Photograph of an unidentified Black craftsperson with a hammer

Craftsperson with a Hammer, circa 1863. Courtesy of a private collection

Fighting For Freedom

Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence

Explore the contributions of Black craftspeople in this traveling exhibition developed by the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum and the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive.

Fighting For Freedom

Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence

Explore the contributions of Black craftspeople in this traveling exhibition developed by the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum and the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive.

June 25, 2027 to January 9, 2028

520 Royal Street
Tricentennial Wing, 1st Floor

Included with free museum admission

Fighting for Freedom highlights the contributions of Black craftspeople in the formation of the American experience. Developed by the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive, and scholars from across the country, the exhibition tells stories of free and enslaved Black craftspeople across the country through original objects made by them. Though their freedom of expression was limited by bondage and racism, these makers were able to find a measure of agency, liberty, and selfhood through craft.

Molding plane, between 1753 and 1784, by Cesar Chelor (Wrentham, Massachusetts). Courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, bequest of David V. Englund

Slave badge, 1813, from the shop of John J. Lafar. Courtesy of The Charleston Museum (Charleston, South Carolina), MG 175

Related Exhibition

Made to Last: Black Craftspeople in Early New Orleans

June 25, 2027 to January 9, 2028

Learn More

Studying how items were made—whether woven, hammered, fired, or joined—helps us see the hands of the craftsperson. Fighting for Freedom highlights some of the best-known as well as unknown African American artisans of the 18th and 19th centuries. Pieces by potter David Drake, cabinetmaker Thomas Day, and joiner John Hemmings are exhibited alongside objects that bear the fingerprints of unknown enslaved laborers. Through themes of mastery, contradiction, pride, identity, and sojourn, the exhibition reveals the skill, adaptation, and personal expression of craftspeople who were often overlooked in American history. Making things of beauty and utility with their hands, Black craftspeople fought for their freedom one object at a time.

This exhibition is presented as a companion to Made to Last: Black Craftspeople in Early New Orleans, on view June 25, 2027 to January 9, 2028.

Support

This exhibition has been created by the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum and the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive.

Molding plane, between 1753 and 1784, by Cesar Chelor (Wrentham, Massachusetts). Courtesy of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, bequest of David V. Englund

Slave badge, 1813, from the shop of John J. Lafar. Courtesy of The Charleston Museum (Charleston, South Carolina), MG 175

Related Exhibitions

Exhibitions

Made to Last: Black Craftspeople in Early New Orleans

June 25, 2027 to January 9, 2028

Follow the lives of three craftspeople who used their skills as artisans to navigate Louisiana’s ever-shifting political, cultural, and economic landscape.

View View

An illustration showing a Black shoemaker near New Orleans's French Market.

Related Collection Highlights

An antique wooden box with hinged doors, displaying intricate scenes of grand architecture. The box is open, revealing a light green interior. The exterior paintings feature detailed buildings and trees, with a vintage, ornate style.

Leila’s Collectible Boxes

A look inside the Williams Residence offers insight into some of the interior decorating styles of the late 1940s and early ’50s, as well as Leila Williams’s personal collecting interests.

Learn More