This Black History Month, I’m sharing art, songs, movies, and other creative expressions from and about Black women that spark joy for me. Because Black women are often not remembered for their contributions, I thought this would be one way to give flowers to those who inspire me.
For Day 14, I thought I’d share a bit about the Harlem Renaissance sculptor Augusta Savage.
Augusta Savage started sculpting when she was little, using the red clay she found in the ground in Jacksonville, FL, where she was born. Her father disapproved of her art, and she was often punished for pursuing it. But art was in her bones, and she created art anyway.
Her first commission was with the New York Library to create a bust of W.E.B DuBois. That commission led to other commissions, and Savage’s work became more well-known.
Savage’s biggest commission was for the sculpture “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which was created for the New York World Fair in 1939 to symbolize Black American music. The piece, which is sometimes called The Harp, was inspired by the poem that would become the Black National Anthem.
The piece was created in plaster because Savage could not afford to have it cast in bronze nor shipped at the end of The World’s Fair. Like many of her creations lost over time, the work and other temporary displays at the fair were destroyed when the fair ended.
While much of her work is lost to us now, her influence is mighty. Savage launched an art studio in Harlem, where she taught future renowned artists Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, and Gwendolyn Knight.
"I have created nothing really beautiful, really lasting, but if I can inspire one of these youngsters to develop the talent I know they possess, then my monument will be in their work."—Augusta Savage
Thank you, Augusta Savage, for creating anyway - and sharing your art and wisdom with the world.
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