Laurie Swim

Laurie Swim (born 27 February 1949) is a Canadian visual artist, best known for her quilt art. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the New York Museum of Arts and Design, the Nova Scotia Art Bank, the Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council, the Ontario Workers Arts and Heritage Centre, and in private collections. She won the Portia White Prize in 2013.

Biography Swim was born in Lockeport, Nova Scotia, Canada and grew up in Nova Scotia. She studied painting at Mount Allison University and NSCAD University (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) where she graduated 1972, From Our Backyard (1997) Magic Hour, Blue Rocks (2005) In the Gut (2010) Make-and-Break (2010), designated as "outstanding significance and national importance" by the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board in 2014. Time Goes By (2015) Hope and Survival (2017)

Collaborative work

Pulling Together, The Builders of The Rideau Canal, 1826-1832 (1995), 9′ × 15′, created in collaboration with the support of the Ontario Arts Council; part of the permanent collection of the Workers Art and Heritage Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The Canadian Young Worker's Memorial Quilt (2003) supported by Ontario Federation of Labour. The Lunenburg Heritage Quilt (2003), created for the town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia for its 250th anniversary. The work hangs at The Fishermen's Memorial Hospital. Hope and Survival, The Halifax Explosion Memorial Quilt for the 2017 centenary of the Halifax Explosion. The artist wrote and illustrated a children's book Hope and Survival: A story of the Halifax Explosion using elements from the quilt for the illustrations.

Books The Joy of Quilting (1984), with an introduction by Alex Colville. Quilting (1991). Rags to Riches: The Quilt as Art (2007), with an introduction by the artist Mary Pratt. Hope and Survival: A story of the Halifax Explosion (2017), a children's book and work of historical fiction

Awards 2013 Portia White Prize, Nova Scotia's highest award for Artistic Excellence and Contribution to the community. 2009 designated a Master Artisan by the Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council.