Episode 84: Augusta Savage: Elevating Representations of Black People -

This episode features the 20th century, American sculptor Augusta Savage whose representations of black people defied racial stereotypes. Her vivid and expressive sculptures of black figures are resonant in both their beauty and humanity. Journey with me through these works and help me amplify the voice of a female artist who pushed beyond the limits of her gender and race.

August Savage “Gamin,” 1929
Image credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum

Augusta Savage with her sculpture, “Realization,” 1938.
Image credit: New York Historical Society

Augusta Savage with her sculpture “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” commissioned for the 1939 New York World fair

Augusta Savage sculpting, in an excerpt from A Study of Negro Artists, a silent film produced by the Harmon Foundation and released in the 1930s. Many artists active during the Harlem Renaissance were featured.
Images Archive (at archive.org) in association with Prelinger Archives

Highlighted on this episode is the Black artist Jacob Lawrence. He was inspired and mentored by Augusta Savage. Below are two examples of his paintings. On the left, “The Builders (Family),” 1974 (Image Credit: SCAD), and the image on the right, “Dreams #1,” 1965 (Image credit: NBMAA)

Resources for this episode include the writings Bonnie Claudia Harrison, Valerie J. Mercer, and Imani Perry. Smithsonian American Art Museum

Episode 84: Script Download