LANCASTER—Ben Alford Watford of New Bern, N.C., an African American potter, recently donated one of the many hundreds of face jugs he has created to the RAL Art Center in Kilmarnock to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its founding.
This type of pottery was historically produced by members of the African American enslaved community in the Edgefield district of South Carolina. The vessels are turned stoneware with facial features—wide eyes and bared teeth—made from locally-sourced clay.
Watford’s hope is that the sale of his piece will benefit the artist organization and support its many community outreach programs, reported RAL Art Center executive director Sharon L. M. Stone.
Watford recently explained the story behind face jugs. “If you’re going to enslave someone, you have to dehumanize them.” And so, in South Carolina, slaves were not allowed to put markers over their loved ones’ graves.
“Like animals, you don’t mark an animal’s grave,” he continued. So, the slaves began setting jugs and trinkets over the graves instead. Eventually, slave artisans added ugly or monstrous faces to those jugs to scare the devil away and allow their loved ones’ souls to rise to heaven. Face jugs continue to be highly prized by handmade pottery collectors.
Watford, 91, is an alumnus of Howard University and has a master’s in chemistry from Tuskegee University. He taught chemistry for many years, retiring to New Bern in 1986.
He says he works harder now as a potter than he did when he taught full time. Besides creating face jugs and other types of pottery to preserve a piece of his own history as the descendent of enslaved Africans, Watford has served his community as a board member and advisor for numerous organizations.
The face jug Watford donated to RAL Art Center is on display and will remain so through the end of March. All proceeds from its sale will support art education for children and senior adults in Lancaster County, said Stone.
