Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Jason Sandy. He is a modern-day mudlark searching the foreshore of the Thames River in London. In our interview we talk about the history of London as a riverside city, the wide variety of objects that are found in the anaerobic mud of the Thames, and what these objects tell us about the eras they came from. We also discuss his newly published book Thames Mudlarking: Searching for London’s Lost Treasures.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Deb Schwartzkopf. She recently released a best-selling book on ceramics titled Creative Pottery. In our interview we talk about writing the book, using templates to help construct asymmetrical shapes, and using bisque molds to make multi-part ceramics forms. We also discuss how she shifted to teaching online as her home city of Seattle shut down due to COVID and how she has implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion training into her small business.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Kate Roberts. Roberts often uses unfired clay to create sculptures of topiaries, gates, and landscapes that feel both ancient and temporary, like they might slip out of existence right before your eyes. In our interview we talk about the influence of literature on her work and the risks and rewards of building site-specific installations.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with George Rodriguez. He creates ceramic sculptures decorated with vibrant low relief patterns that explore themes of personal identity and community building. In our interview we talk about the influence of the Bonderman Travel Fellowship, which funded his travel to twenty-six countries, and how this shaped his understanding of culture. We also discuss the logistics of building large ceramic sculpture, how adornment can initiate sacred space, and his exhibition La Flor, El Nicho, y sus Memorias (pictured above), which was recently on display at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Natania Hume. She is a potter and educator who splits time between teaching at a private school in Massachusetts and making pots in her studio in Vermont. In our interview we talk about selling small batch wholesale ceramics through home stores, looking for subtleties of color and form within minimalism, and using daily rituals to find work/life balance.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Marty Gross about the Mingei Film Archive. We talk about how a gift from Bernard Leach in 1975 started him on a decades long project to collect and restore videos surrounding the Mingei movement. In our interview we also talk about his methods for digitizing reel to reel films, understanding the impact of D.T. Suzuki on Soetsu Yanagi, and how these videos reshape the way we think about Shoji Hamada and other Mingei leaders.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview about the Studio Potter with Jill Foote-Hutton and Jessica Detweiler. Established in 1972 the Studio Potter has been active in documenting American studio ceramics. In our interview we discuss the move into a digital format for the journal and the opportunities this presents for the organization. We also discuss equity in organizations, nonprofit funding options, and the Grants for Apprenticeship program.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Bill Brouillard. He came to clay in the 1970’s and has had a variety of positions including being a resident artist at the Penland School and teaching for many decades at the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA). In our interview we talk about the value of team teaching, which he did with Judith Salomon at CIA for over thirty years, and his most recent body of work relating our faith in technology to a secular religion.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with curator Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy. She focuses on the intersection of craft and contemporary art, with a particular interest in increasing the visibility of artists of color. She is currently the Assistant Curator at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), New York. In our interview we talk about her curatorial fellowship at the Center for Craft and the accompanying exhibition Sleight of Hand featuring six contemporary artists who create humorous objects centered around complex issues of race, gender, and immigration status.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Graham Taylor. Taylor’s historical ceramic reproductions are featured in cultural institutions forming a gateway for viewers to understand the methods, techniques, and lives of past civilizations. In our interview we talk about his training in the Cardew lineage and how this led him to manage the Kolonyama pottery in Lesotho for many years, how working with archeologists has influenced his understanding of historical ceramics, and the evolution of ceramics from the Neolithic to the Roman era in the United Kingdom.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Jennifer Ling Datchuk. She was raised in a bicultural household and makes sculpture, installation, and performance art that address identity and womanhood. In our interview we talk about the role hair and self-objectification play in her performance art, working in Jingdezhen, and how her understanding of identity changes through art making.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with cultural historian Bob Batchelor. He has written on diverse subjects ranging from comic icon Stan Lee to prohibition-era bourbon boss George Remus and has recently published an illustrated history of Rookwood Pottery. In our interview we talk about the life and work of founder Maria Longworth Nichols Storer, the role star decorators like Kitaro Shirayamadani played in the success of the company, and the effect the Great Depression had on Rookwood.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Audra Doughty. She has used her business Mud Queen Pottery to create a thriving community of ceramic enthusiasts in the Harrisburg, PA area. After Pennsylvania reopened in-person businesses she adapted her classroom to make it safe for students to learn in-person while social distancing. In our interview we talk about renovating a farmhouse barn into an art center, taking risks to expand her business, and tips for creating a safe working environment.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Lindsay Montgomery. Her Italian inspired maiolica ceramics function as narrative paintings highlighting the social ills of our time including topics of environmental degradation, the patriarchy, and wealth inequality. Drawing from ceramics and paintings of the early Renaissance she often uses demonic figures and hellscapes to create a sense of impending doom. In our interview we talk about her love of the dark side of the Renaissance imagery, understanding the power dynamic of historical influences, and the role Walter Ostrom played in shaping her path in the arts.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Walter Ostrom. Originally recorded in the summer of 2015 this interview is being rebroadcast in celebration of Clay Week. I made a playlist featuring five archival releases that relate to the themes of Clay Week. This episode fits with Teaching Tuesday. 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 Ann Carrington. Based in Margate, UK, Ann uses tin cans, flatware, and other metal objects to make sculpture that reference the peculiarities of British material and popular culture. I first saw her work last year when I saw one of her bouquets made from dozens of spoons shaped into delicate floral shapes. In our interview we talk about being a part of a creative squatter community in London early in her career, her interest in upcycling, and making art for the Royal family.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Jamie Bates Slone. She draws from her own experience with mental illness to create figurative sculpture that addresses disease and resilience. In our interview we talk about the psychology of color, how body positioning in sculpture can create empathy, and being a role model for young women.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Sara Truman. After teaching in a variety of classroom environments she has been focused for the past seven years on being a high school ceramics teacher. In our interview we talk about mentoring students inside and outside of the classroom, the founding of the Intersections think tank for K-12 art educators, and starting a community-based studio to serve Gainesville, FL.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Sharif Bey. Bey has extensive experience in ceramics/sculpture, art community programming, and art teacher training, all of which he utilizes in his role as an associate professor of Art Education at Syracuse University. His recent work includes figurative sculpture and large-scale ceramic necklaces that address identity and adornment. In our interview we talk about helping teachers prepare for K-12 classrooms, balancing theory and application in art education teacher training, and his interest in West African nkisi power figures.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Guillermo Cuellar. In 1986 he established a pottery outside of Caracas, Venezuela, which he ran for sixteen years before deciding to relocate to Shafer, Minnesota. In our interview we talk about his time working with the World Wildlife Fund, developing a market for his ceramics in Venezuela and the United States, and the influence of Warren Mackenzie.