Weekends Only, May 31–June 29, 2025
Viewing Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 12 to 5 pm
Admission is $7; free for Phillips’ Mill members.
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Phillips’ Mill proudly presents a powerful new exhibition that pays homage to Selma Burke, one of America’s most notable sculptors and art educators of the 20th century.
The exhibition will feature more than 60 works by African American artists, each of whom was inspired in some way by Burke, and many of whom she taught or mentored.
Burke spent the last 40 of her 95 years in New Hope, where she was deeply engaged in the local arts community. It was her profound influence on the arts in our region—and on African American artists worldwide—that inspired the show.
Nationally recognized Lambertville artist James E. Dupree, who has been instrumental in seeing this show come to life, was among the artists selected by the committee to be in the show. Joining Dupree are more than two dozen artists whose works have been loaned directly or sourced from essential collectors such as Trenton arts champion Lawrence Hilton.
Curated Artists
Edward Bannister
Romare Beardon
Chakaia Booker
Adjoa Borrowes
Frank Bowling
Wendell Brooks
Kimberly Camp
Willie Cole
Thornton Dial
James Dupree
Lamerol Gatewood
Herbert Gentry
Lonnie Holley
Curlee Raven Holton
Lonnie Howard
Richard Hunt
Wilfredo Lam
Kenneth Lewis Sr.
Norman Lewis
James Little
Vivian McDuffie
Lisette Morel
Nell Painter
Faith Ringgold
Danielle Scott
Danny Simmons
Ron Tarver
Mickalene Thomas
Hale Woodruff
“Black artists like Selma Burke have helped to preserve the nation’s history and culture. Through her art, Selma portrayed strong figures, many Black women, which challenged stereotypes and celebrated Black art, history and culture.”
Most artwork will be available for purchase. Interested collectors should contact Holly Lovejoy, Selma Burke Show Committee Member, at selma@phillipsmill.org.
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About Selma Burke
Born in Mooresville, North Carolina, in 1900, Selma Burke rose to national prominence through her contributions to American art, namely her extraordinary artwork and dedication to teaching others. She became an integral figure of the Harlem Renaissance, founded the Selma Burke School of Art, and earned her MFA from Columbia University. She later founded the Selma Burke Art Center in Pittsburgh and eventually settled in New Hope, Pennsylvania, leaving an indelible mark on the local arts community through her leadership at the Solebury School and Robert McClellan’s New Hope School of Art. In 1977, she also founded the Bucks County Sculpture Show, which is still held annually today.
Burke’s work can be found in major institutions, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the James A. Michener Art Museum, the Studio Museum of Harlem, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She is perhaps best known for her relief portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which became the model for the image on the dime.
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