about

Anthony Patterson is a multidisciplinary artist, historian, and documentarian based in Durham, North Carolina. His work seeks to empower Southern Black communities by highlighting narratives of self-sufficiency, change, and resistance.

His grandfather, Willie Patterson, is one of his greatest inspirations. The elder Patterson was a pivotal figure in the “Save Our Church and Community” movement during the Urban Renewal era in Durham. He and his partner, L.W. Reid, successfully managed to preserve and protect the Crest Street community from demolition due to Durham’s East-West Expressway. Crest Street rallied support for a realigned expressway, maintained community cohesion, and allocated funding for a newly improved neighborhood within its original borders. All while fighting the government at all local, state, and federal levels. 

As an artist, Patterson embraces storytelling through painting, photography, and installation. His experience in the arts has yielded exhibitions, artist residencies, various speaking engagements, panel discussions, artistic direction, and opportunities in arts administration.

As a historian, Patterson has discussed community history in public forums for the City of Durham, NC. He has conducted oral histories as part of the Black Chatham Oral History Project founded at NC Central. Under the leadership of Dr. Charles D. Johnson, Patterson was responsible for drafting biographies of historical figures from the Braggtown community in Durham, North Carolina.

Anthony Patterson received his BFA in Painting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He also earned a certificate in Documentary Arts from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. He is currently pursuing his Masters’s in Public History at North Carolina Central University.