Jim Burke grew up in a large family in New Hampshire. During his early teen years, his family built an exceptional open-concept home, providing much inspiration from concept evolution to architectural plans to finished construction. Years later, Jim would realize many of the home's configurations were inspired by the abstract works of painter Richard Diebenkorn.
Jim won many state art competitions throughout childhood and illustrated his first book with a division of Simon & Schuster while still in high school. Before earning his BFA from Syracuse University's School of Visual and Performing Arts, Jim received his first picture book contract with Sterling Publishing "Poetry for Young People, Walt Whitman." Jim Burke has illustrated ten award-winning picture books with publishers including Harper Collins, Little, Brown & Company, and Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Six of his picture books have received Awards of Excellence from The Original Art Show (NYC). One of his favorite published books he also wrote is "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (Little, Brown), with an introduction written by Pete Hamill. "Jim's classic old-school illustrations…give us a gentle reminder that collective memory, heroes, and the seasonal rebirth of optimism—part and parcel to the love of baseball—are worth keeping alive." – Time Magazine
Burke has also received Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum and Gold Best Book Awards and starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. He has been awarded a Gold Medal and 22 Awards of Excellence for his illustration from the Society of Illustrators and accolades from Print, 3x3, The New York Art Directors Club, and Communication Arts. His paintings have been exhibited in The Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition (London) and commissioned for private and large-scale public spaces. He has also taught at PRATT Institute and as a visiting artist at Syracuse University. While living in the Greenpoint area of Brooklyn, NY, he and his wife, Suzanne, also shared a studio in Williamsburg. His inspiration for homes and real estate grew while exploring properties in New York, resulting in him and his wife purchasing a Hudson Valley Victorian fixer-upper in Beacon, NY.
In 2009, Jim, Suzanne, and their growing family returned to NH when Jim accepted a Department Chair position at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. He created dozens of professional collaborations for students with non-profits and businesses, including The Palace Theatre, Opera NH, Easter Seals New Hampshire, and the NBA. Jim also created and led a Visual Journalism course in Umbria, Italy, with students enrolled from the US, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkey, and India. In 2013, Jim earned his MFA from the University of Hartford. In 2016, the Burkes moved to MN when Jim accepted the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. After 17 years in higher education--including successful years of intensive union contract negotiation with federal mediation, his interest in building and real estate continued after leading the renovation project of MCAD's Julia Morrison Building (EST. 1915) Auditorium, and he and Suzanne's purchase of their first MN home; Jim accepted an offer to join a real estate brokerage in Edina.
Focusing on captivating properties and their rich histories, including aesthetic and architectural influences, greatly inspires Jim's work in real estate, an energy that many clients & colleagues find contagious.
Jim, Suzanne, and their three daughters live in SW Minneapolis. They enjoy outdoor time with their Siberian Husky and travel.
