Fighting for Freedom

Name: Fighting for Freedom
Author: Torren L. Gatson
ISBN: 9781469686257

Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence

Edited by Torren L. Gatson, Tiffany N. Momon and William A. Strollo

Published by The University of North Carolina Press

Publication date: April 01, 2025

ISBN 9781469686257 | 176 Pages, 8.50 × 11.00 in, 74 color plates, notes, bibl., index

176 Pages, 8.50 × 11.00 in, 74 color plates, notes, bibl., index

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Black artisans forging their own version of freedom

As the companion to the exhibition, Fighting for Freedom places Black craftspeople at the forefront of American history, from before the Revolutionary War through the Civil War and beyond Reconstruction. Delving into diverse narratives of creativity, resilience, and triumph in the quest for freedom, this book underscores the evolution of freedom through the lens of material culture—by exploring how the very concept of freedom was shaped and redefined by enslaved and free craftspeople who relentlessly fought for their rights and the recognition of their humanity.

Featuring ten essays by leading historians, museum curators, and material culture scholars and more than seventy color photographs of Black artistry, including paintings, metalwork, woodwork, pottery, and furniture, this book vividly illustrates how Black men and women persistently sought tangible expressions of liberty which have endured as symbols of their creators’ legacies in the ongoing struggle for freedom.

Contributors include Lauren Applebaum, Robell Awake, Lydia Blackmore, Aleia M. Brown, R. Ruthie Dibble, Philippe L. B. Halbert, Jennifer Van Horn, Alexandra Alevizatos Kirtley, and Susan J. Rawles.

Exhibition dates:
Daughters of the American Revolution Museum (Washington, DC): March 28, 2025-December 31, 2025
Gibbes Museum of Art (Charleston, SC): Summer 2026-Spring 2027
Historic New Orleans Collection (New Orleans, LA): Summer/Fall 2027
Tennessee State Museum (Nashville, TN): Winter/Spring 2028
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (Winchester, VA): Summer/Fall 2028

Torren L. Gatson is assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Tiffany N. Momon is associate professor of history at Sewanee (The University of the South). William A. Strollo is curator of exhibitions at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum.

“An illuminating collection that challenges readers to think about how Black labor, enslaved and free, shaped ideas of freedom in the United States. . . . Ten short essays on Black craftspeople from a diverse cast of contributors offer a lens for better understanding Black liberation and the Black community in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (xi-xiii).”—Civil War Monitor

“Dave the Potter, free craftspeople of color in Canada, enslaved quilters, and many more . . . are finally receiving the attention they deserve.”—American Craft

“This book showcases the vital contributions of African Americans to the American decorative arts, demonstrating that Black identity is inseparable from the nation’s core ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”—Hilary Green, Davidson College

“Fighting for Freedom powerfully asserts that Black skill and craft, embodied in objects, architecture, and landscapes, should be acknowledged and celebrated as an essential parts of American history.”—Catharine Dann Roeber, Winterthur Museum, University of Delaware

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Fighting for Freedom

Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence

Fighting for Freedom

Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence

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