Throughout my experience this summer, I was also involved with a separate project that laid at the intersection of history and culture. I was invited to consult on a project that plans to install informational kiosks commemorating notable Black Florida figures who had traveled north along the highway from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.
One such figure— and the one I had experience with— is Augusta Savage, a Harlem Renaissance Era sculptor, educator, and trail-blazer. I have studied her, her art, and her students over the years, as it is simply awe-inspiring how far her influence has rippled throughout the world of Black art. It was Savage who elevated the Black form in Parisian galleries; it was her that raised one of the biggest controversies around the segregation found in higher education in the country and began turning minds. When the opportunity to contribute to a work involving her came up, I eagerly pursued it.
I had the wonderful chance to attend a meeting in her hometown of Green Cove Springs at the Friends of Augusta Savage Arts & Community Center to discuss the highway project and what dedications to Savage might look like. It was a joy having the opportunity to speak with others who cared about her history and legacy as much as I did!
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