Christopher Myers and Kaneza Schaal’s virtual work, Every Voice is a testament to the unrealized dreams and unheard voices that an institution like the LA Philharmonic can be instrumental in bringing to fruition.
For the 1939 Worlds Fair, the sculptor Augusta Savage made “The Harp” a composition of 12 figures balanced on “the hand of God.” The work called to mind not only the collective voices of African-Americans as embodied by seminal choral groups like the Fisk Jubilee Singers, but was also influenced by James Weldon Johnson’s song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is recognized as the Black National Anthem. The monument was widely reported, and well received. But, despite the creation and sale of smaller replicas and the artist’s best efforts, funds were never raised in order to realize the work in bronze, a more permanent form. The full sized piece was demolished.
Christopher Myers and Kaneza Schaal’s virtual work, Every Voice is a testament to the unrealized dreams and unheard voices that an institution like the LA Philharmonic can be instrumental in bringing to fruition.