Hidden Figures: Augusta Savage #BlackHERstoryMonth 18/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Augusta Savage #BlackHERstoryMonth 18/28

Augusta Savage was a Black American sculptor and teacher who worked for equal rights for Black Americans in the arts. Born Augusta Fells in Green Cove Springs, Florida on February 29, 1892, Augusta began making figures as a child, mostly small animals out of the natural red clay of her hometown. In 1915, she married James Savage; she kept the name of Savage throughout her life. Savage continued to model clay, and in 1919 was granted a booth at the Palm Beach County Fair where she was awarded a $25 prize and ribbon for most original exhibit. Following this success, she sought commissions for work in Jacksonville, Florida, before departing for New York City in 1921. She was admitted to the Cooper Union in New York City in October 1921, selected before 142 other men on the waiting list. She completed the four-year degree course in three years. After completing studies at Cooper Union, Savage worked in Manhattan steam laundries to support herself and her family. During this time she obtained her first commission for a bust of W. E. B. Du Bois for the Harlem Library. Her outstanding sculpture brought more commissions. Knowledge of her talent and financial struggles became widespread in the Black American community; fundraising parties were held in Harlem and Greenwich Village, and Black American women's groups and teachers all sent her money for studies abroad. In 1929, Savage enrolled and attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, a leading Paris art school. She exhibited and won awards in two Paris Salons and one Exposition. She toured France, Belgium, and Germany, researching sculpture in cathedrals and museums. Savage returned to the United States in 1931, but the Great Depression had almost stopped art sales. She pushed on, and in 1934 became the first Black American artist to be elected to the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. She then launched the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts, located in a basement on West 143rd Street in Harlem. Her many young students included the future nationally-known artists Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, and Gwendolyn Knight. Her school evolved into the Harlem Community Art Center. Savage opened two galleries whose shows were well attended and well reviewed, but few sales resulted and the galleries closed. Deeply depressed by the financial struggle, in the 1940s Savage moved to a farmhouse in rural upstate New York. While there, she taught art to children and wrote children's stories, cultivated a garden, and sold pigeons, chickens, and eggs. Savage died of cancer on March 26, 1962, in New York City. In 2001 her home and studio in New York were listed on the New York State and National Register of Historic Places. In 2008 she was inducted to the Florida Artist Hall of Fame. The papers of Augusta Savage are available at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at New York Public Library. #HiddenFIgures #AugustaSavage ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Her-Hands-Sculptor-Augusta-Savage/dp/1600603327 'Harlem Renaissance sculptor Augusta Savage’s legacy preserved in Ulster County:' https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2018/10/18/harlem-renaissance-sculptor-augusta-savages-legacy-preserved-in-ulster-county/ 'FAR FROM THE HARLEM CROWD: REDISCOVERING THE WORK AND LIFE OF AUGUSTA SAVAGE IN SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK:' https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/summer-2016/far-from-the-harlem-crowd-rediscovering-the-work-and-life-of-augusta-savage-in-saugerties-new-york 'Cummer Museum Presents "Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman:"' https://www.artandobject.com/news/cummer-museum-presents-augusta-savage-renaissance-woman Augusta Savage: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/augusta_savage Augusta Savage - SCULPTOR: https://dos.myflorida.com/cultural/programs/florida-artists-hall-of-fame/augusta-savage/ Augusta Savage - AMERICAN SCULPTOR AND EDUCATOR: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augusta-Savage Augusta Savage: https://americanart.si.edu/artist/augusta-savage-4269 Augusta Savage (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Savage