By DARLA MCCAMMON
Lakeland Art Association

A sculpture by Augusta Savage. (Photo provided)

The New Deal was President Roosevelt’s attempt to solve a myriad of problems by offering work to the unemployed from the government through the WPA, and the Federal Art Project.

One of the multiple artists hired was Augusta Savage. Born Augusta Christine Fells, this African American Sculptor was from Jacksonville, Fla., where her father was a Christian preacher. The clay soil there was utilized for brick making. This little girl discovered how that soil was also wonderful for creating and molding figures.

Her talent was not immediately appreciated by her father who was concerned about “graven images” but once she created the Virgin Mary, he became a convert to the gift she had been given. The family moved to Palm Beach where things improved and during her senior year the principal of the school she attended offered her $1 per day, a rather large sum in those days, to teach the other students how to model clay and create sculptures.

Savage went through several marriages in her life, none successful. She kept the name of her second husband and had one child, daughter Irene. While still a teenager Savage courageously applied for a booth at the Palm Beach County Fair where she won a $25 prize for the most successful booth, where sales totaled a significant $175.

Following this success she was accepted at Cooper Union Art School in New York, the city from which she would eventually achieve the most fame. Savage suffered and fought against intolerance because of her race as she struggled to succeed in the art world. Her talent was undeniable, but when she applied for a summer art program sponsored by the French government, she was turned down solely because she was black.

This obvious bias against a deserving artist gained her a podium from which she often preached. Life was not easy for Savage. She won a scholarship to Rome, then, couldn’t attend because she could not get up enough money to cover her expenses for travel and housing. Her struggles became well-known throughout her community and many began giving her support to study abroad.

She did so and won many awards in the process. Exhilarated by her international success, she decided to go home. Upon her return to the U.S., however, the Great Depression was in full-swing and awards were not food. Savage opened a studio in a basement in Harlem and was the first African-American artist to be elected to the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors in 1934.

Her family’s home in Palm Beach was destroyed by a hurricane, and not long after that her father had a stroke. She moved them to New York and had yet another financial burden. The WPA connection provided some funds, but some rancor developed between Savage and officials when she stepped into leadership roles. Her old issues of bias against her skin color came to the fore and she was disappointed in how she felt she was treated.

Still Savage continued to produce works of art that could not be ignored by any race, gender, or art lover. One of her most famous was the sculpture she created for the New York World’s Fair in 1939. Based on a piece of music, her vision of “The Harp” was universally loved.

Many of her works were never cast in bronze due to finances, and this work is now only available to us in photographs. It was cast in plaster and destroyed at the end of the fair. Another of her most famous works is titled “Gamin,” This sculpture can be found at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. You can also visit the Cleveland Museum of Art to see a life-sized version.

Upcoming and Current Events:

• Visit the Warsaw City Hall Gallery. Free admission daily 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. This is a great exhibit by Teresa Smith.
• Contact Paula Bowman at Latte Lounge to participate in her next “Caffeine and Canvas” event. This fun adventure in painting continues to be very popular and successful.

More info on LAA can be found at www.lakelandartassociation.org or on Facebook. Also call (574) 594-9950. Contact your author/artist Darla McCammon at [email protected].