Augusta Savage

Augusta Savage was a great artist.

She made art using red clay. As a child, she made small animals. She grew up to be a famous sculptor.

Augusta also loved to teach. She opened a studio in Harlem. Many young artists learned there.

She made a large sculpture called The Harp. It showed twelve singing children. It looked like a musical instrument.

Augusta fought for fair treatment. She wanted all artists to have equal rights. This was very important to her.

She made many beautiful things. Her art is still loved today.

Augusta Savage was a famous American sculptor.

She grew up in Florida. As a child, she made small animals out of red clay. She loved to make art even when things were hard.

Augusta moved to New York City to study. She went to Cooper Union, a school that gives scholarships. She was very talented. She finished a four-year course in only three years. She made many busts, which are sculptures of a person's head. One famous piece is called Gamin. It shows a young person from Harlem.

Augusta also fought for equal rights. She wanted all artists to be treated fairly. She wanted Black artists to have the same chances as others.

She was a wonderful teacher, too. She opened the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts in Harlem. She also led the Harlem Community Art Center. Many young artists studied with her there.

One of her biggest works was called Lift Every Voice and Sing. It was a large sculpture for the 1939 World's Fair. It looked like a harp. The strings were actually twelve singing children. It was a very popular piece of art.

Augusta Savage was a talented American sculptor and a dedicated teacher.

She was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on February 29, 1892. As a young girl, she loved making small animals out of red clay. Her father was a Methodist minister who did not like her art. He believed making figures was a sin. Even so, Augusta did not give up her passion. She eventually moved to West Palm Beach in 1915. There, a school principal encouraged her talent by letting her teach clay modeling. This was the start of her life as both an artist and a teacher.

Augusta moved to New York City in 1921 to study art. She arrived with only $4.60 and a letter of recommendation. She was accepted into Cooper Union, a school that offers scholarships. She was chosen before 142 other men on the waiting list. Augusta was very hardworking and finished a four-year course in just three years. To pay for her life, she worked in Manhattan steam laundries. She also made sculptures of important people. These included a bust of W. E. B. Du Bois and a bust of Marcus Garvey. Her work was known for being realistic and sensitive.

Augusta fought hard for equal rights for African Americans in the arts. In 1923, she was accepted to a school in France. However, the committee took the offer away because she was Black. Augusta did not stay silent about this unfair treatment. She wrote a letter to the New York World to protest. Later, in 1929, she finally traveled to France with help from many groups. She studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. She even won awards at the Paris Salon. She used her voice to speak out against unfair standards for Black art.

Teaching was a huge part of Augusta's life and legacy.

She opened the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts in Harlem. She also became the director of the Harlem Community Art Center in 1937. Her workshops helped 1,500 people of all ages and abilities. Many of her students became famous artists, like Jacob Lawrence and Norman Lewis. One student was Kenneth B. Clark, who later helped change school rules in the United States. Augusta wanted everyone to have a chance to learn how to create.

One of her most famous works was for the 1939 New York World's Fair. She created a 16-foot-tall plaster sculpture called Lift Every Voice and Sing. It was also known as "The Harp." The sculpture showed twelve singing African-American youth acting as the strings of a harp. It was very popular and many people bought postcards of it. Another famous piece is called Gamin, which is a sculpture of a Harlem youth. It is now kept at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Augusta's life showed that art can be a way to change the world.

Augusta Savage was a prominent American sculptor and educator. She was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. This was a period of intense artistic growth for African Americans.

Savage used her talent to advocate for equal rights in the arts. She believed that Black artists deserved fair treatment and respect. Her work often focused on realistic and sensitive portrayals of people. She sought to move away from the stereotypes common in her time.

Savage's journey began in Jacksonville, Florida. She was born on February 29, 1892. As a child, she modeled small animals using local red clay. Her father, a Methodist minister, opposed her art. He viewed the creation of figures as a sinful practice. Despite this, she continued her craft. In 1915, her family moved to West Palm Beach. There, a high school principal supported her. He allowed her to teach clay modeling classes. This experience sparked her lifelong commitment to teaching.

In 1921, Savage moved to New York City. She arrived with only $4.60 and a letter of recommendation. She applied to Cooper Union, a scholarship-based school. She was selected before 142 men on the waiting list. Savage was a dedicated student. She completed the four-year degree program in only three years. To support herself, she worked in Manhattan steam laundries. This was necessary because her family faced many hardships. Her father had suffered a stroke, and a hurricane destroyed their home.

Savage's career was marked by both success and systemic discrimination. In 1923, she was accepted to a fine arts school in France. However, the committee rescinded the offer because she was Black. Savage fought back by writing to the New York World. This was one of her first public battles for equality. Later, in 1929, she finally reached France with help from several organizations. She studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. She also studied under the sculptor Charles Despiau.

As an artist, Savage produced many significant works. She received the Otto Kahn Prize in 1928 for her sculpture, "Head of a Negro." She also created famous busts of leaders like W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey. One of her most celebrated pieces is "Gamin." This sculpture depicts a Harlem youth. It is now held by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Because bronze was expensive, she often worked in clay or plaster. This limitation meant many of her large works could not be preserved.

Her most massive project was for the 1939 New York World's Fair. She was one of only two African Americans given a professional commission. She created a 16-foot-tall plaster sculpture titled "Lift Every Voice and Sing." It was also called "The Harp." The piece used twelve singing African-American youth to represent the strings of a harp. The sounding board was shaped like an arm and a hand. It was a very popular installation. Sadly, the sculpture was destroyed after the fair ended because there were no funds to save it.

Savage's impact as a teacher was perhaps her greatest legacy. She founded the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts in Harlem. In 1937, she became the director of the Harlem Community Art Center. Her workshops served 1,500 people of all ages. She taught many artists who later became nationally famous. These included Jacob Lawrence and Norman Lewis. One student, Kenneth B. Clark, used his background to help end school segregation in the United States. Her studio provided a vital space for Black creativity.

In her later years, Savage faced financial difficulties. The Great Depression had made selling art very hard. In 1945, she moved to a farmhouse in Saugerties, New York. She worked as a laboratory assistant in a cancer research facility. Even there, she remained creative. She grew a garden and sold eggs and poultry. She also taught art to children at summer camps. She continued to sculpt friends and tourists until her health declined. Her life remains a testament to perseverance and the power of art.