed stars made from men’s shirts and denim: A Patchwork Life at the Heinz History Center includes my first 8-pointed star, shown here as a poster, the installation view, and two of myContinue reading “The Eight Pointed Star”

Portraits

One of my greatest inspirations is Sheila Hicks. She is the artist who best uses fibers as her medium of artistic expression. Here is a her portrait for an exhibition currently being shown in Germany. Like most people, I find it challenging to select and then view portraits of myself. In the past, whenever itContinue reading “Portraits”

Gut Yontif!

A Patchwork Life continues at the Heinz History Center through April 6, 2025. I am often there working in the miniature studio. Come and visit! Gut Yontif is our programming series celebrating the Jewish Holidays. The next installment of our Gut Yontif! series is Dec. 28 with a fiery Chanukah celebration from Rosabel Rosalind, then onContinue reading “Gut Yontif!”

Riding The Wave Of Transference

There is unrelenting tragedy in the air. We feel it deeply and personally, wondering about any hope of a healing resolution. It’s easy to project these sad negative feelings onto others. In Jason Shulman’s Kabbalistic Healing we work with those projections and judgments by riding the wave of transference. The technique does not avoid theContinue reading “Riding The Wave Of Transference”

The Witness Quilt: Positive Vidui

From Vol. 5, No. 40, October 6, 2024, the RAUH JEWISH HISTORY PROGRAM & ARCHIVES NEWSLETTER: Vidui, the spiritual center of the Yom Kippur liturgy, is a confessional prayer at the boundary of personal and communal responsibility. It is an alphabetical inventory of misdeeds, recited in the first-person plural: We have sinned. We have transgressed.Continue reading “The Witness Quilt: Positive Vidui”

Fast of Gedaliah: Day of Divine Goodwill

Today, along with the first anniversary of October 7th, we observe The Fast of Gedaliah. This year, both occur during the Ten Days of Teshuvah between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I used the occasion of this fast day, some twenty-four years ago to enact: Moving Through Loss: A Wise Woman Ritual. This day advocates The ThirteenContinue reading “Fast of Gedaliah: Day of Divine Goodwill”