Happy birthday to a distinguished daughter of my hometown, Green Cove Springs, Florida: Augusta Fells Savage, born on February 29, 1892. Not only was Augusta born on Leap Day, she added a touch of mystery to her own story by saying she was born “in the dark of the moon.” Here in 2024, we are also in the dark of the moon at her birthday, when the full moon has passed and now wanes toward the new moon. As we come to the close of Black History Month, poised on the eve of Women’s History Month, Augusta bridges those two for us on this Leap Day. A Black American Female artist. 

Coinciding perfectly with Augusta’s birthday, a new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism,” opened on February 25. She is one of the featured artists in the exhibit, a towering influence during the Harlem Renaissance, but mostly invisible in the decades since then. Augusta Savage, who made ducklings from the mud of Green Cove Springs as a little girl, who struggled to find a place for her art in the world, who worked tirelessly to bring art education to others, has arrived at The Met. 

Someone I follow on social media posed a question the other day that gnaws at me: Can you name five female artists? Augusta’s story is one that I’ve known for thirty years, and I am pleased that she is finally, finally receiving the recognition she deserves. My list of five female artists? She’s at the top. 

If you want to learn more about Augusta, I encourage you to watch this excellent documentary, Searching for Augusta Savage, by Jeffreen M. Hayes. And here is the link to The Met exhibit. 

Happy Birthday, Augusta!