Robell Awake does an amazing job of providing historical information on each of the crafters and the journey of their work from origin to now. I found it all very fascinating. I personally want to thank Black culture for bringing porches to the United States. Miss Isabella and I love a porch.

I’m making sweet and nice about A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects but Black history in the U.S. isn’t sweet and nice. The author plainly speaks of the crafter’s history and how each person’s craft came into history and was “discovered”. Expect to be uncomfortable. Take this information, absorb it, and share it. Don’t let this history disappear.

Awake makes these stories engaging and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these artists and I appreciate these items even more now. This book is a must read.

This was such an interesting read. The history of each object was told like a story that you read in one sitting, or come back to as a reference for later.

Thank you for the ARC.

Perfect to read for black history month.
Great read! Very inspirational and needed in this season and time. It makes me want to read more from this author

Highly recommend. Informative, interesting, easy to digest. I was not aware of the roots of hardly any of these crafts, and I did grow up around several of them. I think it was informative without being too heavy and serves as an introduction to these crafts rather than an all encompassing encyclopedia. I wish there had been pictures in addition to the beautiful illustrations. But it was easy to do my own google search for images after.

A very brief overview of 10 historically relevant items that have been crafted by black artisans and craftspeople. These stories really exemplify the endearing spirits of these people in the face of political and cultural stigmatization. All but one of these stories was new to me so it’s interesting information even if it is short. Review posted to Amazon, Litsy, LibraryThing, and Goodreads.

A very insightful read. As someone who isn't familiar to the history and crafts - I loved it. The illustration/photos throughout was a really nice touch as well. Getting learn more about the history behind Kennedy's dress and black artisans who worked behind the scenes - it's great to give light to those who deserve it and who were misrepresented prior.

This is a wonderful introduction to crafts created by black hands. I'd heard of many of these craftspeople before - Dave the Potter, and the Gees Bend Quilters - but the furniture makers, and the woman who designed Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress (only to be dissed by the bride in a later interview) were quite enlightening. I was particularly enchanted by the yard shows chapter.

This is a fascinating book for anyone wishing to learn more about the important and inspiring creations of black artisans through the centuries. I'd have given this five stars if there'd only been more illustrations.

This was such a unique and inspiring read for me. It was made even more special to have had the opportunity to read it in the month of February and Black History Month. I loved seeing all of the beautiful crafts and learning the history behind them. My preteen daughter's dream is to be an artist. She is so creative and loves creating through crafting. I proudly shared some of the beautiful artwork/crafts with her to show her the importance of art and its impact on the world. She found this motivating and inspiring and it really reinforced her artistic pursuits.

This was a really great read that I highly recommend.

I learned so much about African American crafts and artists I never heard of before. Now I’m interested in finding more about those featured in the book and finding these pieces to admire on my own. Enlightening read.

As Black History Month draws to a close, I decided to leapfrog past the other books in my schedule to make sure that I could provide coverage for this important title while the month is still ongoing. And this is a very important title, preserving and illuminating American history and the contributions of Black American artisans to the crafting traditions of this country, while presenting all its information in a highly accessible and engaging manner.

Robell Awake carefully chooses ten iconic items and succinctly discusses the artisans and traditions behind them. Whether discussing something as well-known and inarguably attributed to the Black community as the Gee's Bend Quilts, to the equally famous wedding dress of Jacqueline Kennedy and its less publicized couturier Anne Lowe, to the very design of American porches, Mr Awake goes over the myriad ways in which enslaved people and their descendants made an outsized impact on American craftsmanship. Lamentably, too many of these contributions were either minimized or whitewashed, with white slave owners often taking credit for the work of those they exploited, as in the case of the furniture-maker who went by the single name Boston. Both he and the ceramicist known as Dave the Potter risked harsh punishment for even signing their works, in a time when it was illegal for Black people to be literate. As Mr Awake describes the items and the circumstances under which they were produced, he also paints a vivid picture of what it was like to be Black in America, and how that legacy is felt in and continues to the present day.

Johnalynn Holland's art does a wonderful job of recreating many of the pieces described, as well as illustrating scenes of their crafting. I did bless the Internet for the ability to quickly search for photographs of the items that captured my interest, however. It's one thing to read about works like Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt or Philip Simmons' namesake gates. While Ms Holland depicts them ably, actually seeing them, even in photographs, is a breathtaking experience. I'm already mentally planning a trip to see as many of these as I can, likely starting with James Hampton's The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly, the iconic work of yard show art currently on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

I don't usually talk about author's personal lives in my reviews, but I found it striking how Mr Awake discusses his own position as a artisan who never finished college in his introduction. Frankly, he's done an exemplary job with this book of essays, rivaling anything I've ever read by writers more firmly rooted in academia. Genuinely the only thing I thought was missing here was a deeper interrogation of how race is used to cover up the relentless class warfare waged by wealthy Americans against the poor. While he does touch on it briefly when discussing the exploitation of enslaved cabinetmakers by white shop owners who claimed the designs as their own, he doesn't point out the parallels with modern capitalism. Perhaps he doesn't need to. Regardless, I understand how the subject may be well outside of the scope and intent of this book.

That said, I did appreciate how he talked about his own background as the son of Ethopian immigrants. The current conversation on who counts as Black in America is a truly thorny one that I don't feel at all qualified to discuss, but I appreciate how he lays out his own origins so that others can make their own judgments on how to approach his work. This kind of transparency is refreshing, and a subtle rebuke to authors who try to obscure their own backgrounds in order to grant themselves greater authority on the subjects they're discussing.

A Short History Of Black Craft In Ten Objects by Robell Awake was published February 4 2025 by Princeton Architectural Press and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781797228549">Bookshop!</a>

This book is a revelation--smart, insightful, invaluable to understand the art and craft that we cherish today. I hope it reaches a very wide audience.

I am delighted to recommend this title as we celebrate Black History Month. It is engaging, interesting and enlightening. Plus, I love the illustrations/photos beginning with a quilt and going through all of the twelve chosen objects.

There is everything from the above mentioned quilt and those of Gee’s Bend (I was so lucky to see some of these in an exhibition), to jugs, blacksmiths’ work, couturier Ann Lowe (who was instrumental in making Jacqueline Bourvier’s wedding gown) and more.

This is a terrific title for a personal or library collection. Awake tells the stories of his artisans in a most readable way. There is a lot to learn and appreciate in these pages. I plan to purchase a hard copy of this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Robell Awake, himself a craftsperson, shares his love, admiration, and respect for our African American craftsmen and women in this brief history. The reader is introduced to little known men and women who not only helped create and shape black craft in America, but also who learned and practiced their trade while enslaved. This book is enlightening, to say the least.

Each short chapter is devoted to a different craftsperson, along with hand drawn illustrations that add to the beauty of the book. The illustrations are demonstrative of the era of slavery; while many may prefer photographs, the illustrations lend authenticity to the text.

Readers will be enchanted by potters, cabinetmakers, chair makers, basket weavers, blacksmiths, architects, quilters, couturiers, and yard artists: All African American artisans, many who learned their crafts while still free in their home countries in Africa and given little or no credit for their intellect, artistry, or humanity are celebrated by Awake.

True to its title, this is a short and quick overview intended to pique the curiosity of the reader and acknowledge the talent and importance of the mentioned artists. It was fascinating to learn about new to me art and artists and also learn the history of some things that I've seen my entire life and didn't realize the significance of its symbolism and existence. I particularly loved the portions on quilting (both sections) and porches. The artwork featured was beautiful, though I do wish there had been actual photographs of the referenced artworks. I ended up looking up quite a few, but maybe that's part of the idea, to get readers interested enough to look it up themselves and learn even more.

This was an amazing book.I learned a lot about the different black culture. The cool thing really got me interesting because my cousin does it. And I like the history behind it and how it would tell stories. Through the Q u I l t s. Also I like the story about the baskets being made in Charleston, South Carolina. . Going into Charleston.They used to sell them along the road when I was there.I saw that myself. Baskets had a purpose because they used to use them for the rice. Another interesting story about how the porch was explained and how they used to use them on the slave CAB. E! N. The furniture maker was very interesting in people can tell how they were built This is a great book.Because it explains the history how these people manage to survive and their craft still is relevant today

A Short History of Black Craft in Ten Objects by Robell Awake is beautifully written and wonderfully illustrated.
I thought this was a powerful book and engaging right from the start.

Awake's recollection of history through the eyes and hands of Black artists is an honest, hopeful reclaiming of history. What we've come to know as wonderful art and family tradition were powerfully propelled by Black artists and slaves, and this work is one of a kind in telling their stories. It's well-researched, thoughtful, and engaging. I would appreciate a longer work on this subject, but I found the format and length to be perfect for an introduction for those who have not engaged the topic before. This is a must-read for those looking for in-depth but easy to read history on the Black Craft.

This book focuses on 10 Black artists and their distinctive crafts. Featured are dressmaking, baskets, ironwork, quilts, ceramics and more. A fascinating quick read with insight, great research on 10 artists I was unaware of. The timeline of these artists range from slavery until the civil rights era. Each chapter shows images or depictions of the art discussed. A must read for anyone interested in art history. Thanks to @netgalley and Princeton Architectural Press for the advanced copy. The book was recently released, I highly recommend it.

#ashorthistoryofblackcraftintenobjects #robellawake #blackhistory #arthistory #baskets #ironwork #ceramics #woodworking #quilts #dressmaking #history #nonfiction #art #history #americanartists #blackhistorymonth #alwayslearning #readingisfundamental📚

A quick, accessible, informative read about Black artists and craftspeople throughout history that will send you on a hunt to dig deeper into the figures that most capture your interest. From architecture and woodworking to quilting and ceramics, Robell Awake highlights ten areas of American craft innovated by Black creators. The illustrations are a really lovely addition, but I wish we also got photographs of some of the works described!

Good book about objects in our African American history. Nice information about the objects. Very rich book. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my thoughts. Receiving the book in this manner, had no bearing on my review.