Augusta Savage Initiative

Join Our Coalition to honor Augusta Savage and her 1939 Sculpture Lift Every Voice and Sing.

In honor of Black History Month and the February 29th Birthday of Augusta Savage, Monumental Women announces the formation of a coalition to honor African American sculptor Augusta Savage and her Lift Every Voice and Sing sculpture that was created for the 1939 World’s Fair held in Queens, New York.

Viewed by more than 5 million fair attendees, Savage’s sculpture was destroyed after the World’s Fair ended. Savage was an important part of the Harlem Renaissance and one of America’s foremost African American women artists. She worked as a sculptor and educator and fought against sexism and racism. Eighty–five years after its debut, Savage’s pivotal and inspiring artwork deserves to be known by a new generation.

We invite all organizations and individuals who are interested in joining our Augusta Savage Initiative to contact our team or call us at 347-224-8976.

Learn More About Augusta Savage

New York Times: The Black Woman Artist Who Crafted a Life She Was Told She Couldn’t Have
“At the dawn of the Harlem Renaissance, Augusta Savage fought racism to earn acclaim as a sculptor, showing her work alongside de Kooning and Dalí. But the path she forged is also her legacy.”

PBS: Searching for Augusta Savage
Augusta Savage was the first person in the U.S. to open a gallery dedicated to African American art. A Harlem Renaissance sculptor and art educator, she was also one of the first Black women art activists of her time and fought for the inclusion of Black artists in the mainstream canon.

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