WELCOME TO
Textiles Art & Decor
Rhonda visiting the Chicago History Museum’s clothing textile archives
Rhonda's Story
I have been researching African American cultural history since I was 14 years old with my first visit to the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago. My travels took me to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia where I examined the archives of 18th century slave clothing and visited the slave cabin site of the Carter’s Grove plantation. In college I majored in clothing and textiles with a master’s degree. So, it was a natural progression in my artistic journey that I use this knowledge and skills as a tool to tell the story of African American life during the Great Migration (1917 through 1970). In 2016 I designed and produced a collection of soft sculptured art dolls, called the Bronzeville Babies ™.
Bronzeville Babies™
The Bronzeville Babies are a collection of soft-sculpted art dolls that Rhonda created to pay homage to the African American Great Migration for black people who moved to major cities like Chicago from 1916 through 1970 for a better life.
Play Video
Designs for Urban Comforts™
I designed fabric prints using stamp printing techniques of the traditional African Adinkra motifs. I then started creating wall art appliques, using the motifs of the Ndebelle women of South Africa as my design inspiration. Today I am busy forming my design company and looking forward to creating even more unique textile art designs.
“I call my work ‘legacy art’ because I found that whether old, young, black, white, when they see my art pieces they want to share their stories too. My vision is that my work makes people smile and connect with telling their own story” – Rhonda Hardy
President and Lead Designer
Rhonda Hardy Designs
