Virtual Barbershop Hairstyles

The Project XV Museum is a voting rights museum in El Paso, Illinois, opening to the public in 2024. The museum is situated in the former shop of local barber David Strother (1843-1905), the first African American to vote in the state of Illinois after the passage of the 15th Amendment. 

The museum will feature interactive activities including a virtual reality tour of the barbershop as it once appeared in the 1800’s. Within the virtual barbershop, the user can access this memory game featuring various hairstyles Mr. Strother might have offered in his barbershop. The images are rendered on tiles which are then turned face-down as the player tries to recall placement of each hairstyle. 

I was privileged to be invited to participate in this project. I provided illustration of six hairstyles as well as the border and title banner on each tile. Other artists designed the remaining twelve hairstyles and the functionality of the game.