Kentucky to the World photo.
LOUISVILLE, KY — Shelly Zegart passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family, on July 22, 2025. Born in Pittsburgh on March 11, 1941, she grew up with her brother and sister in the small steel town of Monessen, Penn. She earned her BA in education from the University of Michigan, setting the stage for a lifetime of curiosity, civic engagement and leadership. Shelly was a singular force in art, advocacy and storytelling. A powerhouse of intellect, creativity, and conviction, Shelly left an indelible mark not only on Kentucky’s cultural identity but on the global understanding of how stories, especially those stitched into fabric, can reflect, preserve and transform our shared history.
Shelly caught the collecting bug early in life while growing up in Pennsylvania. She fondly recalled antiquing with her mother as the spark that ignited her lifelong passion for collecting, preserving, and storytelling. But she didn’t just collect objects; she collected narratives, context and meaning. From her mother, Shelly learned that a woman’s place is wherever she chooses to be. From her father, she learned that the work of an advocate is never finished.
In the 1970s, Shelly began her career as a quilt dealer and collector, uncovering and preserving pieces long forgotten and long undervalued. With a sharp eye and deep reverence for the artistry of textile work, she helped build private and institutional collections, including her own, a stunning and historically rich assembly of quilts later acquired by the Art Institute of Chicago.
Driven by purpose, Shelly founded the Kentucky Quilt Project in the early 1980s, the first statewide quilt documentation initiative in the US. It quickly became a national model, eventually leading to her co-founding the Alliance for American Quilts in 1993. Shelly was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the nationally recognized Quilt Index in the early 1990s. As a founding leader, she helped guide collaborative planning and ultimately established the consortium that launched the Quilt Index online in 2003, creating a centralized digital archive that preserves quilt scholarship for generations to come. Her mission was never just about preservation; it was about elevation. She helped bring quilting into the broader cultural conversation as a serious art form and as a means of storytelling, identity and historical record.
Shelly curated exhibitions across the US and abroad, including in Australia, Japan, New York and Tokyo. She also created and hosted the PBS-broadcast documentary series Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics, which continues to stream on KET. Through these efforts, she showed the world how deeply Americana runs through the stitches of our past.
In 2020, she was honored with the Governor’s Award in the Arts – Folk Heritage Award, Kentucky’s most prestigious arts recognition, presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the state’s artistic traditions.
Shelly spent the final chapter of her remarkable career as the founder and CEO of Kentucky to the World (KTW), the nonprofit she launched in 2012 to spotlight Kentucky’s cultural richness, intellectual leadership and artistic excellence on a global stage. What began as an idea rooted in storytelling grew, through her boundless energy and belief, into a dynamic, multimedia platform that champions the voices shaping Kentucky’s future. Shelly saw storytelling as a form of economic development, and narrative as a tool for transformation.
KTW became Shelly’s love letter to the Commonwealth. Under her guidance, it evolved from a passion project into a respected institution, highlighting the changemakers, entrepreneurs, artists, scholars and thought leaders whose stories defy stereotypes and elevate the state’s national and international reputation. Shelly had a rare and extraordinary ability to make people believe in something bigger than themselves. Kentucky to the World is, and always will be, a living legacy and reflection of Shelly’s values: creativity with purpose, storytelling with soul, leadership with heart.
Shelly wore many hats — mother, grandmother, sister, producer, lecturer, curator and leader — but perhaps none meant more to her than her role as partner to the late Dr Kenneth Zegart.
Shelly is survived by her daughters Terri Zegart and Dr Amy Zegart (Craig Mallery); grandchildren Alex, Kate, Jack Mallery and Tim Seltz; her sister Janis Baron Harrison and brother Jay Weiss (Ellen); brother-in-law Arnold Zegart (Carol); her beloved nieces, nephews and her extended family; and her beloved, loyal dog, Spike.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr Kenneth Zegart; her parents, Judge David Weiss and Thelma Brody Weiss; and her brother-in-law, Harvey Harrison.
Shelly’s legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched and the purpose, passion and generosity she poured into her work and her relationships. While we mourn her passing, we celebrate the extraordinary woman she was: friend, wife, mother, grandmother, colleague, mentor and enduring source of inspiration. Her voice lives on in every Kentucky story told, every quilt preserved and every young person inspired to see their home through new eyes. Her leadership at KTW continues, sustained by a team she mentored and empowered. As Shelly always said, “Onward.”
Shelly’s memorial service was on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at The Temple, on US Highway 42 in Louisville.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Shelly’s memory be made to The Temple (5101 US Highway 42, Louisville, KY 40241), Kentucky to the World (PO Box 6251, Louisville, KY 40206) or a charity of your choice.
