ABOUT BARBARA LEOFF BURGE

Barbara Leoff Burge was born in 1933 in a small town in Massachusetts. For as long as she can remember, she had an inclination towards visual poetry, but growing up she did not have the materials to execute it. Once she started to attend grade school, she was given the opportunity to use materials to make her visions come alive. In her 20's she attended The School of the Art Institute of Chigaco and learned a lot about art through their extensive museum collection. She got her B.F.A from attending various different places of academia. She then met her husband, artist Ken Burge, and they moved to New Paltz in the 1960's. She founded Women's Studio Workshop in Rosendale soon after moving to the Hudson Valley. With the help of other women, they created this space with little resources, and it is still thriving today. Some of Barbs' other noteworthy achievements include that her art is in the Library of Congress and various other collections in misnames across the U.S. She quotes "My artwork is a way for me to be legitimately naughty."
This website was created by Barbara with the help of her friends.

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Last Updates July 2026

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