Face jugs have a long history in the United States, especially in the South where enslaved folk artists crafted ceramic jugs depicting human heads. These face jugs were said to have spiritual value, or perhaps served as a form of visual representation of a people who were denied any sort of reflection on their appearance or selfhood. These jugs immediately came to my mind when seeing the work of Seattle-based artist Chris Buening in his new show, Empty Heads. Pulling from his past, Buening is presenting new ceramic pieces—jugs, vases, jars, etc.—influenced by these face jugs, 1970s-era creamers and vases, memory pots, and other folk pottery. by Jas Keimig