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In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth 
, we’re highlighting a selection of collection items and exhibitions that recognize the Black artists who have contributed to a sense of world building at the Museum.
, we’re highlighting a selection of collection items and exhibitions that recognize the Black artists who have contributed to a sense of world building at the Museum.
Standing 16 feet tall, #AugustaSavage’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (sometimes referred to as “The Harp”) towered over many of the 1939 World’s Fair’s 44 million visitors. The sculpture symbolizes the vital contribution African Americans have made to musical traditions worldwide.
The title references a #JamesWeldonJohnson poem of the same name, which the @naacp declared as the Black national anthem in 1919. Although “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was the most photographed sculpture in the Fair, it was unfortunately demolished when the Fair closed in 1940.
All that remains of #AugustaSavage's “Lift Every Voice and Sing” are photographs, postcards, and small imperfect metal replicas of the statue that were sold as souvenirs at the 1939-40 World's Fair.
