A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects

Charis and Auburn Avenue Research Library welcome Robell Awake in conversation with Monica Obniski for a discussion of . Ten beautifully illustrated essays tell the stories of handcrafted objects and their makers, providing inspiration and insight into Black history and craftsmanship.

Black artisans have long been central to American art and design, creating innovative and highly desired work against immense odds. Atlanta-based chairmaker and scholar Robell Awake explores the stories behind ten cornerstones of Black craft, including:

• The celebrated wooden chairs of Richard Poynor, an enslaved craftsman who began a dynasty of Tennessee chairmakers.
• The elegant wrought-iron gates of Philip Simmons, seen to this day throughout Charleston, South Carolina, whose work features motifs from the Low Country.
• The inventive assemblage art and yard shows of Joe Minter, James Hampton, Bessie Harvey, and others, who draw on African spiritual traditions to create large-scale improvisational art installations.

From the enslaved potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina, to Ann Lowe, the couture dressmaker who made Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding dress, to Gullah Geechee sweetgrass basket makers, to the celebrated quilters of Gee's Bend, illuminates the work of generations of Black craftspeople, foregrounding their enduring contributions to American craft.
BLACK CRAFT AND AMERICANA: Delving into the history of Black skilled artisans, estimated to have outnumbered white artisans five to one in the southern United States in the late 1800s, this unique art history book celebrates handcrafted objects that reflect the dynamic nature of Black culture.
DYNAMIC ILLUSTRATED ESSAYS: Luminous color illustrations by artist Johnalynn Holland highlight beloved craft objects and their makers, creating a fascinating volume to study and treasure.
ART HISTORY EXPERTISE: Author Robell Awake is a notable furniture maker, artisan, and educator whose work has been featured in the New York Times and in group shows at Verso Gallery in New York City and the Center for Craft in Asheville, NC. Dr. Tiffany Momon, who contributes an afterword, is the founder and co-director of the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive and a leading scholar of Black history and African American placemaking throughout the southeast.

Robell Awake is a chairmaker, teacher, and researcher based in Atlanta, Georgia. His work aims to center Black aesthetic traditions and histories through scholarship and craft. He is a recipient of the Center for Craft’s Craft Research Fund Artist Fellowship and has taught at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Penland School of Craft, and the Woodworking School at Pine Croft, and has presented at the Furniture Society, Warren Wilson College, Berea College, Washington College, and the North Bennet Street School. Awake was recently selected as one of the Dwell 24, Dwell magazine’s awards for the best emerging designers from around the world.

Monica Obniski is curator of decorative arts and design at the High Museum of Art (Atlanta, GA), where she is responsible for collecting, exhibiting, and programming a global collection, which includes a yearly piazza commission. Her curatorial practice engages critical social issues and is rooted in architecture and design history. Obniski received an MA from the Bard Graduate Center and a PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has held curatorial posts at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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