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.