Professor Tiffany Momon Curates Exhibition at Daughters of the American Revolution Museum
April 3, 2025
On March 29, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Museum in Washington, D.C., opened its latest exhibition, Fighting for Freedom: Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence. The exhibition was co-curated by Sewanee Associate Professor of History Tiffany Momon.
Fighting for Freedom seeks to embrace the stories of all those who pursued independence by centering on the lives and experiences of Black craftspeople and artisans from the 18th and 19th centuries. Featuring 47 objects from both public and private lenders, the collection showcases the multitude of ways in which Black artisans sought liberty and agency through craftwork.
“The Founding Fathers, while enslaving tens of thousands of people, unintentionally created a ripple effect,” says Momon, “and we hope that visitors will see just how important those cries for liberty were to Black craftspeople and how they pursued it despite being marginalized.”
Four years in the making, the exhibition includes furniture, metals, ceramics, textiles, art, tools, and personal accessories. Among the objects on display is a ceremonial chair from Sewanee's own archives that was made by enslaved artisans on Leonidas Polk's plantation.
Other notable objects include: a dumbwaiter and revolving table from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello; pottery from well-known ceramicist David Drake; an armoire from the Historic New Orleans Collection; a chest from the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and a bed from the Tennessee State Museum—the latter three of which have never previously been displayed outside of their lending institutions. “One of the highlights of the show is that it brings together so many objects made by Black craftspeople that have never been seen together in an exhibition,” says Momon.
A member of Sewanee’s faculty since 2019, Momon is the founder and co-director of the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive, which focuses on telling the stories of Black craftspeople working in America before 1900 by mapping the connections among them and curating images and stories that illuminate their work.
Fighting for Freedom will be on view at the DAR Museum through Dec. 31, 2025.
Explore a digital version of the exhibition.
Watch Dr. Momon discuss the exhibit in an interview with NBC Washington.
