Peggy Dillard Toone

Peggy Dillard Toone is an accomplished multidisciplinary artist, fashion model, entrepreneur, curator, and creative director whose career reflects a longstanding commitment to artistic expression, cultural representation, and community engagement.

Born in 1956 in Greenville, South Carolina, she was the youngest member of a large and talented family. Her early appreciation for art, photography, architecture, fashion, and craftsmanship was strongly influenced by her mother and grandfather. Her grandfather worked as a tailor, constructed the family’s home, and handcrafted much of its furniture. Demonstrating a natural aptitude for design and drafting, Peggy Dillard Toone received a full scholarship from the J. E. Sirrine architectural firm in Greenville.

Her artistic practice is informed by family, faith, community, nature, fashion, dance, and spiritual traditions. Working across photography, painting, watercolor, printmaking, ceramics, and illustration, she draws particular inspiration from light, movement, the natural elements, and seasonal color. Her conceptual photography and paintings frequently examine themes related to naturally textured hair, body inclusivity, and the health and well-being of women of various ages and sizes.

Peggy Dillard Toone attended Pratt Institute, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fashion merchandising and marketing. Before completing her studies, she had already appeared on two Vogue covers and later appeared on a third. Over the course of her four-decade modeling career, she appeared on more than 50 magazine covers, including Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan, Ebony, and Essence. Recognized as an original supermodel, her professional experience encompasses high-fashion editorial work, runway modeling, catalogs, film, commercials, and voice-over assignments.

Her influence within the beauty industry is equally significant. Through Trade Secret Imports, she introduced handmade Kabuki brushes and cosmetic accessories to the broader marketplace, supplying products to MAC Cosmetics, pharmacies, and department stores. She was also the original owner of Turning Heads Salon, an upscale, full-service Black hair salon, Aveda concept salon, and day spa in Harlem that served clients from New York and abroad.

As curator of the Toone Gallery, Peggy Dillard Toone presented the work of Gullah and emerging artists to audiences across the visual arts, literature, and film. The gallery featured artists including Reverend Simmons, William H. Clarke, and Pat Goodman. Her broader creative career has also included work as a creative director, production designer, and art consultant.

In partnership with her husband, Lloyd Toone, she established LDTOONE, LLC Productions during the mid-1980s. The company provided art direction and set design for television networks, major film productions, and independent filmmakers. Its professional record includes work associated with CBS, ABC, NBC, ETV, Netflix, HBO, and PBS. Her film and television art credits include Black Nativity and Run the World.

Together, Peggy Dillard Toone and Lloyd Toone also founded the Blue Leaf International Arts Foundation. The organization advocates both emerging and established artists and is dedicated to advancing lifelong arts education. Through this work, she continues to promote artistic development, cultural preservation, and greater access to creative opportunities.

Her work has been exhibited at institutions and galleries including the Indasa Fine Art Gallery in New York, the Red Piano Gallery on St. Helena Island, the Penn Center Museum, the Parlor Gallery in New York, Purdue University, and Pratt Institute. Her honors include recognition as an African American Artist of the Year through SOTAP in Greenville. The Toone Art Gallery also received the Minority Business of the Year award from the Spartanburg Chamber.