For years, Mary Engelbreit's work was defined by cheery, bright colors of "children and butterflies." But when Michael Brown Jr. was killed by a police officer in 2014, she felt a call to be more political in her work.
"I didn't really care if I lost followers at that point," she said. "I wanted to express what I was feeling in my art."
Last month, the St. Louis illustrator donated her collection to Washington University Libraries to be used as resources for researchers and future illustrators.
"When Washington U approached us and asked if we would be interested … I was just flabbergasted and flattered," she said.
Engelbreit said the donation consists of "a little bit of everything," including original art, sketches, product designs and mockups. The donation will be dropped in installments over the next few years. An exhibition is also planned for sometime in 2027.
Engelbreit teased the possibility of more than one show.
"We're still working it all out. … I've got so much art," she said. "I'm really anxious to do that. I think it'll be a lot of fun."
Engelbreit's career as an artist began almost 50 years ago. In 1983, she founded a greeting card company with her husband. Today, she continues creating art for a worldwide audience that is increasingly flooded with artificial intelligence. Engelbreit believes AI shouldn't be used in the creative world.
"I like making decisions. … Am I going to paint? Am I going to use pencil?" she said. "You're making decisions all the way through that affect the final piece of art, and that's the part of art that you never want to give up."
Engelbreit will celebrate her 50th studio anniversary next year.
"I love to draw. … I draw every day," she said. "It's what keeps me going, and it's always exciting to come up to the studio and work on whatever it is I'm working on."
To hear the full conversation with Mary Engelbreit, listen to "St. Louis on the Air" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
"St. Louis on the Air" brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha, Darrious Varner and Alex Heuer. Our production intern is Danny Osborn. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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