Peter Lenzo is a contemporary potter who began making face
jugs after many years of professional work in ceramic sculpture.
He has immersed his artistic talents into the making of face jugs,
hand made sculptural figures and pottery. He is a former Professor
of Ceramics at the University of South Carolina as well as a former
Art Teacher at Lexington Middle School.

His education includes a Masters of Fine Art from Wayne State
University, Detroit, MI. Work, certificates and awards come from
City College, NY, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ and
Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI. In addition to being a gifted artist,
Peter’s pottery has been purchased by many collectors, both
private and public, including: The South Carolina State Museum
in Columbia, SC, The Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, and The
Renwick Gallery at The Smithsonian Museum Washington, D.C.

Peter Lenzo re-examines the Southern folk art tradition of face jugs,
made from stoneware clays using porcelain for highlights - primarily
eyes and teeth. In addition to porcelain clay, Lenzo uses found
objects - usually porcelain figures and child scale dishes - that are
embedded into the surface.  This technique is like the traditional
memory pot, in which cast-off and broken pieces of favorite china
are preserved by embedding them in ceramic planters, vases or tile. 
Peter Lenzo's work conveys a sense of layered history; by combining
the structure of the face jug tradition with the memory pot, his work
becomes a contemporary commentary on material culture.