Augusta Savage: The Beginning Of The Harlem Renaissance

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Who was Augusta Savage and what was the Harlem Renaissance,? The Harlem Renaissance was an extraordinarily creative and revolutionary era in American history. It was an artistic and intellectual movement that helped shape what we know as the U.S today. As for Augusta Savage she was incredible trailblazer who inspired many to bring political and social change through her art. That’s just barely scratching the surface of what the Harlem Renaissance and who Augusta Savage was though. So let me explain to you in detail what it was. The Harlem Renaissance was located in New York City in the Harlem neighborhood specifically. The Harlem first started to bloom in the 1920s in the years after WW1 because African-Americans wanted to be viewed in a different …show more content…

One of the famous places I want to mention in Harlem was the Dark tower. It was originally two combined townhouses located at 110 West 136th street. It was known for the grand parties thrown in the houses. This was an important place during the Harlem renaissance because it brought the community together from famous musicians to artists of all kind. It created a sense of empowerment because everyone wanted to say they went to the dark tower even people outside the Harlem area. Another famous place that played a crucial role in the Harlem renaissance was the Lincoln theatre. The Lincoln theatre was made for African-Americans and had productions with African-American actors playing serious roles instead of being forced into stereotypes. The theatre inspired many African-American actors to come back into the spotlight. The theatre was important because it finally provided a safe space for African-Americans to watch and perform shows in safe …show more content…

To first start off her career in art she took the job as an apartment caretaker to support her studies at Cooper Union Art School in New York which she graduated in just three years in a four year course because many of her instructors saw her raw talent and skill. Savage was an important artist held back by not talent but financial limitations and sociocultural(Nytimes.com). One very crucial example of her being held back by racism is her rejection from a summer program hosted in France merely because of her race. This caused it to be a racial scandal which gave her more attention . Though she did end up going to study in France under Hermon A. MacNeil who was the only member of the committee to denounce the decision in order to make amends. Even though she was asked to come study under MacNeil she did not have the money to, so in order to save up the money to do so while also caring for her family she worked in steam laundries. Eventually in 1929 she made her trip to France with the help of philanthropic foundations like the Rosenwald Foundation, and grassroots women's organizations in Harlem and Greenwich Village to study at Académie de la Grande Chaumiere under MacNeil. Also in 1929 she released “Gamin” which was a sculpture that is said to be based off of her nephew. This art piece showed emotions of