Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: A pottery and ceramic art podcast

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Louise Cort. After traveling to Japan on an exchange program in high school, Louise developed a love for everyday functional objects. This fascination led her to a PHD in ceramic history from Oxford. For the last forty years Cort has worked for the Smithsonian Institution as the curator of ceramics. In the interview we talk about how the display of an object creates meaning and how museums are evolving as cultural awareness shifts.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Ryan Greenheck. His functional ceramics are influenced by European slipware and Chinese porcelain traditions. He has been instrumental in starting invitational sales of functional ceramics in the North East of the United States. In our interview we talk about evolving in the studio with the help of your peers, curating a sale to meet the needs of a community, and taking short term risks for long term financial gains.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Stephanie Kantor. In her most recent body of work Stephanie explores myths surrounding water through multiple series of ceramic sculpture and painting. In our interview we talk about the relative values of art-making materials, how experiencing a Turkish hammam sparked her interest in bathing culture, and her time as a Zeldin fellow at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I speak with Aysha Peltz, Bruce Dehnert, and Lisa Vettoso, the organizers of the 45th annual Old Church Pottery Show. The event started in 1975 as a fundraiser for the Art School at Old Church in Demarest, NJ and quickly grew into one of the premier yearly sales of studio ceramics in the United States. In the interview we talk about the legacy of sale founders Karen Karnes and Mikhail Zakin, the curating process, and the genres within studio ceramics today.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Michael Connelly. In his Phoenixville, PA studio he makes functional pottery balancing highly engineered forms and expressive line work. In our interview we talk about creating the bones of a strong ceramic form, converting former industrial spaces into creative space in the Brewerytown neighborhood of Philadelphia, and finding work/life balance.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with ceramic artist James Whiting. After living in Japan for many years he developed a love for ceramics that continues to guide his own studio practice making large hand built vessels. He is also the director of the Berkeley Potter’s Studio, which has grown significantly during his tenure. In the interview we talk about best practices for safety, staffing and member growth in a community studio.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Sandy Simon. She was a student of Warren MacKenzie’s at the University of Minnesota in the late 1960’s where she started making utilitarian pots. In 1994 Sandy opened Trax Gallery in Berkeley, CA and has used the space to champion functional pottery. In our interview we talk about balancing form and decoration to create a unified pot, best practices for approaching galleries, and how the internet has changed the way pots are sold.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Wayne Higby. He came to Alfred University as an associate professor of ceramics in 1973. He continues to teach there to this day, along with maintaining an active studio practice and a recent appointment as the director of the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum. In our interview we talk about the importance of what Higby calls “witnessing” in his teaching, the five lenses of critique, and the founding of the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Sam Chung. In his recent porcelain vessels, Chung references Korean folk-art motifs in both form and surface. In our interview we talk about the transitions in technique and content he has made in his career, his methods for altering ceramic forms, and the impact that loss has on personal identity. Chung is based in Tempe, Arizona where he is a professor at Arizona State University.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Sophie Aguilera Lester. Her ceramic sculpture is autobiographical in nature with a strong reference to historical Spanish painting. In our interview we talk about being a set designer for theater, her interest in the still life, and the art scene in Barcelona, where she has lived for most of her adult life. To start the episode, I talk with Lindsay Oesterritter about her new book Mastering Kilns and Firing.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Naomi Clement. In her current body of work, she decorates functional pots with layers of abstracted text and loosely painted underglazes. The richness of her surfaces encourages the viewer to decipher the text and search for a larger narrative. In our interview we talk about the role pottery plays in daily rituals of observation and how finding her grandparents love letters spurred her interest in cursive text.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a special mailbag episode consisting of questions sent in from listeners. My wife Melissa comes on to cohost the show and we discuss topics including historical influences, bloopers from past seasons, and thoughts about how the #MeToo movement might affect ceramic history. On this milestone I want to send a special thank you to my listeners who have supported the show along the way. I couldn’t have done this without you.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Matt Ziemke. He abstracts the physical landscape to create planar structures that are covered with pattern and glaze. In our interview we talk about the effect technology has on the brain, working with the language of cartography, and building engaging surfaces through multiple firings. To start the episode, I have a short interview with Doug Peltzman about today’s AMACO Community Corkboard event, the Hudson Valley Pottery Tour.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Mary Cale Wilson. Through her multifaceted art practice, which includes sculpture, vessel making, and painting, Wilson explores ideas of womanhood and labor. In our interview we talk about using art to reconcile personal privilege, developing a personal iconography, and the ideas behind her installation Betrayal at Ebenezer.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Brooks Oliver. His refined ceramic vessels draw from the sleek aesthetics of design while maintaining the scale and proportions of handmade studio ceramics. In our interview we talk about using the 3d printer as a prototyping tool, developing a personal sense of color, and the growth of the Dallas Pottery Invitational.