The Story of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw

Thomas W. Commeraw was born a slave in the 1700s, but eventually became a Free Black artist and business owner in New York City. Starting in the 1790s, Commeraw opened his own successful pottery business, and became a well-known voice amongst Free Blacks in New York when it came to both local and national politics. A new exhibition at the New York Historical Society, Crafting Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw, takes viewers into the life Commeraw led, and also displays over twenty of his preserved works. Curator Allison Robinson alongside artist Sana Musasama, whose pottery is also on view, join us to discuss the exhibition, which is on view until May 28.