Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Timm Muth. With over 30 years experience in the energy industry, Timm has helped design and manage nuclear facilities, fossil fuel stations, hydropower, solar and wind power installations, and biomass resources. In the interview we talk about his time at the Jackson County Green Energy Park, which uses landfill gas to power its ceramic, glass and metal studios. 

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion about green energy and sustainable studio practices with Gabriel Kline, Kent Mclaughlin, and Erica Schneider. In our wide-ranging conversation we talk about balancing financial investment with long-term environmental safety, utilizing free recycled fuel sources to fire kilns, and best practices for establishing a waste free studio. 

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Linda Christianson. Working in rural Minnesota, Christianson makes wood fired pottery that is simple and direct. 

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Mark Pharis.  Known for his striking geometric vessels Pharis has developed a system for slab building soft forms using templates and computer aided drafting.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Randy Johnston.  A working potter since the early 1970’s Johnston has been instrumental in the development of wood fired kiln technology in the United States. 

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Mike Helke and Steve Rolf.  Both are established potters that work in the Western Wisconsin/ Southern Minnesota area.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Robert Briscoe.  A potter for nearly five decades, Briscoe utilizes colored slips and ash glazes to create rich stoneware surfaces. He is the cofounder of the St. Croix Valley Pottery tour, which has grown into the largest tour and sale of its kind in the United States.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with one of the most influential members of the American studio pottery movement, Warren Mackenzie. After an early apprenticeship at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall (1949-1952), Mackenzie became a ceramic professor at the University of Minnesota (1953-1990).

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Sarah Millfelt. As director of the Northern Clay Center, Sarah has been instrumental in the development of new programs like MN NICE, as well as ongoing projects like the American Pottery Festival.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Amy Santoferraro. Her colorful mixed media sculptures spring from a lifelong desire to collect and rearrange groups of objects. She says of her collections, “I relentlessly tinker with objects ceramicly until they fit and work in a way that is very mine.“ In the interview we talk about collecting, keeping work fresh, and seeking wonder in everyday life. 

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion with Eileen Cohen, Julianne Shibata, and Samuel Johnson. In our broad ranging conversation we discuss their personal histories, Minnesota clay culture, and understanding the impact of new technologies. This episode was taped in front of a live studio audience at the Northern Clay Center.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion on ceramic education with Ursula Hargens , Dustin Yager, Dawn Malcolm, and Juss Heinsalu. Hargens is a ceramic artist, educator, and founder of the Minnesota New Institute for Ceramic Education. This nine-month studio intensive offers advanced students an in-depth study of ceramic history, professional practices and critical thinking. 

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Aaron Nelson. Throughout a multifaceted career Aaron has mixed new digital technologies with a ceramic practice to create both sculpture and vessels. In addition to his studio practice Aaron is the artistic director of Medalta in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Clint Neufeld. Based in Osler, Saskatchewan, Clint utilizes large-scale slip casting to construct sculptural hybrids that reference the tools of heavy industry. 

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Walter Ostrom. One of the early adopters of earthenware Majolica pottery in North America, Walter has been a major influence on generations of ceramic artists. Through his almost forty year teaching career at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design he upheld functional ceramics as a conceptually rich medium that deserved equal footing in academia.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Joan Bruneau and Jim Smith. Both are based in close proximity to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, where they use local terra cotta clay to make highly decorated functional pottery.

Today’s Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast episode features a conversation about the history of craft on Prince Edward Island with Henry Purdy, Ian Scott, Daphne Large Scott and Suzanne Scott. We talk about a wide range of topics including the back to the land movement, the School of Visual Arts at Holland College and the evolution of the Village Pottery.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler I have an interview with Alex Kraft and Tony Merino. Both are established ceramic artists and co-curators of the exhibition 50 Women: A Celebration of Women in Ceramics. In the interview we talk about gender, dismantling hierarchies, and the challenges of curating a large scale exhibition. 

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler podcast I have an interview with ceramic artist Richard Burkett. Spanning a 45 year career in clay, Richard has been a studio potter, sculptor, author, and educator. In the interview we talk about his travels to Ecuador, his teaching philosophy, and the creation of the glaze calculation software Hyperglaze.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler podcast I have an interview with ceramic artist Shannon Sullivan. Her sculptural and installation works are inspired by mineralogy, microbiology and other scientific interpretations of the natural world.