Crafting Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw/Commeraw's Stoneware: The Life and Work of the First African-American Pottery Owner.

The article focuses on the life and legacy of Thomas W. Commeraw, the first African-American pottery owner, as explored through the New-York Historical Society’s exhibition *Crafting Freedom* and A. Brandt Zipp’s book *Commeraw’s Stoneware: The Life and Work of the First African-American Pottery Owner*. Commeraw, a free Black artisan in early nineteenth-century Manhattan, operated a successful stoneware pottery business, producing utilitarian and novelty items, and was active in politics and community leadership. The exhibition and book together highlight Commeraw’s artistic achievements alongside the social and legal challenges he faced during a period when slavery was still legal. Commeraw’s story was largely overlooked until recent research corrected historical assumptions about his race and contributions, situating him among prominent New York potters of his time.