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Arts, Culture & Heritage
Social Services
Recreation
Community
Education
Social Equality
Animals
Environment
Youth
Health & Wellness
Louise Silver née Campbell was born in 1920 near Lysite, Wyoming. An excellent sculptor from an early age, she was winning awards as a teenager while living in San Bernardino, California. She wrote poetry, short stories, painted, glazed, and etched beautiful pottery, and sculpted wonderfully realistic animals and birds. She arrived in the Shuswap in 1963, taking up the position of Principal at the Mt. Ida Elementary School.
Siegfried Silver was born in Ranchville, Alberta in 1917. After finishing school, he stayed and worked on the family farm. In 1942 he enlisted in the Canadian Army, serving in Canada and the UK.
Sieg was able to purchase a farm in Balmoral, BC through the Veteran’s Land Act, and in 1954 he and his family moved onto the farm. A few years later he also went to work as a Bridgeman for the BC Department of Highways. When Louise bought her farm in Balmoral, the families became friends.
After his wife’s death in 1965 Sieg sold the farm and moved the family into Salmon Arm.
Louise and Sieg married in 1967, in the Mt. Ida United Church which is now part of the village at R. J. Haney Heritage Park and Museum. They sold their homes and together purchased a 40-acre farm in Gleneden, where they spent the rest of their lives. What had been a chicken coop became their potting studio.
A modest man of many talents, Sieg was a skilled mechanic, farmer, gardener, and crafter of furniture. After losing their house and most of the outbuildings in the Gleneden fire of 1973, with Louise’s help he rebuilt the house himself. He was also the first potter in Salmon Arm, having been taught by Louise how to throw on the wheel. Sieg was a natural at the wheel, so Louise chose to carve, etch and glaze the pieces that Sieg made. Together, they produced well thrown, and beautifully decorated pieces.
For 22 years the Group of Saturday, six women friends, would meet every Saturday morning at the shop to work, learn, and laugh with Louise, who mentored them and taught them techniques and refinements in painting, making pottery, and sculpting along with encouraging them to ‘always be prepared to hear the truth’ about their work and to always maintain a sense of humour. She was an open-hearted, kind, generous, non-judgemental person.
A large part of these Saturdays was lunch in the house. If farm chores meant Sieg couldn’t be in the shop that morning, he was always there for lunch. Over the meal was a time to tell stories, discuss philosophy, ancient history, and to share much laughter.
The generosity of these artists was staggering.
The Louise and Sieg Silver Endowment was established in 2016 in loving memory of Sieg & Louise. Once the fund has reached $10,000 interest earned will be granted at the discretion of the Board of Directors of Shuswap Community Foundation.
The fund is open to contributions at any time.
Louise Silver née Campbell was born in 1920 near Lysite, Wyoming. An excellent sculptor from an early age, she was winning awards as a teenager while living in San Bernardino, California. She wrote poetry, short stories, painted, glazed, and etched beautiful pottery, and sculpted wonderfully realistic animals and birds. She arrived in the Shuswap in 1963, taking up the position of Principal at the Mt. Ida Elementary School.
Siegfried Silver was born in Ranchville, Alberta in 1917. After finishing school, he stayed and worked on the family farm. In 1942 he enlisted in the Canadian Army, serving in Canada and the UK.
Sieg was able to purchase a farm in Balmoral, BC through the Veteran’s Land Act, and in 1954 he and his family moved onto the farm. A few years later he also went to work as a Bridgeman for the BC Department of Highways. When Louise bought her farm in Balmoral, the families became friends.
After his wife’s death in 1965 Sieg sold the farm and moved the family into Salmon Arm.
Louise and Sieg married in 1967, in the Mt. Ida United Church which is now part of the village at R. J. Haney Heritage Park and Museum. They sold their homes and together purchased a 40-acre farm in Gleneden, where they spent the rest of their lives. What had been a chicken coop became their potting studio.
A modest man of many talents, Sieg was a skilled mechanic, farmer, gardener, and crafter of furniture. After losing their house and most of the outbuildings in the Gleneden fire of 1973, with Louise’s help he rebuilt the house himself. He was also the first potter in Salmon Arm, having been taught by Louise how to throw on the wheel. Sieg was a natural at the wheel, so Louise chose to carve, etch and glaze the pieces that Sieg made. Together, they produced well thrown, and beautifully decorated pieces.
For 22 years the Group of Saturday, six women friends, would meet every Saturday morning at the shop to work, learn, and laugh with Louise, who mentored them and taught them techniques and refinements in painting, making pottery, and sculpting along with encouraging them to ‘always be prepared to hear the truth’ about their work and to always maintain a sense of humour. She was an open-hearted, kind, generous, non-judgemental person.
A large part of these Saturdays was lunch in the house. If farm chores meant Sieg couldn’t be in the shop that morning, he was always there for lunch. Over the meal was a time to tell stories, discuss philosophy, ancient history, and to share much laughter.
The generosity of these artists was staggering.
The Louise and Sieg Silver Endowment was established in 2016 in loving memory of Sieg & Louise. Once the fund has reached $10,000 interest earned will be granted at the discretion of the Board of Directors of Shuswap Community Foundation.
The fund is open to contributions at any time.
Donate to this fund
Donations to this fund can be made by e-transfer (preferred), by cheque, donated securities, in person at any SASCU branch, through a gift of securities, or online through CanadaHelps.
