The Harp was provided by the Arts and Artifacts Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations
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Project STEP
The Ann Hobson Pilot Project
301 Mass. Ave., Boston, MA 02115
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The Logo
Augusta Savage was one of the most influential artists of the Harlem Renaissance. She was a teacher and her studio was very important to the careers of a rising generation of artists who would become nationally known. During her entire life she worked tirelessly for equal rights for African Americans in the arts. In 1939, Savage was commissioned to create a sculpture for the New York World's Fair. Titled The Harp, the work was strongly influenced by James Weldon Johnson's 1900 song, "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
The Harp sculpture was the centerpiece in the court of the Contemporary Arts building at the New York World's Fair where it received much acclaim. The sculpture depicted a group of twelve stylized black singers in graduated heights that symbolized the strings of the harp. The sounding board was formed by the hand and arm of God, and a kneeling man holding music represented the foot pedal. No funds were available to cast The Harp, nor were there any facilities to store it. After the fair closed it was demolished as was all the art which was created for the fair... The Harp sculpture is a wonderful symbol for Ann Pilot's Musical Journey and her dedication to the education and promotion of African American artists.
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