On October 28 2021, Doc Chatters honored the work and legacies of two Black female artists, a sculptor and a poet, across generations. 

A weekly series from NYPL's Center for Research in the Humanities, Doc Chat pairs an NYPL curator or specialist and a scholar to discuss evocative digitized items from the Library's collections and brainstorm innovative ways of teaching with them. In Episode Thirty-Six, Tammi Lawson, Curator of the Art and Artifacts Division at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and author and poet Marilyn Nelson discussed "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the sculpture by artist Augusta Savage, featured in the Library’s newly opened The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures. Lawson and Nelson analyzed the intersection of art, activism, community, and expression as symbolized by Savage's iconic work.

During the episode, Marilyn shared poetry from her forthcoming book, Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor's Life, for which Tammi wrote the afterword.

A transcript of this episode is available here.

Below are some handy links to materials and sources suggested in the episode.

Episode Thirty-Six: Primary Sources

Tammi and Marilyn examined the following images documenting Augusta Savage's "The Harp," a 16-foot sculpture installed at the 1939 World's Fair. 

Researchers can peruse all of the materials in NYPL's Digital Collections related to Augusta Savage here.

The Photography Division at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture holds several collections related to Savage and her work: 

The Augusta Savage Photograph Collection includes images depicting sculptor Augusta Savage at work and in social gatherings, as well as views of some of her work, from the 1930s to the 1940s.

The Augusta Savage portrait collection includes portraits of Savage consisting of individual quarter-length studio portraits; a group portrait of Savage with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and teachers Gwendolyn Bennett, Louise Jefferson, and Sarah West at the Harlem Art Center (1937); and in a group portrait with Ernestine Rose, branch librarian of the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public Library, and Roberta Bosley Hubert, founder of the James Weldon Johnson Literary Guild, at the presentation of Savage's bust of Johnson (1939).

In the Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division at the Schomburg Center, researchers can also examine the papers of James Weldon Johnson whose poem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" inspired Savage's work. 

Episode Thirty-Six: Readings and Resources

Deirdre L. Bibby, Augusta Savage and the Art Schools of Harlem (Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, 1988). 

Ophelia Settle Egypt, James Weldon Johnson (Crowell, 1974). 

Emory University Special Collections, James Weldon Johnson: An Exhibition (Emory University, 1999). 

Jeffreen M. Hayes, Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman (GILES, an imprint of D Giles Limited, 2018).

Tammi Lawson, Guide to the Harlem Renaissance sculptor Augusta Savage, NYPL Research Guide, 2021.

Pat McKissack, James Weldon Johnson: "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (Childrens Press, 1990). 

Marilyn Nelson, A Life in Poems (Carver, 2016). 

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Doc Chat episodes take place on Zoom every Thursday at 3:30 PM. Check out upcoming episodes on NYPL's calendar,  and make sure you don't miss an episode by signing up for NYPL's Research newsletter, which will include links to register. A video of each episode will be posted on the Doc Chat Channel of NYPL's blog shortly after the program. There you can also explore videos and resources for past episodes. See you at the next Doc Chat!