A Celebration of Great African-American Artists of the 20th Century

Born in Mooresville, North Carolina, sculptor Selma Burke trained as a nurse at the Saint Agnes School of Nursing and the Women's Medical College in Philadelphia before pursuing her interest in art. Supported by scholarships, she earned an M.F.A. from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from Livingstone College. She taught at Haverford College, Livingstone College, Swarthmore College, and several secondary schools in the Northeast. Burke also founded the Selma Burke School of Sculpture in New York City and the Selma Burke Art Center in Pittsburgh. Primarily a sculptor, Selma Burke mentored many artists and produced a large legacy of work, including the profile of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that has adorned the U.S. dime since 1945.

Affiliation: Haverford College, Livingstone College, Swarthmore College

Butterfly, 1993 Lithograph The butterfly rests in a patterned vista of leaves and blossoms. Believed to be the last work that Burke completed before her death at age 94 in 1995, Butterfly features the winged creature that represented beauty and free spirit to the artist. Burke made a connection between the butterfly's cycles of growth and her own personal experiences.

Romare Bearden
Elizabeth Catlett
Alex Corbbrey
Sam Gilliam
Lois Mailou Jones
Paul F. Keene, Jr.
Gwen Knight-Lawrence
Jacob Lawrence
Samella Lewis
Charles White
Hale Woodruff

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