American Folk Presents:
The 14th Annual Face Jug Show
May 6–27, 2026
Show goes Live on our website: Wednesday May 6th, 11 AM WWW.AMERIFOLK.COM
Opens in the Gallery: Thursday May 7th, 11 AM, 64 Biltmore Ave, Downtown Asheville
Evening Reception/Mosaic ArtWalk: Thursday May 7th, 5-8 PM, 64 Biltmore Ave, Downtown Asheville
It’s time again for our most anticipated show of the year! Join us for our 14th Annual Face Jug Show, as we celebrate living American history! This year’s collection weaves together all the storied origins of these culturally iconic vessels to create a rich tapestry of history and legacy. Modern face jug making draws from different cultures and customs, producing a beautiful patchwork that combines all these aspects into something altogether unique. In the Appalachian region, face jug folklore claims these vessels would use snakes, grimacing faces, or devil horns to frighten children away from the alcohol that often would be stored inside. The roots of the tradition, however, run much deeper, derived from a practice that came to America with enslaved Africans. Placing a face vessel as a gravemarker was meant to ward off evil spirits to allow the soul of the dead to peacefully transition to the next world.
Local black potter Jim McDowell can trace his lineage back to his four-times great-aunt who was an enslaved face jug potter in the Caribbean, and now his work is celebrated in the collections of the Metropolitan and Smithsonian Museums among others. Jim creates face jugs as a way of honoring his ancestors and processing his feelings about the state of the world. His creations always include a message or quote on the back, sometimes of hope and light or at other times as a way of highlighting current events and racial & social issues. A true storyteller, Jim McDowell uses clay to take back his cultural heritage, one face jug at a time.
Another pathway of influence in the American face jug tradition are English Toby jugs, which have inspired Wisconsin potter Joel Huntley in his offerings for the 14th Annual Face Jug Show. As a young potter, Joel trained at the prestigious Leach Pottery in England and spent much of his time there exploring traditional forms, including Toby jugs, which often depicted historical figures or well-known fictional characters. Once back in the states, Joel Huntley was captivated by early American pottery and began producing his own face jug examples in the 1980s. Over the intervening years, he has honed a refined style all his own and includes inscriptions of his own musings, as mundane as the day’s weather or as poignant as his political views.
“One of my favorite parts of watching this show unfold each year, is that each potter comes to face jug making with their own language and iconography,” says gallery owner Julia L. Mills. “The tradition continues to be explored and expanded upon and it’s fascinating to see the face jug be constantly re-imagined, both by legacy potters from multi-generational face jug families and newcomers who’ve been struck by the artform and bring with them fresh voices and new interpretations.”
15 potters will be featured in the 2026 Face Jug show, including: Jim McDowell • Joel Huntley • Michael Gates • Wayne Hewell • Stephen Harrison • Ben J. North • Steve Abee • Tim Whitten • Stacy Lambert • Mike Ball • Feliciano Abaurre • Carl Block • Walter Fleming • Brad Ledbetter • Vicki Miller
Whether you can visit the gallery in person or only online, please join us as we celebrate this storied pottery tradition at American Folk Art! The 14th Annual Face Jug Show will debut on the gallery website: WWW.AMERIFOLK.COM at 11 AM, Wednesday May 6th. For a full hour, the entire show will be available for previewing before phone sales begin promptly at noon. Remaining face jugs will be on view in the gallery from Thursday, May 7th through Wednesday, May 27th, 2026. An evening reception will be held on Thursday May 7th from 5-8PM, which coincides with the annual Mosaic ArtWalk. More information about the Artwalk can be found at MosaicArtWalk.com
