Jerry Brown Information

The tradition of putting faces on home made jugs was started by African Slaves in the American South. Slave owners would not allow their slaves to learn to read and write. In order to distinguish between jugs which contained poison and jugs that were safe to drink from, the slaves made jugs with scary faces on them to indicate that the jug contained poisonous liquid such as turpentine or kerosene. The jugs were similar to Jerry's.  They would never drink from a jug with a scary face on it. 

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A little about Jerry.....

Jerry Brown comes from a long line of potters. Nine to be exact. Being a ninth generation potter has enabled Jerry to develop aspects of his pottery  that sets it apart from that of contemporary studio potters. He digs his own clay from the rich Alabama earth, processes it with a mule powered pug mill, and fires his wares in a ground hog kiln. He has been making decorative churns, bowls, and pots since he was a child but his most popular and highly collectible item is his " Face Jugs." These jugs are highly prized by today’s collectors.

The excellence of Jerry’s work has won him a National Heritage fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

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