by BOTWC Staff : Selma Hortense Burke, the sculptor behind the dime design, was born on December 31, 1900 in Mooresville, North Carolina. She found her passion for art at a young age, parlaying that into a successful career as an internationally renowned sculptor. Burke made a name for herself during Harlem’s renaissance era, and all of her hard work eventually led to her getting the opportunity to create a bronze relief portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which would be cemented in history as a part of our American currency.
Selma Hortense Burke, the sculptor behind the dime design, was born on December 31, 1900 in Mooresville, North Carolina. She found her passion for art at a young age, parlaying that into a successful career as an internationally renowned sculptor. Burke made a name for herself during Harlem’s renaissance era, and all of her hard work eventually led to her getting the opportunity to create a bronze relief portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which would be cemented in history as a part of our American currency.
Some of Burke’s most known work includes Torso (1937), Temptation (1938), (Untitled) Woman and Child (1950), and Together (1975). Her final sculpture was completed in 1980, a nine-foot bronze statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is housed in Marshall Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. President Jimmy Carter awarded Burke with a Women’s Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement award in 1979. She also received honorary doctorates from Livingstone College in 1970 and Spelman College in 1988.
Some of Burke’s most known work includes Torso (1937), Temptation (1938), (Untitled) Woman and Child (1950), and Together (1975). Her final sculpture was completed in 1980, a nine-foot bronze statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that is housed in Marshall Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. President Jimmy Carter awarded Burke with a Women’s Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement award in 1979. She also received honorary doctorates from Livingstone College in 1970 and Spelman College in 1988.
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5 Important Things You Should Know About Selma Burke, the Sculptor Behind the Dime Design
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