Jeﬀreen M. Hayes on Augusta Savage

The Great Women Artists

Katy Hessel

Arts

4.8 • 944 Ratings

🗓️ 29 March 2022

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In episode 81 of The Great Women Artists Podcast, Katy Hessel interviews Jeﬀreen M. Hayes on the Harlem Renaissance pioneer, Augusta Savage!! *BOOK NEWS!* I have written a book! Order The Story of Art without Men here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Story-Art-without-Men/dp/1529151147/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1647348710&sr=8-1 [This episode is brought to you by Alighieri jewellery: www.alighieri.co.uk | use the code TGWA at checkout for 10% off!] Overcoming poverty, racism, and sexual discrimination, Savage is one of the greatest American artists of the 20th century and is famed for her emotionally tender and stoic life-size figures and plaster portrait busts. Raised in a strict family in Florida with a father who opposed her artistic pursuits, she arrived in New York with just $4.60, and in 1922 enrolled at The Cooper Union School of Art. Coming to the fore in the 1920s, Savage mastered emotionally tender and stoic life-size figures and plaster portrait busts (painted with shoe polish for a bronzed effect), and her subjects ranged from dignified everyday Black figures to influential Harlemites, including W. E. B. Du Bois. Working with images to elevate Black culture into mainstream America, Savage was also a key community organiser, exhibitor and teacher to so many. Not only did she become the first African American woman in the US to open her own private art gallery, she was also appointed the first director of the Harlem Community Art Center. As confirmed by Jeffreen, who has previously said: “I don’t think about Augusta Savage as someone who only made objects … [but rather as someone who] has really left behind a blueprint of what it means to be an artist that centres humanity.” ENJOY! Follow us: Katy Hessel: @thegreatwomenartists / @katy.hessel Sound editing by Nada Smiljanic Research assistant: Viva Ruggi Artwork by @thisisaliceskinner Music by Ben Wetherfield https://www.thegreatwomenartists.com/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello, great woman artist listeners. It's Katie here. And just before we get into today's episode on the brilliant Augusta Savage, I want to let you know I have written a book, which is out this September. The story of art without men aims to retell art history with pioneering non-male artists who spearheaded movements and redefined the canon. It is available to pre-order now from
0:22.4	Amazon, Waterstones and more, and I have linked to this in the show notes. In this series, I am so
0:28.1	excited to be continuing my partnership with the brilliant Allegieri Jewelry, who have been
0:32.4	supporting the GWA podcast for the last two years. Alighieri creates fragmented talismans of imperfection
0:39.2	hand cast in London's Hat and Garden from recycled silver and gold. The brand was founded by
0:44.9	Rosh Matani to guide her through a dark time. Each piece has a story and invites you to unlock your own.
0:51.6	I am so excited to tell you about their most recent collection, untitled.
0:55.8	The collection explores the power of body language to express emotion in a world where words
1:00.9	are often not enough. The use of body language dates back to prehistoric times, much like
1:06.0	jewelry. The collection will be released in six drops, with only 10 of each piece available for now.
1:11.6	The second drop has just arrived, and I can't wait to tell you about it.
1:15.6	In Greek mythology, Medusa is depicted as a terrifying woman with the ability to turn anyone who looks at her into stone.
1:22.6	For their Autumn Winter, 2020 collection, Roche wanted to reframe her and celebrate her power as a strong
1:28.8	woman. In the Medusa series, the signature Allegheny texture comes to life in a trio of everyday serpent talismans,
1:36.6	handcrafted, as always, in London's Hatt and Garden, allow the power and strength of the Medusa
1:41.5	heirlooms to weave their way around your body, reminding you
1:44.5	to never be afraid of your own conviction. You can visit the full collection at alleghiari.com,
1:50.5	and just for our listeners, Allegieri is offering a 10% discount across all products with the code
1:55.9	TGWA at checkout. I hope you enjoy this episode.
2:04.3	Hello. at checkout. I hope you enjoy this episode. Hello everyone and welcome to The Great Women Artist podcast with me, Katie Hessel.
2:10.6	Some of you might know me from The Great Women Artists, an Instagram account I set up in October 2015, which celebrates female artists on a daily basis, ranging from young graduates to old masters.
2:22.3	Well, in a similar fashion to the Instagram, this podcast is all about celebrating female artists from a variety of backgrounds and histories.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Katy Hessel, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Katy Hessel and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.