William Rhodes: Saints and Heroes

William Rhodes’ work in Saints and Heroes touches on the complex legacy of Black service in and for the military, among other themes. Along that line, Rhodes has recently been focusing on a major project detailing the lives and histories of the Black workforce at the Hunter’s Point Shipyards during World War II. One of his quilts honoring that service, United We Win!, will be on view at the Berkley Art Museum (BAMPFA) in Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California, the first group show drawn from a transformative bequest of African American quilts that the museum received in 2019.

Drawn from family stories, entwined with the historic Black experience of injustice, immiseration and generational economic struggles, Rhodes’ work reflects on perseverance, resilience, community, and the entrenched effects of enforced migration to America. In Saints and Heroes, Transmission will be showing recent examples of Rhodes’ signature, assemblage with wood carving and neon pieces along with a recent quilt from the ShipYard series, as well as a quilt from his Black Times Series.

Originally trained in furniture design, with a Masters from the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth, Rhodes has gained international attention over the last few years with recent invitations to show work in London and Havana, and previous projects in Italy and China. His work was included in XV Havana Biennial (2024-2025), and is included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Casa de Africa Museum in Havana, Cuba, as well as the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.

Along with creating his own artworks, Rhodes can often be found facilitating massive community quilt projects, incorporating each of the squares created by the many people who come out to participate. Rather than bemoan the difficulties of what separates and divides us, Rhodes simply steps up to connect people across generations, economies and culture. These quilts quite literally build community, tying people together where they are, each quilt a symbol of embrace, warmth, connection and belonging.