The Jonescast

Andy Furgeson is an Austin, TX native and currently lives and performs in the Portland, OR area. He is a children's performer who weaves American folk songs into his routine, and, with some help from his puppets, introduces traditional music to a young audience. Andy's musical background, singing at church as a kid, and playing in punk, rockabilly, and bluegrass bands inform his current style and sense of showmanship. He brings the rock. Enjoy. 

Mo Phillips is a Portland, OR musician who plays primarily for children. Mo plays his music from a rock-heavy backgound. Think Wilco, the Pixies, and Fugazi. His experience as a father to two children lends itself to his music, naturally, and his ability to be comfortable in silliness is infectious. This is a talk between two dads who work in a creative field. Enjoy.

Richard Hensley is a studio potter in Floyd, VA. I've known Rick since 2003, and in that time I've seen him evolve his work at a regular and enviable pace. He is a consummate craftsman, confident in his ability and willing to take risks. He's deeply knowledgeable about ceramics (chemically, technically, and historically), and I think more people should know his work. He makes some of my favorite pots and when I use or see them they always make me want to do better. Enjoy!

Silvie Granatelli has been a studio potter in Floyd, VA since 1982. The story of her life has all the ups and downs of anyone working in a creative field, and  through it all she has successfully built a lifelong career in clay. Silvie was, and is, a mentor of mine, and she is a very special part of my life and a special guest on this program. Enjoy.

Dwight Holland founded the NC Potter's Conference, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012. He's also collected pots, hundreds and hundreds of them, for the past 60 years. Ben Carter and I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Holland about his collection, his life in Asheboro, and what Seagrove means within the global ceramic scale. This podcast is brought to you by the NC Potter's Conference and the Randolph Arts Guild.

The collector (and writer, professor, raconteur, etc.) Richard Jacobs and the British ceramic artist Gareth Mason held forth at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia earlier this year. Their discussion, a performance really, is taken from excerpts of their jointly authored book More is More.

Brian Harper is a leader within the quickly arriving younger generation of American ceramic artists. In 2006 he started artaxis, a database of ceramic artists, which since become an important piece of ceramic education and networking. Along with his digital foundation within the field Brian also teaches full time at Indiana University Southeast and he maintains a studio practice. Brian is also the founder of The Open Crowd Project a collaborative 3D printing project that uses 3D scanning and printing technology to print groups of people spread out by large distances. We talk about the importance of being connected, taking cues from mentors, and how miniscule events can be the catalyst for larger changes. 

Jeff Oestreich has been a mainstay in American ceramics for almost 40 years. Working from his home in Minnesota, Jeff has influenced countless makers and continues to advance his work at his own pace. We sat down back in December in Portland, OR and talked about his time working for Bernard Leach, setting up his early studios, and how his life has played out since.

Ryan LaBar is currently the program director at LH Project in Joseph, OR. We met up while Ryan was in Portland for a night on his way back home from Germany. His work has been exhibited extensively, most recently at NCECA in Houston, TX. He's been a resident at the Archie Bray Foundation, Gaya Ceramic Arts Center, Ubud, Bali, and received his MFA from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in 2010. This one covers a lot: spirituality, the conscious vs unconscious, how he ships his work, and LH Project. Dig in and enjoy!

Ian Anderson is the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College at the Maine College of Art. He's a busy man (also married to the great Kari Radasch), and one of my favorite people. Ian has an MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where I first met him, has worked as a studio assistant for Silvie Granatelli, started a line of functional pottery (Neutrino), and has been at MECA for the past few years. Ian has an exceptional ability to communicate ideas and processes, as well as inspire students, that place him somewhere between artist, educator, and administrator. He's engaged, informed, and actively trying to bring art and design education further into the 21st century. We cover a lot in this one, enjoy.