Savage was a renowned sculptor associated with the Harlem Renaissance as she advocated for the equal rights of African Americans in the arts. Savage studied art at Cooper Union in New York City in 1921. One of Savage’s first commissions was a bust of W.E.B. Dubois for the Harlem Library. Her advocacy through art was further displayed as she made several sculptors of African American leaders. Her most known work, Gamin, was her sculpture of a child from Harlem as it received immense recognition. This recognition allowed her to study at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris. Once returning to the United States, Savage established the Savage Studio of Arts— later becoming the Harlem Community Art Center in 1932. Additionally, Savage became the first African-American woman to be elected to the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. Augusta Savage’s brilliance was also recognized by the 1939 World’s Fair as she was one of four women to receive a commission from the World’s Fair in 1939.

Work Below, Respectively: Lift Every Voice and Sing (The Harp), 1939, painted plaster | Gamin, 1929, painted plaster | Young Boy, 1940-42 |