Face Jug Show at American Folk Art

Above: Artist, Fred Johnston

The popular annual Face Jug Show at American Folk Art, 64 Biltmore Avenue, returns March 31 through April 21 for its fourth year. There will an opening reception for the exhibit from 5–8 p.m. on April 1, coinciding with the First Friday Art Walk of 2016.

The Face Jug Show offers an opportunity to learn about the nuances, traditions, and quirks of our region’s pottery. Years ago, clay artisans began making jugs in various sizes for merchants to use in selling their liquid products. Scary faces were later added to the jugs that folks would use to hold their moonshine. These jugs, with their snakes, devils, and other grotesque features, were meant to scare young children away from the hooch.

Perhaps face jugs don’t seem to frighten children quite as much as they did in the past, but our potters continue to enjoy pushing creative boundaries within the context of rich traditions. Local potter Michael Ball, for example, says he has never made the same jug twice. His creations feature beautiful cobalt glass drips, textured spooky faces, and some now have eyeballs you swear are watching you as you move around the room.

Interestingly, our Western North Carolina soil makes such remarkable clay that many of these face jug potters still hand dig their own. And many fire their pieces in wood-burning kilns, using wood ash and other traditional glazes.

Artists participating in this show are Wayne Hewell (Georgia), Chad Brown, Fred Johnston, and Stacy Lambert (from the central region of North Carolina), and Walter Fleming and Michael Ball (from North Carolina’s Catawba Valley), with new surprise potters being included each year to add to the excitement.

The Face Jug Show will begin online (amerifolk.com) at noon on Tuesday, March 29, and in the gallery at 64 Biltmore Avenue on Thursday, March 31. For more information, visit amerifolk.com or email folkart@amerifolk.com.