Whispers From Another Time Celebrates Arkansas Heritage Month

Cathy D. Padgett

Caretaker's Cottage, Fayetteville, Washington County, 2014. "The native stone Pump Station house and caretaker's cottage were built in 1925. Water was pumped to Mt. Sequoyah, where it was filtered and stored before being gravity-fed to Fayetteville homes and businesses. After the Pump Station closed down operations, the Fayetteville Fire Marshal moved into the cottage."

The University Libraries are pleased to present "Whispers from Another Time," photographs by Cathy D. Padgett.

The exhibit, which is on view in Mullins Library now through July, helps celebrate the Department of Arkansas Heritage's Arkansas Heritage Month. Padgett has lived in Arkansas for 45 years and documents buildings across the state in her work.

The places Padgett photographs are relics of an earlier era in various states of decay, she said. She often photographs abandoned houses, old country stores, churches, or one-room schoolhouses.

"My work focuses on the things people leave behind as they journey across time and the landscape," Padgett said. "Most often these buildings are unaltered, a visual reminder of a social era that has past."

Padgett earned a Bachelor of Arts in art with a concentration in photography from the U of A in 1991, a Master of Arts in anthropology in 2000, and a Master of Education in educational technology in 2005. She is currently the administrative analyst and visual resource curator for the Department of Art.

For more information about Padgett and her work, please visit her website at cathy-padgett.squarespace.com. Padgett's site has an email link that allows viewers to inquire about purchasing prints, or suggest a place she should photograph.

Mullins Library is open most days of the week and a full schedule of business hours is available online. For more information about hours, the exhibit, or about showing in Mullins Library, please contact Martha Guirl-Phillips at mlguirl@uark.edu or 479-575-6702.

The Department of Arkansas Heritage observes Heritage Month each May.The 2016 theme is Arkansas Arts: Celebrating Our Creative Culture. A list of additional Heritage Month events and activities is available online.