Matt Jones on the relevance of folk art in contemporary life

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with potter Matt Jones. During his time as an apprentice potter, Jones was deeply influenced by Mark Skudlarek, Todd Piker, and the British studio pottery lineage that traces back to Michael Cardew. Jones currently maintains a studio in Sandy Mush, NC where he wood fires functional ceramics that draw inspiration from 19th/20th century American pottery, and other forms of ceramics that could be loosely defined as "folk" pottery.

In the interview we talk about the value of the North Carolina pottery scene, the relevance of folk art in contemporary life, and his relationship with ceramic critic Garth Clark. In 2011 Jones used his blog (Critique of a Critic) to engage Clark in a lively discussion about the role traditionally made objects, and their makers, have once they enter the fine art world. The discussion fueled Jones to push his work in new directions, yielding his "Country Funk" style. You can read more about their discussion and find out more about Jones Pottery at www.jonespottery.com.