“MEMORY OF WATER II”: This work by Janet Taylor Pickett is featured in “The Selma Burke Invitational African American Art Show,” on view May 31 through June 29 at Phillips’ Mill in New Hope, Pa.

Phillips’ Mill Community Association in New Hope, Pa., has announced a new exhibition, “The Selma Burke Invitational African American Art Show,” paying homage to one of America’s most notable sculptors and art educators of the 20th century, an artist who called New Hope home for the last 40 of her 95 years. This exhibition will feature more than 60 works by many African American artists Burke mentored, taught, and inspired, including James E. Duprée and Kimberly Camp. It will be on view May 31 through June 29.

Born in Mooresville, N.C., in 1900, Burke rose to national prominence through her contributions to American art, namely her 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, Pa., and eventually settled in New Hope, 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.

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 dime.

The exhibition showcases a range of contemporary and historical works by Burke-mentored and -inspired artists, including c New Hope resident Duprée. “James was invited to exhibit in the show ‘Artists for Goode’ (1984–85),” recalls Mary Flamer, PMCA Board Member and chair of the Selma Burke Show Committee. “Ms. Burke attended the event and immediately took a liking to him, supporting his later exhibitions at the Studio Museum in Harlem.” Duprée’s work is held in the Philadelphia Museum of Art collections, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, and Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen.

Award-winning artist Camp, also featured in the show, fondly remembers Burke’s generosity. “Selma Burke was extremely generous to us back in the ’70s and ’80s, letting us know we could come to her studio. I can remember meeting her at a National Conference of Artists meeting. She was very involved with the organization’s Philadelphia chapter,” recalls Camp, a former president and CEO of the Barnes Foundation and founding director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Experimental Gallery. Camp’s paintings and distinctive dolls have been exhibited in over 100 shows, including the Smithsonian and a recent exhibition at the Hunterdon Art Museum. Camp will display three dolls at Phillips’ Mill, including a possible tribute piece to Burke herself. “I love that Phillips’ Mill is doing this tribute to Selma Burke because women artists, especially Black American women artists, are often tossed aside,” said Camp. “Most museum collections still have not made progress in this area.”

Joining Duprée and Camp are more than two dozen artists whose works have been loaned directly or sourced from essential collectors such as Trenton arts champion Lawrence Hilton. Expect to see works by Chakaia Booker, Adjoa Jackson Burrowes, Frank Bowling, Wendell Brooks, Willie Cole, Lamerol Gatewood, Lonnie Holley, Curlee Raven Holton, Kenneth Lewis Sr., James Little, Vivian McDuffie, Lisette Morel, Nell Painter, Janet Taylor Pickett, Danielle Scott, Danny Simmons, Ron Tarver, and Mickalene Thomas. The exhibition also features historical works by renowned artists such as Faith Ringgold, Romare Bearden, Edward Bannister, Thornton Dial, Herbert Gentry, Richard Hunt, Wifredo Lam, Norman Lewis, and Hale Woodruff.

Flamer is excited to be bringing this exhibition to Phillips’ Mill, introducing many of these esteemed artists, whose works are included in museums, collections, and galleries internationally, to the local area for the first time. She notes that over the years, Black artists like Selma Burke have helped preserve the nation’s history and culture. “Art explains things that sometimes words can’t,” said Flamer. “Through her art, Selma portrayed strong figures, many Black women, which challenged stereotypes and celebrated Black art, history, and culture.”

The “Selma Burke Invitational African American Art Show” runs May 31 through June 29. Gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays, 12 to 5 p.m. Admission is $7; free for PMCA members. Most artwork will be available for purchase.

Phillips’ Mill Community Association is located at 2619 River Road, New Hope, Pa. For more information, visit phillipsmill.org. or call (215) 862-0582.