Selma+Burke



Selma (Hortense) Burke was born on December 31, 1900 in Mooresville, North Carolina. In her adult years, she lived in a barn in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Selma went to many different colleges to get a nursing degree (St. Agnes Training School For Nurses in Raleigh, North Carolina; Women’s Medical College in North Carolina; and Columbia University in New York City, New York, where she received a Ph.D around 1936-1941). Selma also went to Sarah Lawrence College to support herself as a model to gain money for education. Selma did become a private nurse for a wealthy lady, but when The Great Depression came, the lady left, but gave Selma enough money to get by in the Depression. Selma studied with master sculptors in Maillol (which is in Paris, France), and Povolney (which is in Vienna, Austria). She also studied in some parts of Germany. While she was in Austria, Hitler and the Nazi’s marched in, and Selma fled with a half-million dollars in jewels, which was sewn to her clothes, and she escaped back to America, and delivered the jewels back to the Quaker refugee offices there. During the 1940’s, Selma changed the look of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the dime. She also created a sculpture in bronze of Roosevelt, which was shown to the public by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 (the sculpture is on display at the Recorder Of Deeds Building in Washington, D.C.).

Selma married Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay, and they later divorced. Her second husband was architect Herman Kobbe (he designed the barn in Pennsylvania that they lived in) and he died in 1955. Selma had many major sculptors, which included the sculptures //Uplift, Mother And Child,// and the //Falling Angel.// In 1994, Selma received her last federal commission for sculpting a sculpture of Rosa Parks. In 1995, Selma lost both of her feet due to diabetes, and died later that year around late August to early September. Selma was a great artist and her artwork will be remembered for generations to come. -RDN (2B)

Cited Sources:
 * West, Sandra L. "Burke, Selma." //Encyclopedia Of The Harlem Renaissance.// 2003. Print.
 * No author. "Selma (Hortense) Burke." //Contemporary Women Artist.// Gale 1999. Biography In Context. Web.
 * No author. "Selma Burke." //Encyclopedia Of World Biography.// Detroit; Gale, 1998. Gale Biography In Context. Web.
 * No author. "Selma Hortense Burke." //St. James Guide To Black Artists.// Gale 1997. Gale Biography In Context. Web.

**__Selma Burke __**

Selma Hortense Burke was born on December 31, 1900 in Mooresville, North Carolina. She was Married to writer Claude McKay twice and divorced twice. She then married an architect named Herman Kobbe who designed the Pennsylvania barn that they lived in. Selma Burke was a known sculptor during the Harlem Renaissance. She has been to many schools in her lifetime such as Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia in 1928 and Livingston College where she got her PhD in 1970. She wasn’t a big activist in the Harlem Renaissance; she was just a known sculptor during the 20’s and 30’s. Plus, she was a member of NAACP. She also won a lot of awards including one from president FDR. One of her most famous works was one of FDR’s profile on the dime. She was recognized by FDR himself. She must have really been interested in polotics, freedom, and liberty. Selma also created the Selma Burke Art Center in Pittsburg. She died of cancer on August 29, 1995. For an older lady, she sure lived a full life. By the time she was born, jazz music had been discovered in New Orleans. It seems as if she had the perfect life. 

SER 3(A/B) Cited Sources: Price Alexander,Clement. "Burke, Selma" Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. 2003. Print. No Author. "Selma Hortense Burke". Contemporary Women Artists. Gale, 1999. Biographyin Context. Web. No Author. "Selma Burke". Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale 1998. Biography in Context. Web. No Author. "Selma Burke; Sculptor, 94". NY Times 2 Sept. 1995. Biography in Context. Web. Selma Burke Info