The Tragic Devaluation of African American Art and Artists
Sculptor Augusta Savage passed #OTD 61 years ago. Her signature work, THE HARP, was displayed at New York’s World Fair of 1939. What happened to Savage and her magnificent sculpture speaks to the tragic devaluation of African American art and artists.
Ibram X. Kendi
Partner • #GirlDad • Scholar @BU_Tweets • Dir @AntiracismCtr • @NationalBook Award Winner • #1 NYT Bestselling Author • MacArthur Fellow • Surviving Cancer 🐍
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Sculptor Augusta Savage passed #OTD 61 years ago. Her signature work, THE HARP, was displayed at New York’s World Fair of 1939. What happened to Savage and her magnificent sculpture speaks to the tragic devaluation of African American art and artists. A 🧵 1/ pic.twitter.com/e6KSJBtT8A
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) March 25, 2023 -
A Florida native, Savage migrated to Harlem where she founded the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts in 1931. Over the years, she mentored countless Black artists from her studio, and then she became the first director of the Harlem Community Art Center in 1937. 2/ pic.twitter.com/uRQqYhf3dc
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) March 25, 2023 -
New York’s World Fair commissioned Savage to create a sculpture evoking the contributions of African American music. She decided to create a harp as a symbol of African American spirituals and hymns, inspired by James Weldon Johnson’s 1900 poem, Lift Every Voice and Sing. 3/ pic.twitter.com/6vAV2u3NCl
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) March 25, 2023 -
Savage went on leave from Harlem Community Art Center, and it took her two years to create the sixteen-foot harp. Twelve Black singers at different heights symbolized the strings. The sounding board is the hand of God. A kneeling man signifies the harp’s foot pedal. 4/ pic.twitter.com/76gBRT0tON
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) March 25, 2023 -
Savage was the only Black woman to have work featured at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. It was one of the most popular pieces. But with no funds to cast or store the work, THE HARP was destroyed in 1940 when the fair closed. One of the great tragedies in sculpting history. 5/ pic.twitter.com/cQjvbR4Ryr
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) March 25, 2023 -
Funding challenges continued after the fair. Someone else had been hired in her place at the Harlem Community Art Center. Then the center closed when federal funds dried up. She built another studio, but it closed too. Funding for Black artists in the 1940s was not there. 6/ pic.twitter.com/RqWIWAuZhc
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) March 25, 2023 -
In 1945, Savage retreated to NY's Catskill Mountains. In Saugerties, she reconnected with her daughter and found peace after battling racism and sexism in Harlem for years. She died in relative obscurity on March 26, 1962, like too many daughters of the Harlem Renaissance. 7/ pic.twitter.com/er3hRDHDlv
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) March 25, 2023 -
Today, Savage's legacy is undeniable. THE HARP lives in replicas. But nothing compares to the original. So much of Black art has been lost or destroyed. Oh, how I wish to walk into a museum and see one of the greatest sculptures in history by Augusta Savage. And really see. 8/8 pic.twitter.com/awRePwA5n1
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) March 25, 2023