Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Forrest Middelton, Arash Shirinbab, and Raeshma Razvi. Middelton, a ceramic artist, and Shirinbab, a calligrapher, have been working for the past two years towards an exhibition titled “To Contain and To Serve.” Their dialogue centers on the interplay of hospitality, morality and justice in contemporary cultural and media landscapes. The objects produced during the collaboration are calligraphy-inscribed ceramic tableware and tile inspired by the Persian ‘Nishapur’ tradition. Documentary filmmaker Razvi has been shooting the collaboration for future use in a film. In the episode, the artists use the question “Is creativity inherently spiritual?” as a jumping off point to discuss the introspective nature of craft and how cross-cultural exchange can provide a solution for political discord.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a double interview featuring Brian Harper and Carole Epp. In the first segment, I talk with Carole about her work on the book The Crafted Dish. In the second segment, I talk with sculptor Brian Harper. He creates complex architectural forms by joining thousands of premade modular ceramic units. The scaffold-like forms are built around commercial ceramic objects that represent the uniform predictability of high-volume, low-cost manufacturing. In the interview, we talk about the concept behind his sculptures, the easing of his political anxieties though creativity, and the mission of Art Axis, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that Brian founded to promote the professional pursuits of artists in the field of ceramics. Brian is an Associate Professor of Fine Art and the head of the Ceramics Program at Indiana University Southeast, and is the Executive Director of Artaxis.org.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Sue Tirrell. Her functional pots feature animal and landscape imagery created with underglaze and sgraffito drawing.  She uses a recurring cast of barn yard animals to create simple narratives that speak to the humor and complexity of human relationships.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion with Liz Myers, Kaden Meyrs, Krista Botsford, Paul Stokstad, Trever Foss, and Carter Pasma. The group of potters participated in a two-week wood firing workshop with Simon Levin at his Mill Creek Pottery in Gresham, WI. In the interview, we talk about collaborative learning and the multiday process of loading/firing an Anagama kiln.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Jacob Meer and Ian Connors. The two are connected through apprenticeship training with Simon Levin and specialize in wood firing. In the interview, we talk about the value of an apprenticeship, living in rural Wisconsin and learning to fire wood kilns.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Simon Levin. His interest in wood firing has led to over 20 years of active research into Anagama, Cross draft and Train style kilns. He uses the turbulent flame path inside these kilns to create rich surfaces on his ceramic vessels.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion with Sarah Jewell Olsen, Kelly Lynn Daniels, Hiromi Iyoda, Emily Connell, and Wen-Dan Lin. The five are currently resident artists at the Belger Arts Center’s Red Star Studios in Kansas City, MO.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Jessica Brandl. Her vessels are covered with drawings of rural American landscapes, abandoned architecture, and the flora & fauna of the environments she is investigating

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Tyler Lotz. An accomplished vessel maker and sculptor Lotz often uses geometric tessellations and modular units in his work. His work spans a variety of scales from intimate handheld pottery to four-foot tall sculptures. In the interview, we talk about cultivating patience while planning a new body of work, exploring the same content from multiple angles, and how teaching feeds his studio practice

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Birdie Boone. Working from her studio in Abingdon, VA she creates hand built tableware glazed in rich translucent colors. Her research into rare earth colorants has led to a broad spectrum of colors that are uniquely subtle and emotionally impactful.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a special live episode taped at KC Urban Potter’s Midwest Pottery Fest. Guest host Mo Dicken’s guides ten storytellers through their stories about the ceramic community, including hilarious tales of street fairs gone wrong and spooky haunted studios. Don’t miss this special recording taped live at the Drug Store in Kansas City, MO!

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Forrest Middelton, Arash Shirinbab, and Raeshma Razvi. Our discussion focuses on the collaboration between Middelton, a ceramic artist, and Shirinbab, a calligrapher. They have been working for the past year on an exhibition and performance titled “To Contain and To Serve.” The exhibition mixes functional ceramics with Persian calligraphy and Twitter posts to generate dialogue around political and social issues in Iran and America. Razvi is a documentary filmmaker that has been shooting the collaboration for future use in a film.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Vicki Grima and Stephen Creech. The focus of our discussion centers around nation-wide open studio events that bring the public into ceramic artist’s studios as a form of outreach and education.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Thor Thoreson. A student of Marguerite Wildenhain from 1970-73, Thor talks about his time at the Pond Farm School and the influence of Wildenhain’s modernist teachings. He came to Pond Farm at the suggestion of Dean Schwartz, a ceramics teacher at Luther College who sent many students to study with Wildenhain. Schwartz later compiled the comprehensive text on Pond Farm, titled Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus: An Eyewitness Anthology. In addition to the interview, this episode features an audio tour of the surviving buildings at the Pond Farm School given by Thoreson.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion featuring Shannon Garson, Linda Fahey, Gerry Wedd, and Joel Blume. The discussion was prompted by the Omnus Terra: All Lands exhibition, which was curated by Garson and Fahey.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Graham Marks. He worked in ceramics from 1968 to 1992 making large earthenware vessels that are reminiscent of seeds, geodes and other earthworks.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Matt Metz. Based in Alfred, NY he makes black porcelain pots that are covered with slips and carved through to reveal patterns in low relief. Over more than three decades he has developed a personal iconography that includes floral, geometric and figurative imagery. This episode also features a mini interview with Brian Jones about the relaunch of his ceramic podcast called The Jonescast. For more information visit www.jonescast.com.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Shoko Teruyama. Her colorful earthenware pottery features drawings of vines, floral motifs, and narrative characters depicting personal experiences and folklore.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Bill Carty. He is a professor of ceramic engineering and materials science at Alfred University. In addition to instructing future ceramic engineers he teaches art students how to develop problem-solving skills for their art practice. In our interview we talk about using data-based experimentation to dispel ceramic myths and how to remedy common issues such as crazing.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Cory Brown, William Newman-Wise and Yeh Rim Lee. The three are currently in their final year of graduate school at the NY State College of Ceramics at Alfred. In our interview we talk about practicing effective time management, developing relationships with faculty, and reckoning with Alfred's ceramic traditions.