Together by Selma Burke Looking Questions: Find the , Together, on display on the old former prison wall in the rear sculpture garden at the Michener.

• Write down 10 words that come to your mind in response to Burke’s sculpture. They can be words that describe the artwork or your feelings/reactions to it.

• One of Burke’s favorite themes to use in her artwork was family, love and unity. How has she shown this in her artwork? What other symbols could represent this theme?

• Are there any personal connections can you Selma Burke, Together, 1975; cast 2001, make with Burke’s artwork? Explain your bronze, H. 74 x W. 49 x D. 9 inches, James A. Michener Art Museum. Museum purchase with answer. assistance from John Horton, William Mandel, the Bjorn T. Polfelt memorial fund, Carolyn Cal- kins Smith and the Friends of Selma Burke. • How do you define family? If you could create a sculpture about your family, what would it look like? Describe it to a friend or classmate.

About the Artwork: The Michener Art Museum commissioned the casting of the sculpture Together from the resin mold used to produce Selma Burke’s original 1975 bronze bas-relief, owned by Hill House Center in , Pennsylvania. The work, which depicts a male and female figure holding an infant between their bodies, focuses on family love and unity, a theme found in many of Burke’s works.

Learn more about Burke by visiting the Michener’s online Bucks County Artists’ Database at https://bucksco.michenerartmuseum.org. (Continued other side) About the Artist: Selma Burke was an important African American woman who defied stereotypes and made a name for herself through her love of art. She was not only an accomplished nurse and teacher; she was also a renowned artist. In 1943, she entered a national competition to create a profile portrait of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was awarded the commission. Her bust of the President is the image that appears on the dime. She sculpted several celebrities, including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Pearl S. Buck, whose bronze statue was dedicated at her home in 1991. Burke lived in Bucks County from 1947 until her death in 1995. She moved to New Hope to find "a place where there is a stream and where there is a small house, because I am God's worst housekeeper and I don't want a house that I'll have to keep instead of doing my sculpture."

Activity: Draw Your Sculpture If you could create a sculpture about your family, what would it look like? Would it be a relief sculpture or a sculpture in-the-round? Sketch it below!

At Home Activity: Write a list of 10 words to describe your family. (Think about: culture, heritage, traditions, values, personalities, etc.). Now, use the words that you have written about your family or Burke’s sculpture to create a poem of your choice. Or, combine the words to create a unique poem of your own. No rules apply!

Download a copy of this activity on Learn with the Michener: www.LearnMichener.org