Augusta Savage
Augusta Savage, an African American sculptor, encountered many injustices and political obstacles in the development of her art work. She was very young when she became interested in art while living with her parents on a farm. Most of her early work as a child was influenced by the things that surrounded her in her culture. These things included farm animals such as ducks, birds, etc. These were the beginnings of Savage’s first representations in sculpture. Eventually, she began to be commissioned to do various pieces for prominent people. Because she did not have much money to invest in expensive materials, most of her work was made out of sand and has now been reduced to dust.
Augusta Savage, like many artist during the Harlem Renaissance era, made sculpture related to things in the Black community and African American culture.
Elizabeth Catlett
Elizabeth Catlett, a renowned sculptor and printmaker, is considered the dean of women artists. Her art has been a part of the artistic world since around 1941. She is a dedicated and driven artist who has carved a niche for herself as the premiere female African American sculptor and printmaker. She has worked in cedar, mahogany, eucalyptus, marble, limestone, onyx, bronze and Mexican stone.
During the many years that Catlett has been an artist, recurring mother and child themes have been the trade mark of her work. She has stressed that she likes the challenge and the relationship that occurs with the two figures. Like many other artists, Catlett has addressed political issues and injustices in many of her works. Because of her depiction of injustices, Catlett was effectively banished from the United States. Her work has continued to exhibit African American qualities along with some Mexican influences.
Adrian Piper
Adrian Piper is a painter, collagist and teacher of philosophy. She is an artist who deals mostly with issues of racism and sexism as they confront the black woman in her everyday life. Many of her artworks in the past have been very successful due to a direct and personnel approach. Piper has also been recognized for including typed print on her pieces. These remind the viewer of various artists during the pop era in the 1960’s, when tied text or magazine articles were often part of artistic pieces.
Faith Ringgold
Faith Ringgold is an artist who uses the visual arts to express her experiences as an African American woman. Faith was born in Harlem and received a masters degree from New York’s City College. She was one of the founders of the Women Students and Artists for Black Liberation. This group was established in order to ensure equal space for African American women artists at exhibitions.
Ringgold is also a writer and educator. She is very well known for her work in non-traditional materials such as quilts and soft sculpture. She started creating soft sculpture in 1973. In 1976, Ringgold began to include masks in her art work to commemorate her African heritage.
Finally, African American women artists are elbowing their way slowly into the spotlight of contemporary art. They are continuing to emerge as painters, sculptors, and printmakers. Many other upcoming women artists from African American culture, are being accepted into the world of visual arts. These include Shirley Woodson, Sonya Walker, Lakeeta J. Mayard, Arlene Burke Morgan, Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Winnie R. Owens-Hart, and Joyce J. Scott. Like other renowned women artists, they are capturing various images of African American culture in bold and brilliant colors. They express certain moods and establish strong personalities.