This sculpture draws on the African American folk art tradition of the memory jug—a vessel that is covered in small objects, usually adhered with clay, putty, cement or plaster. The decorative objects were visual reminders of departed loved ones and often included coins, buttons, broken glass, pieces of mirror, and shells. Jan Wade first came across memory jugs in photographs and was fascinated by their presence in African American slave cemeteries in the South. “I am dedicating [Memory Jug] to…. BLACK LIVES MATTER…and all those through the ages who have suffered and died at the hands of injustice,” says Wade. Unlike historical memory jugs, Wade’s piece incorporates text. Her awareness of the power of words goes back to the stories of her childhood, to the call-and-response oral traditions of her African Methodist church, and to her love of music.