Danielle Hardwick on how a life in football has influenced her new artistic venture

Danielle Hardwick is putting the nurturing skills she used to support rising Richmond AFL stars into a new passion project that aims to elevate the profile of Indigenous and emerging female artists.

Art has been part of the healing process for the former wife of Tigers coach Damian Hardwick after their marriage broke down in 2020 when he began a new relationship.

Hardwick created Ms Hardwick + Co last year as a way of showcasing aspiring young artists and to help people gain access to their work.

“Ms Hardwick + Co was born out of creating an opportunity to educate myself and others,” she says. “Turning a life trauma into something positive and remaining dignified was everything to me.

“The platform has been created to give support to local Australian artists and, in particular, to give exposure to talented Indigenous artists and the storytelling that inspires each original.

“We had a lot of the Indigenous boys live with us at different stages and that ignited this passion for me to continue to educate myself.”

While she studied art in school, Hardwick’s interest in it was sidelined when she married, had children, and supported Damian in his career.

“We did amazing things together, but it definitely took it out of all of us, so there wasn’t a lot of time to indulge in the art space or, to be honest, many other things in life. Footy at elite levels, and that particular role, required all of us to do what we had to do to achieve what we achieved.

“You’re looking after 40 young men like they’re your own sons. So, yes, sadly for me the art space fell to the side once I started having my own family and we committed to the football lifestyle.”

But having the Indigenous boys, such as Daniel Rioli, stay with the family ignited Danielle’s passion for hearing their stories through their artwork.

“I felt an element of ignorance … I thought, ‘Oh my god, the most basic way to learn about culture is through their storytelling and it’s so insightful’.”

Part of her motivation to create the Instagram art information and stockist site was to help make it more accessible to the average person.

“There’s an element that people feel a bit intimidated going into studios or exhibitions and they don’t feel like they know enough. We actually don’t need to know anything. If we connect with a piece of work or story, that’s enough,” she says.

“Instagram wasn’t a big thing for me, but it’s such a wonderful tool to reach the average person. I started with that and it’s continued to grow.”

Hardwick has been overwhelmed by the response from those inside and outside the AFL.

“I was always going to have a go because that’s the sort of person I am. If you don’t try, you never know.

“I just wasn’t sure how much time people would put aside for it. But COVID probably helped me along the way because people had more time to search and indulge in things that they may not have done previously.

“And word gets around pretty quickly in the AFL space and then beyond that. The support out there was heart-warming [and] genuine. It wasn’t only for me, but it was also for what I was trying to achieve.”

Hardwick sources the work, styles and photographs it, reveals the stories involved with the Indigenous pieces and then shares it to her Instagram account @mshardwickco.

“I’ve been amazed by the initial response from people connecting with it. I sent a piece to Singapore last week. People are so much more confident buying online now,” she says.

Ballarat based artist Channing Mitchell is one of her current featured artists.

“She’s particularly talented. She’s a sporty little thing as well, so I’m trying to support that football journey with her as well.

“I definitely didn’t expect the beautiful response, but I think it was just so relatable to people. It really touched a nerve and the fact that you can impact that space in a positive way is bloody awesome.”

See more @mshardwickco