Augusta Savage, Marilyn Nelson
Augusta Savage, Marilyn Nelson
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Augusta Savage
The Shape of a Sculptor's Life

Author: Marilyn Nelson

Narrator: Marilyn Nelson, Grace Angela Henry

Unabridged: 2 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/25/2022

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

A powerful biography in poems​ about a trailblazing artist and a pillar of the Harlem Renaissance—with an afterword by the curator of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Augusta Savage was arguably the most influential American artist of the 1930s. A gifted sculptor, Savage was commissioned to create a portrait bust of W.E.B. Du Bois for the New York Public Library. She flourished during the Harlem Renaissance, and became a teacher to an entire generation of African American artists, including Jacob Lawrence, and would go on to be nationally recognized as one of the featured artists at the 1939 World’s Fair. She was the first-ever recorded Black gallerist. After being denied an artists’ fellowship abroad on the basis of race, Augusta Savage worked to advance equal rights in the arts. And yet popular history has forgotten her name. Deftly written and brimming with photographs of Savage’s stunning sculpture, this is an important portrait of an exceptional artists who, despite the limitations she faced, was compelled to forge a life through art and creativity.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kim on March 20, 2022

Outstanding bio in verse where concrete poems based on Savage's sculptures bring a tactile connection to her work as a major Harlem Renaissance artist, teacher, and innovator. Highly recommended for readers 13 and up.......more

Goodreads review by thtBlkLibrarian on March 15, 2022

First Impression: First time reading a bio in poems like this I studied fine art & art history for 5 years and I’ve never heard of Augusta Savage. So the story goes for countless Black women throughout history. This was a beautiful biography in prose; sometimes painful & hard to read but very honest.......more

Goodreads review by Mary on February 27, 2022

Poet Marilyn Nelson applied her compassionate imagination, research skills, and brilliant craft in creating her new book, “Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor’s Life.” Kirkus described Nelson’s book as a lyrical biography in which “a renowned poet brings a Harlem Renaissance artist’s story to li......more