I wear many hats because I have many things to do,” Margaret Burroughs read to an audience of about 15 people at her art exhibit’s opening ceremony Thursday night.

Wearing a red beret to match her red suit and chunky red boots, Burroughs seemed at ease for the opening of an exhibit featuring her artwork at Dittmar Memorial Gallery in Norris University Center.

Burroughs, an 87-year-old artist and poet who founded Chicago’s DuSable Museum of African American History, stood among several of her art pieces in Dittmar.

She also read from her latest book, “Life with Margaret,” a collection of poetry, photographs and essays.

The DuSable Museum features several slave and civil rights documents, artwork and exhibits that relate to blacks.

The museum, which was the first of its type, has spawned similar institutions throughout the country. Burroughs started the museum with her husband in their living room in 1961.

“Her work makes me realize that the talent in the African American community is wide and diverse,” said Ed Robinson, a professor emeritus at Northeastern Illinois University.

Robinson said he attended the event because he admires Burroughs’ work. “She shows that an artist can also be an author and a poet.”

The exhibit features about 25 of Burroughs’ pieces, including a collage made of shoulder pads and pieces composed with bright markers.

Burroughs’ poetry is interspersed among the pieces.

“Her artwork is so meaningful because it’s so grassroots,” said Sharon Hyson, an art therapist in the Chicago area. “She uses simple mediums and bold colors to make very profound statements.”

Layla Bermeo, Dittmar Gallery coordinator and a Weinberg senior, said she hopes students will appreciate Burroughs’ versatility.

“She speaks to everyone. She’s not just speaking to African Americans,” Bermeo said. “The diversity that you see in her work is really symbolic of her life.”

Burroughs said she is particularly proud of a collection of nine oil paintings of African chiefs that was inspired by a trip she took to Africa.

“Those trips keep me young,” she said of the biannual visits to the continent. “When I can breathe that air and feel that sunshine on me, it strengthens me.”

In addition to traveling, Burroughs said she is compiling several books of poetry and working on art.

“If I plan to live, I must work,” Burroughs said. “I’ve got to do it until I die. It’s a God-given talent, and I’ve got to use it.”

Her artwork will be on display at the Dittmar Gallery until March 27.

Reach Abha Bhattarai at [email protected].