Gail Tanzer

Graven Images Gail Tanzer

One of fourteen children, Augusta Savage grew up in a small town in the Deep South under oppressive Jim Crow laws, but she was determined to accomplish something special. Even though her father took the switch to her for making "graven images," she was drawn to a clay pit near her home where she spent hours sculpting ducks and barnyard animals. Against all odds, she eventually became a leading sculptor, educator and champion of equal rights during the Harlem Renaissance. Augusta Savage was happy when sculpting. However, an abundance of dire circumstances led her to make a choice that caused her family and the New York art world to gasp