Augusta Savage (February 29, 1892 – March 27, 1962) was an outstanding sculptor associated with the intellectual and cultural awakening known as the Harlem Renaissance. She overcame poverty, racism, and discrimination in pursuit of her goals. Creating new visions of black identity in her work, she was also an activist, campaigning for equal rights for African Americans in the arts. Her art studio was important to the careers of a generation of artists who would become nationally known. Her style can be described as realistic, expressive, and sensitive, and though her art and influence within the art community are documented, the location of much of her work is unknown. Savage was by nature a private person, but what is known of her life is fascinating, and I’m happy to share these Augusta Savage picture study resources. [Sources: Wikipedia and National Gallery of Art]

This is the fifth post in a series of Charlotte Mason picture study resources featuring black artists. I chose to highlight Savage because I find her work and her commitment to pursuing passion despite multiple setbacks to be inspiring. I also wanted to highlight the artistic talent of a Black woman for my children because most of the artists we’ve studied have been men.

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Biographical Resources

• Picture book – In Her Hands: The Story of Sculptor Augusta Savage – This picture book provides a delightful view of her childhood and path to becoming an artist. The illustrations by fine artist and sculptor JaeMe Bereal add interest to the story for all ages, and the afterword fills in many details of Savage’s career. (Video read aloud)
• Narrative bio – Black Masters of American Art (pages 76-98, see sample below)** – My family has really enjoyed this book. It works for the whole family but particularly for older children as a read aloud or if they’re reading it themselves. Scroll down for sample page. The book is out of print and ridiculously expensive (It’s not worth that crazy price!), but I’m still listing it here because that’s what I’m using, some of my readers already have a copy, and others may be able to hunt it down or find a copy via interlibrary loan. [Update: This book is now available for free viewing on Archive.org: Six Black Masters of American Art]
• Adult biography – Graven Images: The Tumultuous Life and Times of Augusta Savage, Harlem Renaissance Sculptor – This is a great option for parents or teens wanting to know more about her life, including her struggles with racism and depression. – “One of fourteen children, Augusta Savage grew up in a small town in the Deep South under oppressive Jim Crow laws, but she was determined to accomplish something special. Even though her father took the switch to her for making “graven images,” she was drawn to a clay pit near her home where she spent hours sculpting ducks and barnyard animals. Against all odds, she eventually became a leading sculptor, educator and champion of equal rights during the Harlem Renaissance. Augusta Savage was happy when sculpting. However, an abundance of dire circumstances led her to make a choice that caused her family and the New York art world to gasp.”
• Exploratory Bio & Photo Book – Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman – This remarkable volume features fifty works by Savage, and those she mentored or influenced, as well as correspondence and period photographs.
• Online magazine article – Augusta Savage: The Woman Who Defined 20th Century Scuplture – This Daily Art Magazine article highlights Savage’s career, including her “struggle with discrimination in an overwhelmingly white, patriarchal art world.” This is an excellent alternative to the Black Masters book listed above. It’s ideal for older children, to be read instead of or in addition to the picture book.

Relevant Videos*

For children: August Savage Storytime! African American Harlem Renaissance Artist – This is a high interest video of oral storyteller, Mrs. Beth, giving an overview of Augusta Savage’s life and career.

For teens and adults: Augusta Savage: A Woman of Her Word – This video from the National Gallery of Art is very informative but it is also quite dry. I would not show it to kids, but I learned a lot from it myself.

Additional Augusta Savage Picture Study Materials*

• NPR podcast (4 minutes): Sculptor Augusta Savage Said Her Legacy Was The Work Of Her Students – This recording and article both give a brief overview of the highlights of her life.
• Smithsonian American Art Museum: Augusta Savage – This is the museum’s brief bio on her life as they hold her most famous remaining piece, Gamin.

Augusta Savage Picture Study Artist Prints***

• I couldn’t find an existing set of prints featuring August Savage’s work, so here is the set I prepped for my family: August Savage Picture Study Prints – The lesson plans below use these prints.
• Wikiart Visual Art Encyclopedia: Augusta Savage

Augusta Savage Picture Study Lesson Plans 

These plans are based on the prints from file linked above in “Artist Print Resources“):

• Week 1: Read bio – In Her Hands pgs. 1-11 (stop at “Supper’s at five”) or Black Masters pgs. 76-83 (stop at “aid to Augusta Savage)
• Week 2: Read bio –  In Her Hands pgs. 13-24 (stop at “Margaret and Pee-wee”) or Black Masters pgs. 83-90 (stop at “in Greenwich Village.”
• Week 3: Read bio –  In Her Hands pgs. 25-End or Black Masters pgs. 90-98
• Week 4: Gamin – Background info and Informative videos and 360-degree images
• Week 6: Gwendolyn Knight – Background info and various images
• Week 7: Harlem Girl Lenore – Brief background info (scroll to last paragraph)
• Week 8: Lift Every Voice and Sing – Background info and video and project ideas
• Week 9: Young Boy – No info found
• Week 10: Portrait of a Baby – No info found (one sentence about the piece)
• Week 11: Portrait Head of John Henry – Brief background info (scroll to paragraph under photo of this piece)

Additional notes

* I like to immerse myself in the life and art of the artists whose pictures we study. Many of the relevant Augusta Savage picture study resources collected here aren’t part of the lesson plans, and I typically don’t even share all of them with my children. They are for me; they’re part of my self-education as I learn alongside them. I’m just sharing them in case you’d like to do the same, but please feel free to skip as they’re not needed for picture study.

**I didn’t pay nearly as much as the current Amazon price for the Black Masters book, so I hate to see how high it is now. However, I love this book and would gladly pay a slightly higher price – not an insane price. It covers six artists, and it’s written in a mature yet engaging way that delights my family. It’s a living book by a respected Black author, I’ll be using it for several of the artist studies, and it’s worth a reasonable investment. Try to get it via interlibrary loan, if possible.

[Update: This book is now available for free viewing on Archive.org: Six Black Masters of American Art]

*** I printed my artist prints at the UPS Store on glossy cardstock. This set was $7.20. These prints are not nearly as nice as the Riverbend or Simply Charlotte Mason picture study prints, but they are nice enough for what my family needs. It is very difficult to find large hi-res images of the work of many of these artists, but I won’t let that stop us from studying them.