Jerry
Brown carries forward an unbroken
tradition of Southern stoneware
pottery that has been in his family
for nine generations. Adolphus
Brown, Jerry's great grandfather,
operated a pottery shop in the
1920's here in Cleveland, GA.
A brother of his great grandfather
worked for "Daddy Bill"
Dorsey and Cheever Meaders at
this time, where they were paid
two cents a gallon for turning
ware. In the early 1930's his
father, Horace "Jug"
Brown, moved to Lamar County,
Alabama, a region rich in clay
for pottery making and opened
a pottery shop in 1941. Jerry
and his brother were put to work
in their father's shop before
they were old enough to go to
school. Jerry was 22 when his
father turned the shop over to
his sons.
Mixing
the clay at the Pug Mill
Jerry
and and wife, Sandra, run a
small scale family operation.
He still uses a mule to power
his clay mill. He continues
to use the old glazes - Albany
slip, Bristol and ash plus producing
many of the old traditional
shapes, including churns, pitchers
and the face jugs that the Brown
family has been making since
the turn of the century. His
work is a testimony to the vitality
and continuity of the Southern
pottery tradition.
Jerry was awarded the National
Heritage Fellowship in 1992,
as well as receiving numerous
merit awards.
Most recently Jerry has had
a festival named in his honor.
The Jerry Brown Arts Festival
- also called the JBAF.
The JBAF is a juried event that
attracts high-quality artist
working in various mediums.
The event features high-quality
original visual art from across
the South, local Echota Indian
presentations, bluegrass music
from bands around the country,
storytellers, a Kid's Station
for arts education, food vendors
and... well, lots of fun.
The
festival is a two-day event
that is hosted by the Northwest
Alabama Arts Council, Inc.,
serving Franklin, Lamar, Marion,
and Winston counties. For more
information on the annual JBAF
please visit the following websites:
Jerry Brown Arts Festival - www.jbaf.org
Northwest Alabama Arts Council, Inc
- www.nwaarts.org
Email:
staff@nwaarts.org
Contact: Marla Avery Minter, or Ed Minter
Tele: 205-921.3632
POB 694 | Hamilton, AL 35570
