ABOUT
BIOGRAPHY
Rhonda Babb is a screen printer, graphic artist, and photographer. As a graphic designer, she focuses on brand identity and marketing communications for small businesses and non-profits.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rhonda received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, PA, where she majored in Fashion and Advertising Illustration. She returned to Moore for a Certification in Interior Decoration. Concern for the environment led Rhonda to earn a Master's Degree in Sustainable Design from Philadelphia University, now known as Thomas Jefferson University. She studied screen printing under Lisa Marie Hamilton and Tony Rosati at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in their Continuing Education Program. She is a member of a cooperative printmaking studio and artist collective, BYO Printmaking Collaborative and a board member of the American Color Print Society (ACPS).
Rhonda lives and works in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
HOW DID I GET HERE?
After a career in brand marketing and graphic design, I reached a turning point. Despite success as a commercial artist, I felt a deep need to make work that was personal and purposeful. That shift began in 2005, when the growing realities of climate change and social unrest stirred a sense of urgency in me. I pursued a Master’s in Sustainable Design to better understand how I could contribute — but it wasn’t until 2020, during the pandemic, that I finally made space for my artistic voice to emerge.
I’ve found that voice through printmaking — a medium that is both tactile and expressive, precise yet imperfect. It allows me to slow down, engage my hands, and connect more directly with my ideas. When I print, I feel alive.
My work is rooted in activism and inspired by artists like Corita Kent, Barbara Kruger, The Guerrilla Girls, and Shepard Fairey — those who use bold visual language to challenge systems and inspire action. Through my prints, I explore themes of climate anxiety, political division, and personal agency. I aim to spark reflection, encourage dialogue, and ultimately, invite people to believe in the possibility of change.
Increasingly, I am drawn to public art as a way to expand this impact — to take messages out of traditional gallery spaces and into the public realm, where more diverse audiences can engage with them. I’m interested in how art can activate public space, amplify community voices, and contribute to shared cultural conversations. Whether through murals, wheatpastes, or installations, I see public art as a powerful tool for connection and social change.
Art is how I reclaim power in an overwhelming world. If my work can move even one person to see differently, act differently, or feel less alone — then it has done what I hoped.