US Art: The Face Mug

Students were challenged to create a functional mug that incorporated a three-dimensional face onto the surface of the mug. They could choose an animal face, a human face, or a made-up character of their own. Dimension and texture were keywords for this project. Face Jugs are thought to have originated in Edgefield, South Carolina. When enslaved plantation workers were finished with creating the functional vessels for the day, they took to creating these whimsical, expressive face jugs to pass the time. We hoped to follow in the footsteps of this creative, human, and hopeful practice by making some updated versions of our own. We hope you enjoy our work! *Please click on the headline for more photos.