History Keeper
Edna J. Patterson-Petty
E. St. Louis, IL
12"h x 12"w

 

Artist statement: This piece honors my husband Reginald Petty. When he found out that there were over 10,000 books abandoned in the old library when the new library was built, he began going in and saving abandoned books. These abandoned books had been in the barded up building for a number of years. Through his tireless effort and stick to it-ness, some community members became involved. It made the news several weeks in a row, it was even on CNN. Through salvaging the books and getting them to people and organizations that could use them, he began his quest for writing pamphlets on East St. Louis history called "Bits and Pieces." Much of the information came from the books that he rescued. The images are of his parents.