{"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 60 | Matt Shows Mike Smith the Rare Folk Art Leaving the Gallery","slug":"episode-60-matt-shows-mike-smith-the-rare-folk-art-leaving-the-gallery","published_at":"2026-07-06T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/house-of-folk-art-6855332/episode-60-matt-shows-mike-smith-the-rare-folk-art-leaving-the-gallery","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/house-of-folk-art-6855332","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/64d1e4b4","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/64d1e4b4/b27f0ab8.mp3","summary":"This episode starts with Mike returning to the table, where Matt has pulled together a group of rare folk art, pottery, baskets, quilts, and objects from the gallery before they ship out to new collections. Some of these pieces may not come back around for decades, so Matt wanted to get them on camera while they were still in the room. The conversation begins with Mike’s 35 years in the folk art world and his early trips through the Southeast visiting artists. From there, Matt and Mike dig into Billy Ray Hussey, including a red-glazed lion Matt calls one of the best pieces of contemporary Southern pottery he has ever seen, along with an early monumental lion from Hussey’s years around M.L. Owens and Jugtown. The table keeps changing as more pieces come out: rare stamped North Carolina copper measures, a Chester Webster salt-glazed jug, a small-bottom dirt dish, Charles Moore pottery, a double-sided Charlie Brown face jug, Benny Carter paintings and miniatures, Appalachian baskets, and an African American quilt found in Guilford County. Along the way, Matt talks about why serious collectors often are not sellers, and why some pieces disappear into private collections for a very long time. Mike also brings a few treasures of his own, including hand-built circus wagons and a major James Harold Jennings piece. The episode closes with Matt showing Mike two alligator walking sticks that appear to be by the same unknown maker, opening up the bigger question of how anonymous folk art discoveries can begin with just one matching piece. This is part auction preview, part collector conversation, and part folk art history lesson with one of the people who has spent decades chasing the artists, objects, and stories that make the field so alive. Chapters 00:00 | $17 a Day and Chocol…","meta_description":"This episode starts with Mike returning to the table, where Matt has pulled together a group of rare folk art, pottery, baskets, quilts, and objects from…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3963,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/house-of-folk-art-6855332/episodes/episode-60-matt-shows-mike-smith-the-rare-folk-art-leaving-the-gallery/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-60-matt-shows-mike-smith-the-rare-folk-art-leaving-the-gallery.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}