Of Mules and Mud: The Story of Alabama Folk Potter Jerry Brown

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Jerry Brown (1942-2016) was a renowned folk potter from Hamilton, Alabama, with a family pottery tradition dating back to the 1830s. Growing up, he and his brother learned traditional techniques from their father, including operating the mule-driven mill for mixing clay. As demand for utilitarian pottery declined post-World War II, production ceased after the deaths of Brown's father and brother in the mid-1960s. Brown shifted to logging, utilizing his skills with mules to navigate challenging terrain. In the early 1980s, he returned to pottery, opening a new shop that employed traditional methods, including a mule-powered mill and a wood-fired kiln. While he continued logging for a few years, pottery soon became his primary focus. Folklorist Joey Brackner met Brown in 1983 while researching traditional Alabama pottery, leading to a close friendship and collaboration on various projects that increased Brown's visibility and success. In 1992, he was recognized as a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. As traditional craft practices evolved, Brown adapted by creating collectible items like face jugs and founded the Jerry Brown Arts Festival in Hamilton. Although he often expressed a desire to write a book, it wasn't until 2015 that Brackner recorded Brown's life story, which was completed shortly before Brown's unexpected passing in 2016. Today, Jerry Brown Pottery continues under the management of