Today's DAR
As we approach the end of 2025, the DAR Museum is eagerly beginning preparations for the next chapter of Fighting for Freedom: Black Craftspeople and the Pursuit of Independence, organized in partnership with the Black Craftspeople Digital Archive. Beginning in Fall 2026, Fighting for Freedom will commence a multi-year road trip to museums across the South, travelling to four venues through 2028. The first stop is the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina. From there, it will travel to the Historic New Orleans Collection in Louisiana, the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, and conclude at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia.
Visit the DAR Museum’s Fighting for Freedom Exhibition From Anywhere With New Online Exhibit and Resources!
Meanwhile, Fighting for Freedom remains on display here at DAR Headquarters in Washington, D.C., through the end of the calendar year. This important exhibition highlights the experiences and creative accomplishments of both free and enslaved Black craftspeople and artisans across several centuries. Their creations, contributions, and legacies are explored through more than 45 objects, encompassing furniture, metalwork, ceramics, textiles, art, tools, and personal accessories.
If you can’t make it to the exhibition in person—or if you want to dive more deeply into Fighting for Freedom’s artifacts and their makers—please be sure to visit the exciting companion website available here: fightingforfreedom.dar.org. Or, consider registering for the DAR Museum’s noontime “Tuesday Talks,” virtual lectures held on the second Tuesday of each month. On December 9, scholar Jill DiMassimo will consider the life and legacy of noted potter Thomas Commeraw in post-Revolutionary New York. To register for this talk or to watch past talks online, please visit: https://www.dar.org/collections/museum/programs-events.
I joined the DAR Museum staff in July 2025, having previously held leadership roles at the National Archives and National Postal Museum. Along with overseeing the tour schedule for Fighting for Freedom, I am also developing special museum projects and programs to commemorate America250! in 2026. It is truly an exciting time to be part of the DAR Museum. I hope to see many of you in the galleries soon!
Photos: Niblock Studios
