Savage studied at Cooper Union and became closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Her portrait sculpture Gamin became one of her best-known surviving works. She also fought discrimination in arts education and professional opportunity.

Savage opened the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts and later played a central role in the Harlem Community Art Center. Her teaching and mentorship helped create opportunities for younger Black artists at a time when museums, schools and professional networks routinely excluded them.

The Hall preserves Savage not only as an individual artist but as a builder of cultural infrastructure. Her record shows how Black artistic movements are sustained by teachers, studios, community institutions and people willing to make room for the next generation.