{"podcast":{"title":"House of Folk Art","slug":"house-of-folk-art-6855332","podcast_index_feed_id":6855332,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/house-of-folk-art","website_url":"https://www.houseoffolkart.com/","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/2TV24Dq9ydWGihCSezE6l97ECxNxk7MtMc2EI8RF9wc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzUxNTk0LzE3MTE3/Mzc2MTktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.jpg","author":"Matt Ledbetter","episode_count":60,"summary":"Join Matt Ledbetter, esteemed auctioneer and folk art connoisseur hailing from Gibsonville, North Carolina, as he unveils the rich tapestry of Southern Folk Art. With personal ties to numerous folk artists through his renowned quarterly auctions, Matt brings you on a journey through the intricate history, the profound motivations, and the intimate encounters that shape the world of folk art.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-07T00:21:48.236243+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/house-of-folk-art-6855332"},"episode":{"title":"Episode 50 | Rare 1990s Folk Art Footage from Tom Wells","slug":"episode-50-rare-1990s-folk-art-footage-from-tom-wells","published_at":"2026-02-16T13:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/house-of-folk-art-6855332/episode-50-rare-1990s-folk-art-footage-from-tom-wells","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/house-of-folk-art-6855332","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/3160fc6f","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/3160fc6f/2c37fec9.mp3","summary":"Before museums and collectors caught on, Tom Wells was documenting Southern folk artists on VHS in the early 1990s. In this episode, Matt Ledbetter sits down with the longtime dealer to revisit those tapes and reflect on discovering artists like Z.B. Armstrong and J.T. McCord. Tom explains how he first met these artists, how relationships developed, how work was sold, and what it looked like to build a market without the internet, price databases, or collector forums. Some of the footage captures artists actively working. The footage captures artists at work and preserves moments from an important era for folk art. CHAPTERS 00:00 | Meeting Tom Wells in Thomson, Georgia 01:39 | First encounter with Z.B. Armstrong 08:24 | National exposure and Southern Magazine 12:19 | Jake J.T. McCord on his front porch 18:46 | Finding Ralph Griffin off a dirt road 27:09 | Jimmy Lee Sudduth and painting with mud 37:21 | Leonard Jones and painted tin 42:21 | Discovering Willie Tarver 46:45 | Meeting Richard Roebuck Do you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing? Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on a future episode. houseoffolkart@gmail.com (919) 410 8002 Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.","meta_description":"Before museums and collectors caught on, Tom Wells was documenting Southern folk artists on VHS in the early 1990s. In this episode, Matt Ledbetter sits d…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3139,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/house-of-folk-art-6855332/episodes/episode-50-rare-1990s-folk-art-footage-from-tom-wells/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/house-of-folk-art-6855332/episode-50-rare-1990s-folk-art-footage-from-tom-wells.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}