My name is Anders Zanichkowsky and I am the artist and owner of Burial Blankets, which I run out of my home studio in Chicago. I weave these functional, contemporary artworks by hand on a large mechanical “dobby” loom built in 1993 — a design first developed in Europe in the 1800s, based on ancient Chinese draw loom technology.

I created this business after years of research on burial art, death and dying, and the craft of weaving. For many years, and especially since the pandemic, I wanted to make art that would have a real life in the world beyond galleries and exhibitions, and art that helps us approach our mortality with beauty, acceptance, and reverence.

The heart of this project is collaboration with people who want to use their own burial shroud for warmth, contemplation, and enjoyment until being laid to rest in it. In this way, Burial Blankets are an affirmation of life, as much or even more than they are a preparation for dying. It is also a way to make burial more affordable and more meaningful, by offering an eco-friendly, finely crafted work of art that is still less expensive than the conventional options at most funeral homes. I also welcome commissions from religious congregations for handwoven cloth to be used in funeral services, and from time to time I sell limited runs of baby blankets for welcoming new life.

Burial Blankets has received generous support from a Chicago Artist Coalition SPARK grant and an Individual Artist Grant from DCASE.

You can learn more about the rest of my art practice at www.anderszanichkowsky.com.