Recycled Materials Create Intricate Art in Newest Exhibition at STL

Posted on May 21, 2019 in

Using the materials and fabric from old clothing and other items, East St. Louis artist Edna Patterson-Petty creates art quilts and paintings that bring her imagination to life. Rendered Designs, a new exhibition at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), delicately engages viewers with their curiosity and their own imaginations.

The intricate detail of Patterson-Petty’s quilts is only apparent through keen observation. Her art quilts tease the mind, with eyes floating from one section of the quilt to the next, as if reading a book. Using upcycled fabric, beads, buttons, and paint, Patterson-Petty’s quilts take on a life of their own. Unconventional shapes, detailed needlework, and fabric texture all play a role in making Rendered Designs unique and eye-catching.

Patterson-Petty a graduate of SIU-Edwardsville. She also holds a BFA of Fine Arts, a MFA in Studio Art, and a MA in Art Therapy. Several of her quilts have been published in books and catalogues and have been selected for book covers. They have also been exhibited nationally and internationally.

“I know that my creative ability is of divine inspiration, because I dream of art, I feel art, I get excited when I am around art and through my creativity I reveal my internal world” said Patterson-Petty. Her work has taken her to Senegal, Canada, Germany, and China.

Rendered Designs is now on display through November 11, 2019 in the Lambert Gallery near the C Concourse exit in Terminal 1 and is part of the Lambert Art & Culture Program’s temporary exhibitions program. The program is supported by the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis.

Edna Patterson-Petty was chosen to exhibit in the Lambert Art & Culture Program through the Airport’s seven-member Airport Art Advisory Committee. Current members are Lisa Cakmak, Associate Curator of Ancient Art at Saint Louis Art Museum; Ellen Gale, Executive Director Clayton Chamber of Commerce; Shelley Hagen; Leslie Markle, Curator of Public Art, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum; Kiku Obata, Founding Principal of Kiku Obata & Co.; Roseann Weiss, consultant with ART+; and design artist and illustrator Carlos Zamora. 

The Lambert Art and Culture Program builds upon the culturally rich legacy of St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Our mission is to elevate the visitor experience and uplift regional pride through the presentation of artwork created by local, national, and international artists. Currently, there are 29 works of art or collections of art (temporary, permanent or on-loan) on view at the Airport. For more information, visit www.artoftravelstl.com.