What is the meaning behind the Harp by Augusta Savage?
Lift Every Voice and Sing
The Harp was constructed by black female artist and activist Augusta Savage (1892-1962) for the New York World’s Fair in 1939. This self-made sculptor originally called this piece Lift Every Voice and Sing, a homage to the inspirational national Black anthem of the same title by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938).
What is the theme of the Harp sculpture?
The Harp was a sixteen-foot-tall sculpture honoring Black contributions to music and the resiliency of the Black community. It references the African American hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is often called the Black national anthem.
What was Augusta Savage message?
“It’s an inventive, gorgeous sculpture in many ways,” she says. “On the World’s Fair stage, it still communicates Savage’s mission: to promote Black arts and the Black community. In that sense, it’s an activist sculpture.”
What is the Harp Augusta Savage?
Lift Every Voice and Sing, also known as The Harp, was a plaster sculpture by African-American artist Augusta Savage. It was commissioned for the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and displayed in the courtyard of the Pavilion of Contemporary Art during the fair at Flushing Meadow.
What happened to the harp by Augusta Savage?
World’s Fair officials changed the name to The Harp. Sixteen feet high, made of painted plaster, Ikemoto says it was destroyed — smashed by clean-up bulldozers — at the end of the fair. Savage, who died in 1962, said that her lasting “monument” would be the artwork of the young people she taught.
How did Augusta Savage influence others?
Inspired by the theatrical and artful culture of the Harlem Renaissance, Augusta Savage became an advocate for what was define as an era for the growing impact of the African American culture in the “White America” of that present time and the influences these people are able to provide to America’s social.
How big is the harp by Augusta Savage?
16 foot
In 1939, Savage put her experience with repression and resilience to use in her most remarkable work: the lost 16 foot masterpiece known as “The Harp,” or as she evidently preferred, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
What did Augusta Savage fight for?
Augusta Savage, original name Augusta Christine Fells, (born February 29, 1892, Green Cove Springs, Florida, U.S.—died March 26, 1962, New York, New York), American sculptor and educator who battled racism to secure a place for African American women in the art world.
Why did Augusta Savage make art?
She was appointed the first director of the Harlem Community Art Center and was commissioned by the New York World’s Fair of 1939 to create a sculpture symbolizing the musical contributions of African Americans. Negro spirituals and hymns were the forms Savage decided to symbolize in The Harp.
How did Augusta Savage impact the world?
A gifted sculptor, Florida-born Augusta Savage fought poverty, racism and sexism to become a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance, the period of African-American cultural outpouring in New York City during the 1920s and ’30s.
Why was Augusta not allowed to attend the Fontainebleau School of the Arts in Paris?
This scholarship covered only tuition, and she was not able to raise money for travel and living expenses. Thus, she was unable to attend.
How did Augusta Savage come up with the harp?
The Harp was exhibited in the court of the Contemporary Arts building where it received much acclaim. The sculpture depicted a group of twelve stylized black singers in graduated heights that symbolized the strings of the harp. The sounding board was formed by the hand and arm of God, and a kneeling man holding music represented the foot pedal.
When did Augusta Savage create Lift Every Voice and sing?
Augusta Savage’s The Harp (Lift Every Voice and Sing) One of Augusta Savage’s most stunning artworks is The Harp which she created for the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. The sculpture was inspired by James Weldon Johnson’s 1900 poem-turned-song Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Who was Augusta Savage and what did she do?
Considered a leading artist of the Harlem Renaissance, Augusta Savage (1892-1962) was an African-American sculptor, arts educator, and activist. She grew up in Florida and attended Cooper Union in New York City.
Who was the artist who created the harp?
In 1939, Savage was commissioned to create a sculpture for the New York World’s Fair. Titled The Harp, the work was strongly influenced by James Weldon Johnson’s 1900 song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”