Saturday, February 8, 2014

Augusta Savage, Sculptor (February 29, 1892 – March 26, 1962)


Augusta Fells (Savage) was born in Green Cove Springs (near Jacksonville), Florida. She began making clay figures as a child, mostly small animals, but her father would beat her when he found her sculptures. This was because at that time, he believed her sculpture to be a sinful practice, based upon his interpretation of the "graven images" portion of the Bible. After the family moved to West Palm Beach, she sculpted a Virgin Mary figure, and, upon seeing it, her father changed his mind, regretting his past actions. The principal of her new school recognized and encouraged her talent, and paid her one dollar a day to teach modeling during her senior year. This began a lifelong commitment to teaching as well as to art.




An excellent audio bio on Augusta Savage given by Ashley Remer 
as part of the Chick History #HerStory project.




The Harp
Inspiration for this piece was
Lift Every Voice and Sing
The African American National Anthem

 Savage posing with her sculpture.

Identification on verso (handwritten and stamped): Art Service Project; 137 E. 57th Street, New York City;
Location: 137th St. and Edgecombe Ave.; DAte: 6/10; Negative No. 1060I; Photographer: Herman.
Identification on accompanying note (typewritten): Augusta Savage

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