Ugly Jugs, Face Jugs, Face Pots

Advanced 3D Art



This is your next project. You will make a pot with a face on it. These types of pots have been known as Face Pots, Face Jugs, Ugly Jugs, and sometimes as Voodoo Jugs. Although pots with faces on them go back to ancient times in a number of places around the world, in America, these pots are mainly associated with African-American potters in the American South. The exact origin of these pots is not fully known, but seem to originate with African-American slaves prior to the Civil War.



It is possible that in a tradition brought over from Africa, ugly jugs were made to scare away evil spirits from peoples' graves. They were also apparently used to store "moonshine" whiskey-- putting an ugly face on a liquor jug could have been meant to scare children and keep them away from the whiskey. Whatever the reason, these jugs present a unique means of expression for the potter. Artists in the south and elsewhere have continued to create this type of work up to the present day.



Your assignment for today:

1. Go to the website below, and read the article titled History of the African-American Face Jug, by potter Jim McDowell.

http://www.blackpotter.com/

2. Search for images of ugly jugs by using google image search or something similar. Make a comment on this blog post, and provide links to the images that you want the teacher to see. You must provide at least three images; four or five would be even better. Make sure that you put your name on your comment-- if there is no name, you will not receive credit.